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

Soviet Exit Visa Process for the Oswald Family

To leave Russia, the Oswalds also needed Soviet governmental permission. Marina Oswald, though her memory was unclear, said she and Oswald first made their intentions to go to the United States known to Soviet officials in Minsk in May 1961, even before the July Moscow trip. Soviet documents showed formal applications from July 15 to August 21. The key question for Soviet authorities was whether to allow Marina to accompany her husband.

Timeline of the Oswalds’ Soviet Exit Visa Approval

Marina Oswald was called to the local passport office in Minsk on December 25, 1961, and told that authority had been received to issue exit visas to her and Oswald. On January 11, 1962, Marina was issued her Soviet exit visa, marked valid until December 1, 1962. The Oswalds did not leave Russia until June 1962, but the additional delay was caused by U.S. Government problems and the birth of a child in February. Permission from Soviet authorities, once given, was never revoked.

Pre-Departure MVD Interviews of the Oswald Family

Marina Oswald’s reported interview with MVD Colonel Aksenov in late 1961, which was arranged at her own request, may have served the purpose of determining whether she or her husband had access to confidential information. This conference, together with Oswald’s predeparture MVD interview, appeared to be standard assessment activities. Oswald told the FBI in July 1962 that he had been interviewed by the MVD twice—once when he first arrived in the Soviet Union and once just before departing. Marina testified that the second interview did not occur in Moscow and that they dealt with MVD visa officials frequently in Minsk.