Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Coincidental Timing of Oswald’s Letter and His Mother’s Embassy Request

The end of the 15-month communication gap came only a few days after the Department of State in Washington had forwarded a request to the Moscow Embassy on February 1, 1961, informing the Embassy that Oswald’s mother was worried about him and asking that he contact her if possible. The simultaneity of these two events appeared coincidental. Marguerite Oswald’s request was transmitted from Washington to Moscow by sealed diplomatic pouch with no evidence the seal had been tampered with, and the responsible State Department officer testified that the message was not forwarded to the Russians upon arrival in Moscow.

Circumstances of Oswald’s July 1961 U.S. Embassy Visit

The Embassy’s response to Oswald’s letter was to invite him to come personally to Moscow to discuss the matter. Oswald initially protested because of the difficulty of obtaining Soviet permission and wrote two additional protesting letters over the following four months, receiving no indication that the Embassy would handle the matter by mail. While the Department of State was clarifying its position, Oswald unexpectedly appeared at the Embassy in Moscow on Saturday, July 8, 1961. On Sunday, Marina Oswald flew to Moscow and was interviewed by Embassy officials on Tuesday.

Soviet Travel Authorization Rules for Foreign Residents

The Commission asked the State Department and CIA to comment on whether the Oswalds’ travel to Moscow without permission signified special Soviet treatment. Since Marina Oswald possessed a Soviet citizen’s internal passport, she did not require prior approval to make the trip. Soviet law did require her husband, as the holder of a “stateless passport,” to obtain advance permission, but his failure to do so would not normally have been considered a serious violation.