Cryptonym: JYVAPOROUS
104-10340-10005: Third Agency Coordinations: FBI
This document’s subject line states “Belarusian KGB’s offer to review file on Lee Harvey Oswald” and it describes meetings between CIA officers with BKGB officers. A leader of the former Soviet nation’s BKGB intelligence group offered to provide their files to the Agency. However, the CIA would inform the BKGB that such a file would fall “under FBI jurisdiction” but if possible they would help facilitate an FBI review of the materials. Notably the document identifies Belarusian intelligence as the BKGB.
104-10326-10013: CABLE:(DELETION) ACCESS SUPPORT TO USG/ASSASSINATION RECORD
A relevant slug line in the cable includes the cryptonym JYVAPOROUS. This file relates to the Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB) document requests and states action is required for “Guidance on ARRB-BKGB Access Request”. It states the CIA’s local Chief of Station (COS) was alerted to “possible need for Station support to facilitate future meeting(s) with BKGB (Belarusian KGB) by Embassy or other USG personnel involved in follow up inquires” for the ARRB inquiries. It further notes that officials were interested in Soviet records held in Minsk. Notably the document mentions author Norman Mailer “(apparently with Embassy access assistance)” prior obtained some of the Soviet intelligence files they still required. The BKGB at this point would answer official questions but was unwilling to provide the documents again. BKGB leaders felt “cheated” because Mailer never offered any of his book’s profits to Belarussian officials in exchange for access to their secret files.
104-10326-10042: Cable: JFK Assassination Records Team
The document notes the Agency’s local COS was asked by the US Embassy to approach “JYVAPOROUS RE Access to JFK Assassination Records residing in their archives in Minsk.” This would additionally support that JYVAPOROUS is the BKGB mentioned several times prior having Minsk archives US officials desired to review. The COS further remarked “carrying water for this embassy is a somewhat distasteful chore but is willing to the needful (if only for the pleasure of having embassy concede they could not accomplish the mission without NWBOLTON)”.