Mr. Coleman.

Do you recall that statement in the operations memorandum?

Mr. Snyder.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Coleman.

Was it your thought, then, that based upon all the documents you had and what transpired on October 31, 1959, and the subsequent letter that Oswald sent, that in your judgment he had not renounced his American. citizenship?

Mr. Snyder.

The statement which I made in that letter---to be quite accurate, as to its content--was made not for the that is, the statement wasn't directing itself to the question has Oswald lost his citizenship or not, but rather to the question would we have the right in Soviet eyes to ask about the whereabouts of this man. The Soviet authorities took a very strict line that no foreign government had the right to inquire about any resident of the Soviet Union unless he was their citizen. So that my statement was merely--was meant there to support my conclusion that the Embassy, as far as we could see, would have the right in Soviet eyes to ask about the whereabouts of Oswald--because we had no reason to.believe he was not our citizen, and, therefore, we had a perfect right to ask about where he might be.

Representative Ford.

In other words, in your own mind, at that point, he had not renounced his citizenship?

Mr. Snyder.

There is no question he had not renounced his citizenship; yes, sir.

Mr. Coleman.

You considered that he was still an American citizen as of March 28----

Mr. Snyder.

No evidence to the contrary.

Mr. Dulles.

That is, he hadn't taken the procedures required under the law to renounce his citizenship?

Mr. Snyder.

He had not renounced his citizenship, and there was-no evidence that he had acquired Soviet citizenship. These were the two things under which I think he could possibly have lost his citizenship at that time. So, for lack of evidence to the contrary, he was an American citizen.

Mr. Coleman.

On April 5, 1960--you received an operations memorandum from the Department of State, dated March 28, 1960, which we have had marked as Commission Exhibit No. 929. Do you recall receiving that?

Mr. Snyder.

Yes, sir.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 929 for identification.)

Mr. Coleman.

The second paragraph of that memorandum indicates that a lookout card or file has been opened or prepared.

Mr. Snyder.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Coleman.

What does that mean?

Mr. Snyder.

Never having worked in this end of the Department of State, I can say only what it would mean in general terms--when one says a lookout card has been prepared, it means that an entry has been made in the file in such fashion that should someone look in the file for--under this name or this category, that there would be that their attention would be flagged by this entry, and their attention would be called to the fact that there is something that they ought to look into. In other words, it is kind of a red flag placed--perhaps red flag is not the word to use here but it is a flag placed in the file to attract the attention of anyone looking in the file under that.

Mr. Coleman.

Then on May 10, 1960, and again on June 22, 1960, you received two operations memorandums from the State Department making inquiries with respect to Mr. Oswald. Can you identify those?

Mr. Snyder.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Coleman.

You remember receiving those?

Mr. Snyder.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Coleman.

The operations memorandum dated May 10, 1960, was given Commission Exhibit No. 928, and the operations memorandum dated June 22, 1960, has been given Commission Exhibit No. 925.
(The documents referred to were marked Commission Exhibits Nos. 925 and 928, respectively, for identification.)

Mr. Coleman.

In response to those two operations memorandums, you, then, on July 6, 1960, sent forth an operations memorandum which has been given Commission Exhibit No. 926, which states that until you get other instructions,