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

Speculation of Soviet Coaching of Oswald’s Embassy and Media Interactions

Both at the Embassy and in a subsequent interview with American journalist Priscilla Johnson, Oswald displayed familiarity with Communist ideological arguments, leading those he spoke with to speculate that he may have received instruction from Soviet authorities. His familiarity with citizenship renunciation law, observed by Embassy officials, could also be read as evidence of Soviet coaching. However, Oswald was known to be an avid reader who had read Communist literature on his own while in the Marine Corps and before. His “Historic Diary” indicates he did not tell his Intourist guide about his planned Embassy visit because he feared she would disapprove. While Snyder received a favorable impression of Oswald as an intelligent person, journalist Priscilla Johnson, who spent about five hours with him, described him as someone who liked to create the pretense of engaging in abstract discussion but lacked the capacity for sustained logical argument.

Assessment That Oswald’s Embassy Conduct Shows No Soviet Coaching

Persuasive evidence that Oswald’s conduct was not carefully coached by Soviet agents comes from some of his own actions at the Embassy. His statement that he had volunteered to a Soviet official to share all he knew about radar work would have prejudiced any possibility of his serving as an effective pro-Communist agent. Although his behavior brought him exceedingly close to expatriation, it was unlikely to have increased his value to the Soviet Union, since a defector could have considerable propaganda value without expatriating himself, and expatriation would have made his eventual return to the United States more difficult or impossible. Snyder testified he had every reason to believe Oswald would have carried through a formal renunciation immediately if permitted. Reporters also noted Oswald’s ambivalence—stormily demanding to renounce while failing to complete the necessary paperwork—behavior that could have detracted from his propaganda value.