(Testimony of Richard Edward Snyder Resumed)
Mr. Snyder.
know. But I say, it seemed to me evident at the time that he had discussed with, presumably, a Soviet person or persons what he intended to do at the Embassy, and perhaps the line he should take at the Embassy.
Mr. Coleman.
Well, how do you feel or do you think there is any special significance to the way he entered the Soviet Union from Helsinki in October of 1959?
Mr. Snyder.
Well, there is some significance perhaps, but not a great amount of significance. As most travelers, most tourist travelers come into the Soviet Union on a prearranged tour--many do come from Helsinki. Many of them do not come to Moscow. They go only to Leningrad, spend a day or two, and go back again across the border. It is the shortest entry onto Soviet territory from non-Communist territory.
It was at least one other case, when I was in Moscow, of a person--that is with possible defecting intent, who came into the Soviet Union through Helsinki, and who got his visa apparently directly at the Soviet Embassy, which I think is what Oswald did, although. I cannot be sure. But it was my impression at the time that he did not have a prepared tourist tour sort of thing. But I cannot be sure on this point.
Mr. Coleman.
Do you draw any significance from the fact that he was able to come from Minsk into Moscow on July 8, apparently without any difficulty?
Mr. Snyder.
No; I cannot say that he came without any difficulty. He may have had considerable difficulty. It was my feeling that he would have some difficulty in coming to Moscow.
Representative Ford.
Did you make any inquiry about that? Did that rouse your curiosity, that he was able to come?
Mr. Snyder.
No; because I expected that he would be able to come, Mr. Ford. As a matter of fact, the letter which I wrote to him in reply to the first letter to me which I received was very carefully worded with this in mind. It was written, for one thing, partly addressed to the Soviet authorities who would read it. And partly to Oswald--which could be used by him in a sense should he run up against real difficulties in getting permission to come to Moscow.
At any rate, I think it was my feeling at the time that he probably could come to the Embassy, although it might cost him considerable difficulty. But I saw no reason to spare him this difficulty.
Mr. Coleman.
Is there any other information you have which you think the Commission would be interested in in connection with its work and its investigation?
Mr. Snyder.
I can't really--well, let me say that I don't know of any other facts pertinent to the investigation, or pertinent to Oswald in any way which I have not presented, at least not knowingly.
There may well be---there is much that I could elaborate on, on what I have said, relating to Oswald. There are a good deal of small things which perhaps under further questioning might be elicited.
But I am not aware of anything which I have not mentioned and which is in any way pertinent, and which ought to be mentioned.
There are other observations about Oswald and this sort of thing I suppose I could elaborate on to some extent.
Representative Ford.
Earlier in the interrogation, Mr. Coleman had you outline what transpired the day that Oswald walked into the Embassy, in the first instance?
Mr. Snyder.
Yes, sir.
Representative Ford.
The Commission has in the various papers picked up following Oswald's apprehension, and murder, what purports to be his observations or his diary during his stay in the Soviet Union. Have you read any of those?
Mr. Snyder.
No, sir.
Representative Ford.
He describes in one of these documents his experience that day he came into the Embassy. Would you in some detail relate that again, as you understand what transpired? What time of day it was, where you were, in what office, and so forth. Who was with you, if anybody.
Mr. Snyder.
I might begin, I think, as I began originally, by stating that I don't recall the time of day. But from my knowledge of the facts of the case, and the fact that I told him the Embassy was closed and so forth, it had to have
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