Cryptonym: UNMOVED
104-10177-10221: CIA FILE MCVICKAR, JOHN A.
11/08/49: Dispatch from Chief, Paris Station to Chief, FDW: Subject: General - John Augustus McVickar, Jr.: "1. Subject is presently employed in Paris (REDACTION). He is well known to Douglas C. Hare and Eleanor T. Hartwell, the former having known him socially for a number of years and the latter having dealt with him on transportation problems since his appointment, fifteen months ago, to the position he now occupies (REDACTION). 2. Subject is also a long-time friend of UNMOVED, who brought him to our attention as a potential recruit and who has provided us with the biographical information contained in the attached personal record form No. 51-67. 3. From what I have been able to gather from UNMOVED, as well as from Hare and Hartwell, subject appears to be the type of individual which might be ideally suited to fulfill certain valuable operational assignments in France, such as 'spotter' for other high-level potential agents, high-level contacts, cut-out etc. All who know him agree that subject is capable of 'doing anything and getting to know anyone' if he so chooses...A partial list of subject's fairly close friends, as reported by UNMOVED on Page 8-a of attachment, shows the variety of people subject knows and sees whenever they are in this area...7. UNMOVED is of the opinion that subject would be most receptive to a proposition of doing intelligence work...8. UNMOVED has, of course, never even hinted to subject anything about his own undercover activities and is sure subject does not suspect that the former is doing anything but his cover work in France. UNMOVED, when questioned as to his opinion concerning subject's potential value as a covert agent, as well as his recruitability, has pointed out very strongly that subject, due to the very nature of his personality, must be given a good deal of operational guidance and be closely controlled...Dan O. Garner."
104-10177-10221: CIA FILE MCVICKAR, JOHN A.
12/15/49: Dispatch from Chief, Paris Station to Chief, FDW: Subject: General - John Augustus McVickar, Jr. Specific - PARI-4214: ..."2...In consultation with UNMOVED and Hare, both of whom know Subject well, it is apparent that $300 monthly would allow Subject to decide to stay (REDACTION) provided we are sufficiently interested in recruiting him for intelligence activities. 3. Attached hereto is UNMOVED's latest report on Subject, dated 8 December, and prepared prior to Hare's luncheon with Subject. There seems to be some question as to whether Subject has actually submitted his resignation to (REDACTION) in writing. According to UNMOVED, he has, whereas Subject denied this to Hare...Dan O. Garner."
104-10177-10221: CIA FILE MCVICKAR, JOHN A.
02/10/50: Dispatch from Chief, Paris Station to Chief, FDW: Subject: General - WFPA-3724; WASH-5370: "1. UNMOVED has just informed me that Subject has definitely decided not to return to Paris and is now staying at the Hotel Stanhope on 5th Ave., New York. UNMOVED further assures me that Subject is definitely unemployed for the moment and is desperately looking for suitable employment...3. UNMOVED has also assured me that Subject is very anxious to return to Europe and, if possible, Paris. UNMOVED has maintained his contacts with other high (REDACTION) officials in Paris, who have told him that they are 'lost without' Subject and would be very glad to see him back in Paris...Dan O. Garner."
11/09/59: State Department telegram from Richard E. Snyder, American Embassy in Moscow to Secretary of State: "Consular officer attempted personal delivery of message from Pic to Oswald today, but unable make contact at hotel. Message being sent registered mail. For Pic’s info previous message from brother Robert Oswald (unintelligible) had to be sent registered mail. Lee Oswald seems determined carry out purpose of seeking Soviet citizenship and renouncing American citizenship, but so far as known Soviet citizenship not yet granted and formal renunciation not yet made at this office. Dept has instructed Embassy may not withhold right renunciation under Section 1999 Revised Statute. Care has been and will be taken, of course, to be sure he has no doubts should he appear to make formal application. He staying at room 233 Metropole Hotel, Moscow. Brother Robert attempted contact him by phone, but result not known. THOMPSON: CONS: JA MCVICKAR."
