Political Activities Upon Return to the United States
Oswald subscribed to the Worker, the Communist Party USA publication, in August 1962 and wrote requesting literature. He inquired about joining when planning to relocate to the Baltimore-Washington area, but the party was unresponsive. Arnold S. Johnson of the party’s information bureau exchanged several letters with Oswald, but the party considered his case unremarkable. His Socialist Workers Party correspondence was similarly limited; he applied to join in October 1962, but no Dallas chapter existed and he was never asked to assist with poster work despite offering. Oswald also requested literature from the Socialist Labor Party and corresponded briefly with Texas committeeman Horace Twiford.
Oswald’s most active engagement was with the Fair Play for Cuba Committee (FPCC). In May 1963 he applied for membership and, against the national office’s advice, established a “New Orleans chapter,” opening a post office box and renting an office. The chapter was entirely fictitious; national headquarters did not authorize it or provide funds. Oswald distributed handbills, was arrested during a confrontation with anti-Castro Cubans, and twice appeared on local radio. He used the alias “A. J. Hidell” as chapter president, and Marina signed that name on membership cards at his insistence. No other New Orleans chapter member was identified, and the FBI found no evidence linking Oswald to undercover Cuban activities.
Right-Wing Groups Hostile to President Kennedy
The Commission investigated possible links between Oswald and Dallas right-wing groups that had publicly attacked President Kennedy. Three notable incidents preceded the assassination: the October 24, 1963 demonstration against Ambassador Adlai Stevenson; the “Wanted for Treason” handbill distributed November 20-21; and the full-page “Welcome Mr. Kennedy” advertisement in the Dallas Morning News on November 22, sponsored by a fictitious “American Fact-Finding Committee” chaired by Bernard Weissman. Investigation revealed that Weissman, William B. Burley III, and Larrie H. Schmidt had developed plans in Munich in 1962 to infiltrate conservative organizations. Grinnan raised the $1,465 for the advertisement from Edgar R. Crissey, Nelson Bunker Hunt, and H. R. Bright. The four men denied any knowledge of Oswald or Ruby, and the Commission found no connection. The “Wanted for Treason” handbill was traced to Robert A. Surrey, a printing salesman closely associated with General Walker, who arranged its clandestine printing through Klause at Lettercraft Printing Co.
Contacts With the Cuban and Soviet Embassies in Mexico City
Seven weeks before the assassination, Oswald traveled to Mexico City, visiting both embassies between September 27 and October 3, 1963. Marina testified he told her the purpose was to evade U.S. restrictions on travel to Cuba. He requested an “in-transit” Cuban visa to permit entry en route to the Soviet Union, but Cubans told him a Soviet visa was required first, and the Soviets said processing would take about four months. Oswald argued heatedly with Cuban Consul Eusebio Azque, who said “a person of his type was harming the Cuban Revolution rather than helping it.” Senora Silvia Duran, the Cuban consular employee handling the application, was questioned by Mexican authorities shortly after the assassination. Her detailed account was corroborated by confidential U.S. sources of extremely high reliability, by Cuban government documents, and by documents recovered among Oswald’s possessions matching her description.
The Commission investigated dozens of allegations of conspiratorial contact between Oswald and Cuban agents, including a young Latin American agent “D,” who claimed to have seen Oswald receiving $6,500 at the Cuban Embassy. “D” later retracted, admitted fabrication, and failed a polygraph. The CIA and FBI confirmed through secret reliable sources that the Cuban Government had no relationship with Oswald other than that described by Senora Duran. Secretary of State Rusk testified Cuban officials were genuinely concerned after the assassination that they would be held responsible.
Contacts With the Soviet Embassy in the United States
In a November 9, 1963 letter, Oswald wrote to the Soviet Embassy in Washington, claiming to have met “Comrade Kostin” at the Soviet Embassy in Mexico City. The CIA identified this person as Valeriy Vladimirovich Kostikov, a KGB officer on the consular staff. The letter also referred to the replacement of a Cuban consul—almost certainly Azque. Compared with the preliminary draft Ruth Paine had seen, the letter appeared a clumsy attempt by Oswald to inflate the importance of his trip. The Commission found no evidence the letter contained code or represented genuine contact with Soviet intelligence.
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