Warren Commission (11 of 26): Hearings Vol. XI (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (11 of 26): Hearings Vol. XI (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Mr. COLEMAN. And, therefore, I take it then, that the only additional
information you got in the October CIA telegram was that he was in
Mexico City, and he had visited the Russian Embassy in Mexico City.
Mr. SEELEY. That is correct.
Mr. COLEMAN. And it is your position that he had the right to go back
to Russia if he wanted to go anyway; is that correct?
Mr. SEELEY. Yes, sir.
Mr. COLEMAN. And so, therefore, there is nothing that you could have
done about it?
Mr. SEELEY. No, sir.
Mr. COLEMAN. Did you make any memorandum or any memoranda when you
looked at the file in October 1963?
Mr. SEELEY. Aside from this notation which is in my handwriting, which
says "Noted CHS 10-22-63" that is the extent of the documentation that
I gave to them.
Mr. COLEMAN. But you do say you had some discussions with the other
gentlemen that looked at the file?
Mr. SEELEY. I don't have a recollection. I don't know whether Mr.
Ritchie does. I don't believe he does either, but the fact that we both
had it, he may have passed it to me. You have to get this in context.
We have hundreds of these cases. This is one case out of hundreds.
I am surprised that I have got any recollection, but I do have some,
as I mentioned before in my testimony here, that I did have some
recollection of it.
Mr. COLEMAN. No one called you and said, "Well, look, let him have the
passport, don't do anything about it," I take it?
Mr. SEELEY. Oh, no, sir. At the time the passport was issued, it was
issued.
Mr. COLEMAN. But I mean when you got the telegram, nobody called you
and said, "Look, just skip it. Let him have the passport."
Mr. SEELEY. No, sir.
Mr. COLEMAN. "Don't do anything about it"?
Mr. SEELEY. No, sir.
Mr. COLEMAN. All the action you took, you took independently?
Mr. SEELEY. Yes, sir; as my own independent action.
Mr. COLEMAN. I take it if faced with the situation again, knowing only
what you knew on October 22, 1963, you would take the same action today?
Mr. SEELEY. Yes, sir; that is correct. There is one additional item,
and that is under our new regulations we do put a card in on a defector
or a person--I think I can give you the definition here.
"Defectors, expatriates and repatriates whose activities or background
demand further inquiry prior to issuance of passport facilities."
I presume that under this criteria, in fact I know under this criteria
that Oswald would have a card placed against him today.
Mr. COLEMAN. Is it your opinion as assistant legal counsel to the
Passport Office that you still in the final analysis couldn't deny him
the passport?
Mr. SEELEY. That is definite.
Mr. COLEMAN. And you would have to give it to him?
Mr. SEELEY. Yes, sir.
Mr. COLEMAN. Has there been any other case of a defector where you have
actually issued him another passport?
Mr. SEELEY. We have issued passports to defectors, at least one that I
know of, and I think we have furnished a report on that.
Mr. COLEMAN. You say there is a case of another defector?
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