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Significant Milestone

…of the Soviet Union, medical records (in particular, medical history from the psychiatric and surgical departments of the Botkin Hospital and the Second Clinical Hospital in Minsk)⁴⁵. The transfer of all these documents was conducted in a confidential manner—neither the governments of other countries, nor journalists, nor Oswald’s mother, nor even a close friend of the Soviet Union, the English philosopher E. Russell, were granted access to “Oswald’s file.” Although the transferred materials on Oswald were limited in scope and did not allow for a complete picture of his stay in the USSR, the Americans highly appreciated the fact of the transfer itself.

At the same time, starting from the end of November 1963, the most diverse versions of Kennedy’s assassination circulated in official and semi-official American circles. The head of the Washington bureau of *The New York Times*, J. Reston, told Dobrynin in a conversation that FBI investigators had received personal instructions from L. Johnson to check for Cuban and Chinese connections⁴⁶. Among those close to the Kennedy clan, a persistent version emerged that the assassination was part of a larger political conspiracy, in which individuals close to Johnson could have been fully involved. W. Walton, during a confidential meeting in Moscow, stated: “There may have been only one killer, but there were undoubtedly more participants in the assassination of the president”⁴⁷.

Khrushchev adhered to a similar version. In a conversation with the American journalist D. Pearson in Cairo at the end of May 1964, he said: “For Oswald’s mind, this was too complex a crime. A whole group of people operated here according to a pre-developed plan. One person could not commit such a crime.” He further added: “Behind this crime stand people who had great opportunities—both material and financial. They are the ones who cover up all the traces. It is no coincidence that the assassination took place in Dallas. Kennedy essentially became a victim of his enemies”⁴⁸.

In connection with perpetuating the memory of the late president, the Soviet side continued to assist the Americans. As early as December 5, 1963, the two brothers of the deceased president and the president of Harvard University launched a fundraising campaign for the construction of a presidential memorial library, and by February 26, 1964, Robert Kennedy wrote to Khrushchev, Gromyko, and A.I. Adzhubey, requesting interviews in which they could share their impressions of the former president. At the same time, Robert stipulated that…

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Footnotes:

⁴⁵ See Document No. 71.  
⁴⁶ See Document No. 58.  
⁴⁷ See Document No. 63.  
⁴⁸ See Document No. 72.