In the wake of President Kennedy’s assassination, tensions quickly escalated between the CIA and Congressional investigators.
A declassified 1977 CIA memo, written by Russell B. Holmes, reveals the depth of mistrust and institutional friction as the agency was accused of hiding crucial information about Lee Harvey Oswald’s activities in Mexico City.
This document is more than bureaucratic defensiveness-it shows the stakes and anxieties when the government investigates itself.
"We should not permit our people to be mistreated or misrepresented without response."
🕵️♂️ What the Committee Alleged
The House Select Committee on Assassinations, led by Chief Counsel Richard Sprague, made several allegations against the CIA:
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HSCA staff claimed the CIA withheld for nearly two months in 1963 information that Oswald spoke with Cuban and Soviet officials about traveling to those countries.
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A cable describing Oswald’s activities in Mexico was reportedly rewritten to remove mention of his requests for Cuban and Soviet visas before being sent to the FBI in October 1963.
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Committee staff suggested the CIA only reversed its decision to withhold information after the Kennedy assassination.
"The incident raised two interesting questions: what might the other agencies have done differently if they had been more fully informed, and why did the CIA decide to remove information that was considered pertinent enough to be put in an initial draft of the message?"
🗂️ The CIA’s Response: Bureaucratic, Not Malicious
Holmes’s memo offers a direct rebuttal:
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Oswald’s name surfaced after a phone call to the Soviet Embassy on 1 October 1963. By 8 October, Mexico City Station sent highlights of the call to Headquarters.
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On 10 October, this information-except for Oswald’s visit to the Soviet Embassy on 28 September-was sent to the FBI and other agencies. Holmes says the omission was due to oversight, not conspiracy.
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He insists the agency did not have investigative responsibility for Oswald at the time and received no requests from other agencies for additional information.
"It should be pointed out that for some unknown reason the Headquarters desk responsible for making the dissemination neglected to include the information that Oswald had visited the Soviet Embassy on 28 September 1963."
👀 Unverified Witnesses and the Problem of Fabrication
The memo also reflects agency frustration over how new witnesses were handled:
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Committee staff claimed to have found witnesses in Mexico who had never previously been interviewed.
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Holmes highlighted the danger of relying on such testimony without careful review, noting past instances like Gilberto Alvarado’s fabricated claim about Oswald receiving cash for an assassination.
"There are many examples in the Oswald files of statements made by people claiming to have knowledge of Lee Harvey Oswald which have been proven to be fabrications."
⚖️ Caught Between Public Scrutiny and Internal Politics
Holmes warns that the agency was being "tried and sentenced" by the press and Congress before having a chance to respond. He recommended that the CIA protest publicly against misleading coverage and seek to review information before its release.
This episode highlights just how hard it is to uncover historical truth amid institutional rivalry, suspicion, and the pressures of public scrutiny.
