Nov. 7, 1995 Memo for Secretaries of the Military

November 7, 1995

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARIES OF THE MILITARY DEPARTMENTS
DIRECTOR, DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

SUBJECT: Request for Records Related to the Kennedy Assassination

Attached is a request from the Assassinations Records Review Board (Board), established by Congress to collect records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Last week, representatives of the Board's staff met with representatives of your component, my office and other affected offices to discus the scope of the Board's task and what they seek from the Defense Department. As a result of that meeting, the Board has presented us with the attached list of records requested.

I request that you review this list and identify the numbered paragraphs which request records in the custody of your component. Then, you should survey your record holdings for those that may contain records responsive to the numbered items in the request you identified as relevant to your organization....

When you have completed this process, please respond with the following information:

(1) A list of the numbered items which request records in the custody of your organization;

(2) A description of record holdings which may contain responsive records, including reference to the numbered items each holding may contain;...

Your organization has identified a point of contact to the Board, and your contact attended the meeting which preceded this request...

Please respond no later than 14 November to the Office of the Deputy General Counsel....

Judith A. Miller sig

November 9, 1995

MEMORANDUM FOR THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS, COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS, DIRECTOR, NAVAL CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIVE SERVICE, DIRECTOR, NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER.

Sub: REQUEST FOR RECORDS RELATED TO THE KENNEDY ASSASSINATION....

Enclosed (1) is a letter with attachments from the Department of Defense General counsel, which forwarded a request from the Assassinations Records Review Board (Board). Congress has established the Board to collect records related to the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Enclosure (1) requires the Department of the Navy (DON) to report back immediately with specific information. LTCOL John E. Sparks, USMC, is the DON point of contact for his matter. Please respond with the requested information to LTCOL Sparks by 1200, 14, November 1995. I am aware that this is an extremely short suspense but please note that I am not requesting that you complete a records search. I am requesting that you start your search and provide your best estimate of the resources needed to complete the search as outlined by enclosure (1). If you have any questions you should contact LTCOL Sparkes or LT Tom Gonzalez.....

Leigh A. Bradley Acting General Counsel Sig

Subj: ASSASSINATION RECORDS REVIEW BOARD GUIDELINES FOR COMPLIANCE WITH THE JFK ASSASSINATIONS RECORDS COLLECTION ACT.

1. Guidelines for reviewing records. The Assassination Records Review Board has issued these guidelines for certifying the Department of the Navy's compliance with the JFK Records Collection Act for their final report to Congress.

a. All Kennedy assassination related records maintained by the DON are to be identified and processed for inclusion in the JFK Records Collection at the National Archives....

2. Scope of the materials concerned. Relevant documents are those related to the assassination of President Kennedy. This includes any documents related to the assassination, investigation or inquiry into the assassination, and Lee Harvey Oswald....

a. Documents concerning Oswald's military service with the Marines, including his work at the Atsugi Naval Air Station in Japan

b. Any investigation or intelligence related to Oswald's defection to the Soviet Union in 1959, his residence there, and his return to the United States in 1962.

c. Documents concerning Oswald's undesirable discharge from the service in 1960....

g. Any documents that relate to the allegation that Lee Harvey Oswald was connected in any way with a military intelligence entity or any other United States intelligence entity.

h. Information on Operation Mongoose or any other plan or action to destabilize Cuba in the 1960-64 time frame....

i. Any operational records documenting changes in alert status for Navy or Marine Corps units during the period November 8, 1963 through November 30, 1963, particularly with respect to any potential military action toward Cuba....

3. Range of the records to be reviewed.....

Review Board has requested review of the following specific record categories for related documents or information.

a. Records of the Commandant of the Marine Corps for the period 1957 to 1064, including any chronological, subject, work, of "soft" files....

c. Cuban or Fidel Castro intelligence material from 1962-64 that may related to the assassination or discuss potential Cuban complicity in the assassination.