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(Testimony of Richard Edward Snyder)
Mr. Snyder.
confines it to a consular officer---but at any rate must appear, in the case of the Foreign Service, appear before a consular officer, and swear to an affidavit in the proper form, something of this order. In practical terms, it means that the consul draws up a statement, the content of which--the exact wording of which is contained in our regulations, and has the person swear to it in his presence.
Mr. Coleman.
Well, did Mr. Oswald ask for such an affidavit?
Mr. Snyder.
I don't think he asked for such an affidavit in those terms. I am not sure that he understood that completely, what the procedure was. But he did ask to renounce his citizenship.
Mr. Coleman.
Well, did you provide him with the affidavit?
Mr. Snyder.
No, sir; I did not.
Mr. Coleman.
Why didn't you provide him with the affidavit at that time?
Mr. Snyder.
Well, as the consul and, of course, the responsible person at the time, it didn't seem to me the sensible thing to do-in the sense that--I can't, I suppose, speak for all consuls, but it is sort of axiomatic, I think, in the consular service that when a man, a citizen comes in and asks to renounce his citizenship, you don't whip out a piece of paper and have him sign it. This is a very serious step, of course, an irrevocable step, really, and if nothing else you attempt to provide enough time for--to make sure that the person knows what he is doing. You explain, for one thing, what the meaning of the act is; and, secondly, again speaking for myself---I cannot speak for the Foreign Service in this--provide a little breather, if possible make the man leave your office and come back to it at a later time, just to make sure for what value there is in making sure---that the man's action is not something completely off the top of his head.
Representative Ford.
Mr. Chairman, would it be helpful for the record to have put in the record at this point whatever the law is in this regard, and whatever the Department regulations are on this point?
The Chairman.
That may be done; yes.
Mr. Coleman.
I would like to say, sir, at 2 o'clock the Legal Adviser to the State-Department is coming in, and he is going to put it in at that time.
Mr. Dulles.
May I ask a question at this point?
Mr. Coleman.
If you want it in now, we can indicate the sections which are applicable.
Representative Ford.
I think there ought to be some citation at this point, because the witness is talking specifically about the process of the law and the regulations.
The Chairman.
Do you have the law there, Mr. Snyder--is that the law?
Mr. Snyder.
I brought nothing with me, myself.
The Chairman.
I saw a book there that you were looking at, and I thought that would suffice.
Mr. Snyder.
Shall I read the section of law, sir?
This is the Immigration and Nationality Act, section 349(a)(6).
Section 349(a) states, "From and after the effective date of this Act, a person who is a national of the United States, whether by birth or naturalization, shall lose his nationality by"--then section 6 under that, subsection, states, "making a formal renunciation of nationality before a diplomatic or consular officer of the United States in a foreign state in such form as may be prescribed by the Secretary of State."
Mr. Coleman.
Sir, the Secretary of State has promulgated regulations which are found in 22 Code of Federal Regulations, sections 50.1 and 50.2 and they are also reproduced in 8 Foreign Affairs Manual, section 225.6.
Basically, as I understand it, those regulations provide the form in which the citizen is to make the renunciation, and it is to be done in four copies, and then one copy is to be given to the person who makes the renunciation. Is that your understanding?
Mr. Snyder.
This is my understanding; yes, sir.
Representative Ford.
Are those forms available? Are they printed up, or do you have to draft them? What is the circumstance?
Mr. Snyder.
They are not printed forms, to my knowledge, Mr. Ford--at
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