Mr. Coleman.

And I take it you were the one that prepared Commission Exhibit No. 921?

Mr. Snyder.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Coleman.

You also state that no known Soviet publicity on case. I take it you meant by that there had been no mentioning in the Soviet press about Oswald.

Mr. Snyder.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Coleman.

Are you saying from the time he came into your Embassy office until the time you wrote that airgram, that there was nothing in the Soviet press about Oswald?

Mr. Snyder.

Not to my knowledge.

Mr. Coleman.

Is that unusual in these cases, where Americans attempt to renounce their citizenship?

Mr. Snyder.

I think if there is a usual pattern--and, again, this is difficult to use words like “unusual” because there are never two cases alike in this sort of thing--but if there is a usual pattern, it is that there is some exploitation of the defector in Soviet public media, usually after the details of his defection have been settled, particularly the detail as to whether the Soviet Union desires to have him.
Up to that point, publicity in the Soviet press probably is not to be expected.

Mr. Coleman.

After you sent the airgram dated December 1, 1959, to the Department of State, which is Commission Exhibit No. 921, you didn’t have any more contact with Oswald until some time in February 1961, is that correct?

Mr. Snyder.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Coleman.

In the meantime, however, there was correspondence between the Embassy in Moscow and the State Department, is that correct?

Mr. Snyder.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Coleman.

Did----

Mr. Snyder.

Well, let me see.

Mr. Coleman.

I will mark----

Mr. Snyder.

I guess there was. There was one or more welfare and whereabouts inquiries concerning him from his mother, which I think was the bulk, if not all, of the correspondence which we were engaged in between those two periods.

Mr. Coleman.

Well, one such memorandum which went from the State Department to Moscow was a memorandum dated March 21, 1960, which has been marked as Commission Exhibit No. 922, which indicates that Representative Wright of Texas had made inquiry with respect to the whereabouts of Oswald.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 922 for identification.)

Mr. Snyder.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Coleman.

And attached to the operations memorandum which was marked as Commission Exhibit No. 922 is the letter sent to Congressman Wright, which has been marked as Exhibit 923.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 923 for identification.)

Mr. Coleman.

And also a letter sent to Mrs. Marguerite Oswald, which has been marked as Commission Exhibit No. 924.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 923 for identification.)

Mr. Coleman.

In reply to Commission Exhibit No. 922, you prepared and sent to the Department of State an operations memorandum under date of March 28, 1960, which we have marked as Commission Exhibit No. 927.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No.927 for identification.)

Mr. Snyder.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Coleman.

In Commission Exhibit No. 927, you make the statement that the Embassy has no evidence that Oswald was expatriated himself other than his announced intention to do so “and the Embassy is, therefore, technically in a position to institute an inquiry concerning his whereabouts through a note to the Foreign Office.”