an accurate guide to the details of Oswald's activities. Oswald seems not to have been concerned about the accuracy of dates and names,132 and apparently made many of his entries subsequent to the date the events occurred. Marina Oswald testified that she believed that her husband did not begin to keep the diary until he reached Minsk, 3 months after his arrival in Russia,133 and scraps of paper found in Oswald's possession, containing much the same information as appears in his diary,134 suggest that he transcribed the entries into the diary at a later time. The substance of Oswald's writings has been carefully examined for consistency with all other related information available to the Commission. In addition, the writings have been checked for handwriting,135 and for consistency of style, grammar, and spelling with earlier and later writings which are known to be his.136 No indication has been found that entries were written or coached by other persons.137

However, the most reliable information concerning the period Oswald spent in Moscow in the latter part of 1962 comes from the records of the American Embassy in Moscow,138 the testimony of Embassy officials,139 and the notes of two American newspaper reporters, Aline Mosby 140 and Priscilla Johnson,141 who interviewed Oswald during this period. Oswald's correspondence with his brother and mother has also been relied upon for some relatively minor information. The findings upon which the Commission based its conclusion concerning Soviet involvements in the assassination were supported by evidence other than material provided by the Soviet Union 142 or Oswald's writings. The Central Intelligence Agency has also contributed data on the normal practices and procedures of the Soviet authorities in handling American defectors.

The "Historic Diary" indicates that on October 16, 1959, the day Oswald arrived in Moscow, he told his Intourist guide, Rima Shirokova, that he wished to renounce his American citizenship and become a Soviet citizen. The same day, the guide reportedly helped Oswald prepare a letter to the Soviet authorities requesting citizenship.143 The diary indicates, however, that on October 21 he was informed that his visa had expired and that he would be required to leave Moscow within 2 hours. 144 During the preceding days, according to the diary, he had been interviewed once and perhaps twice by Soviet officials.145 During this period the KGB,* the agency with