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

第二章 With the assistance of Agent in Charge Sorrels of the

This chapter documents the 1961–1962 correspondence, administrative processes, and legal reviews between the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and the State Department related to Lee Harvey Oswald’s U.S. passport, citizenship status, and efforts to return to the United States with his Soviet wife, Marina. It covers initial Embassy inquiries about Oswald’s passport request, in-person interviews to assess his citizenship status, the application and approval process for passport renewal, and the legal analysis confirming Oswald had not expatriated his U.S. citizenship.

Initial Embassy Correspondence on Oswald’s Letters

After receiving Oswald’s first letter postmarked February 5, 1961, the Moscow Embassy forwarded a dispatch to the State Department on February 28 relaying Oswald’s correspondence and the Embassy’s initial response. The Embassy asked whether Oswald would face prosecution if he returned to the U.S., whether he should be notified of potential prosecution, and if there was any objection to mailing his 1959 passport to him to facilitate his application for a Soviet exit visa. After receiving Oswald’s March 20 letter, the Embassy consulted Washington again, proposed to inform Oswald he must travel to Moscow in person to discuss reentry to the U.S. and that the Soviet government did not object to visits by American citizens, and sent this letter to Oswald on March 24.

State Department April 1961 Passport Return Instructions

The State Department reviewed the Embassy’s February 28, 1961 dispatch, and on April 13 issued instructions that for security reasons, Oswald’s passport could only be released to him if he appeared in person at the Embassy. Even then, the passport could only be provided after a full investigation confirmed he had not renounced his U.S. citizenship, he had to present proof he had arranged to depart the Soviet Union for the U.S., and the passport would be stamped valid only for direct return to the U.S. The Department also informed the Embassy it could not advise Oswald whether he would face prosecution for any offenses if he returned to the U.S.