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

Soviet Marriage Permit Requirements for Foreign Residents

Soviet law required that a foreigner residing in Russia obtain governmental permission before marrying. This requirement was a significant barrier and control point exercised by Soviet authorities over foreign residents.

Soviet Rationale for Allowing Marina to Emigrate to the U.S.

The Soviet rationale for permitting Marina to emigrate to the United States with Oswald was not established through direct evidence, but the Commission inferred from the circumstances that allowing the marriage and emigration suggested Oswald was not being used as a covert agent by Soviet authorities, since the presence of a Russian wife would only complicate any such operation.

Marina Oswald’s Suitability as a Soviet Agent

Marina Oswald’s lack of English training and her complete ignorance of United States customs would scarcely have recommended her to the Soviet authorities as a suitable member of an agent team to be sent to the United States on a difficult and dangerous foreign enterprise. Her profile was inconsistent with that of a trained operative.

Oswald’s February 1961 Request to Return to the United States

On February 13, 1961, the American Embassy in Moscow received a letter from Oswald postmarked Minsk, February 5, requesting readmission to the United States. This marked the Embassy’s first contact with or about Oswald since November 16, 1959, ending a 15-month silence. The letter was not designed to ingratiate Oswald with Embassy officials; it incorrectly implied a prior unanswered letter, stated he would return only if assured no legal charges awaited him, and reminded officials of their responsibility to help him as an American citizen.