</s>104-10147-10099 6. September 1975 MENORANDUM OF CONVERSATION: Dan Rather and Les Midgley 3 September 1975 Mr. Rather said that CBS is working up a series of programs entitled "The Assassinations" dealing with the assassinations of President Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Rev. King. The President of the Governor of Gov. Wallace. He said they are particularly concerned that they have the facts about any possible CIA connection with Oswald. He had that it seems also, on its face, incredible that CIA had not had some contact with an ex-Marine who worked the Soviet Union, also, with its face. Incredible that CIA was not had union, and an interview with him and making him an agent, but wanted to make sure he had covered all the bets. He referred to-the-work of Mark Mark Lane in this field and I treferred to Dick Gregory's paranoia on this subject of CIA connections with the Kennedy death. . We went over a variety of matters: CIA had no contact, firmed it up at the end by saying that CIA has no contact. with it at the End by saying Russian period or afterterms, that Oswald also was able to pass the CIA to the President's aware of his visits to embassies in Mexico City, which information was made available to Oswald came from our becoming that there was absolutely no basis for the Warren Commission, that there is absolutely no bias for conclusion, which (and Mexico at the time Oswald was there, and that the Russian traveler at that CIA had interviewed was indeed a different individual than Oswald, despite the coincidence of the Russian of the Soviet Union, under oath, based on one traveler that the CIA had interviewed under oath. Based on information available within the Agency, although I had no personal knowledge of the matter I said I could not believe that any additional information would suffice in the Agency that any other information would include on, the Agency by Mr. Belin in the Rockefeller Commission on, investigations due to his personal interest in the matter. Mr. Midgly referred to the fact that some additional information is coming out from the FBI, and I pointed out JFK ACT 2/1695 RELEASE APPROVED FOR RELEASE 1993 CIA HISTORICAL REVIEW PROGRAM

Summary  
This memorandum of conversation from September 1975 details a discussion between CBS journalist Dan Rather and Les Midgley regarding CBS's planned series on assassinations, including those of President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and Governor George Wallace. Rather expressed concerns about the lack of confirmed CIA involvement in the assassination of RFK, noting that while some theories suggest a potential connection, there is no substantiated evidence. The conversation references Mark Lane’s work on assassination investigations and Dick Gregory’s skepticism about CIA ties to the Kennedy assassinations. It also mentions the Rockefeller Commission’s limited scope, as it did not have authority to investigate FBI activities. Allen Dulles’ comments on intelligence agents being exposed are noted, though Hoover’s remarks were excluded from the discussion. The text clarifies that CIA had no confirmed contact with Lee Harvey Oswald, emphasizing that Oswald’s visits to Mexico City and interactions with Soviet officials were not linked to CIA operations. A distinction is made between Oswald and a separate Russian traveler interviewed by CIA, confirming they were different individuals. Military interrogations of Oswald are noted as inconclusive, with no evidence he was a clandestine agent. The discussion concludes with assurances that further developments would be shared with Rather.  

Key People  
- Dan Rather (CBS journalist)  
- Les Midgley (participant in the conversation)  
- Mark Lane (investigator and author on assassination theories)  
- Dick Gregory (activist and critic of CIA involvement)  
- Allen Dulles (former CIA director)  
- J. Edgar Hoover (FBI director, referenced but not directly discussed)  

Key Locations  
- Mexico City (mentioned in context of Oswald’s activities)  
- Washington, D.C. (implied as the location of the discussion and agencies involved)  

Key Events  
- Planning of CBS's "The Assassinations" series (1975)  
- Discussion of CIA involvement in RFK assassination theories  
- Reference to Rockefeller Commission’s investigation limitations  
- Clarification of CIA’s lack of contact with Lee Harvey Oswald  
- Mention of Oswald’s interactions with Soviet officials and Mexican embassies  

Key Organizations  
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Rockefeller Commission (investigation into CIA activities)  
- CBS News (producing the "The Assassinations" series)

RFK Declassified Files

00432731_memo_of_conversation_dan_104-10303-10012.pdf

Document Summary

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