11/17/59: Memo to files from John A. McVickar: "Priscilla Johnson of NANA asked me today about Oswald. I gave her a general run down of the outlines of the case as I knew they were known to the public, suggesting that she also check with Korengold for any factual details I might have omitted and which were generally known. She told me that on Sunday, May 15, she had spent several hours talking with Oswald and that she had left it with him that she was available if he wanted somebody to talk to again. Her general impression of Oswald was the same as ours has been. His naiveté about what he can expect here is balanced by a rather carefully worked out set of answers and a careful reserve about saying things he feels he shouldn’t. He made one interesting comment to her to the effect that he had never in all his life talked to anyone so long about himself (2+hours). She remarked that although he used long words and seemed in some ways well read, he often used words incorrectly, as though he had learned them from a dictionary. He told her that his Soviet citizenship was still under consideration, but that the Soviets had already assured him that he could stay here as a resident alien if he so desired. They are also looking into the possibility of getting him into a school. He said that in any case he would never return to the United States. He also said that he had had a dependency discharge from the Marines to care for his mother, but had come right here instead. He said that his reason for taking this step was that he had seen imperialism in action against minority groups; to wit, Communisms, negroes, and workers. Miss Johnson asked him whether it had occurred to him to desert from the Marines, since he had apparently intended so extreme a step as this anyway. He said that he did not wish to do anything 'illegal'. It was her opinion that he might have been consciously or not trying to leave a loophole for himself." (CONTINUED BELOW)
"Along this line he had also told her that he did not intend to come back to the Embassy yet. He seemed very much annoyed at the Embassy for having prevented him from formally giving up his citizenship. Miss Johnson was particularly interested in picking me up on what she called a discrepancy in his statement: at different times he had said that the Embassy had not allowed him to give up his citizenship because it had been busy and again on another occasion because we could not do it until he had heard from the Soviets about their decision. I explained that the law required that we not withhold the right to give up citizenship, but that the regulations and common sense also required we be sure that someone was not going to take any such serious step without due consideration and understanding of what he was about. I said that we had only duly informed Oswald that he had a right to come in and give up his citizenship. I also pointed out to Miss Johnson that there was a thin line somewhere between her duty as a correspondent and as an American. I mentioned Mr. Korengold as a man who seemed to have known this difference pretty well. I said that if someone could persuade Oswald at least to delay before taking the final plunge on his American citizenship, or for that matter Soviet citizenship, they would be doing him a favor and doubtless the USA as well. She seemed to understand this point. I believe that she is going to try and write a story on what prompts a man to do such a thing. OFFICIAL USE ONLY: PS (11/19/59) Priscilla J. told me since: that O. has been told he will be leaving the hotel at the end of this week; that he will be trained in electronics; that she has asked him to keep in touch with her; that he has showed some slight signs of disillusionment with the SU, but that his 'hate' for the US remains strong although she cannot fathom the reason."
11/27/63: State Department memo from John A. McVickar to Thomas L. Ehrlich:
Warren Commission Hearings, Volume V: Current Section: John A. McVickar
06/09/64: Warren Commission Testimony from John A. McVickar: Pages 301-302: "(Mr. McVICKAR) and it was almost as though he was trying to bait the consul into taking adverse action against him. He mentioned that he knew certain classified things in connection with having been I think a radar operator in the Marine Corps, and that he was going to turn this information over to the Soviet authorities. And, of course, we didn’t know how much he knew or anything like that, but this obviously provoked a rather negative reaction among us Americans in the consulate section. I don’t think I probably can recall anything more than that for sure...Mr. COLEMAN: In the P.S. you also indicated that 'he will be trained in electronics.' Did you get that information from Miss Johnson? Mr. McVICKAR: Well yes; I think so, according to this. Mr. COLEMAN: Did she say any more than just he would be trained in electronics? Did she say what type of training he would get? Mr. McVICKAR: I am afraid I have no more memory that what is written here. In fact, I didn't even remember that I had written this memorandum until I saw it the other day..." - - - Page 303: ..."Mr. COLEMAN: Does that also explain the sentence in the same paragraph where you say: 'On the other hand, there also seemed to me to be the possibility that he was following a pattern of behavior in which he had been tutored by person or persons unknown?' Mr. McVICKAR: Yes; the same applies. Mr. COLEMAN: You have no independent evidence of this at all, did you? Mr. McVICKAR: I was asked to explain this attitude I had as best I could, and I wrote another memorandum dated April 7, 1964, in which I described to go into this line of thought..."