Mr. Coleman.

several persons in the Soviet Union who attempted or could be placed in the category of defectors. Webster was one, these various people that Mr. Snyder mentioned, and this was a very serious question. We discussed these matters in our office, and so when we saw this, we immediately were interested in it, find the most important thing to our mind was what answer is going to be made to it. So I think I called Miss Waterman and wanted to know what the Passport Office, what action they were going to take on the letter, and told her that SOV was interested and we wanted to clear it, as I recall.

Mr. Coleman.

Did you speak first to Mr. Boster about it?

Miss JAMES. Yes; I would have talked to Mr. Boster about this. He was interested in it.

Mr. Coleman.

Who is he?
Miss JAMES. He was officer in charge of our office at that time.

Mr. Coleman.

Was he your superior?
Miss JAMES. Yes.

Mr. Coleman.

What did you tell Miss Waterman?
Miss JAMES. As I recall, I would not have made any policy, any effort to judge what they would do, but I would only say we want to know what action you are going to take. That is the way I recall that I would handle it.

Mr. Coleman.

Did you say that the Passport Office was the only office of the State Department whose communications to Moscow are not cleared in the SOV?
Miss JAMES. Miss Waterman says I did, and I wouldn't be surprised if I had said it. I know we all felt many times that we would like to have had more of the communications cleared with us, and I have no doubt that I must have said it if she said I did.

Mr. Coleman.

Do you recall her replying that she had never heard that--
Miss JAMES. Yes; I do remember at one time she said she didn't recall that this was a necessity, that they had to clear everything with us.

Mr. Coleman.

But she did tell you that she would put a memorandum in the file to show that there was a special interest of the SOV in the reply to the Embassy Despatch of July 11?
Miss JAMES. Yes.

Mr. Coleman.

What was the special interest of the SOV?
Miss JAMES. Again, it is the same interest I outlined before, which is our responsibility of advising and knowing what is going on in the Embassy in Moscow. We are the political office. We are responsible for the Embassy, and we work together very closely, and we want to be sure that what they send in is answered, how it is answered, and it is our routine way of working to be sure that any despatch is answered, and especially one of this type where we are interested in the case because of the nature of the case.

Mr. Coleman.

I show you an operations memorandum from the Department of State to the American Embassy in Moscow, dated August 18, 1961, which has already been marked as Commission Exhibit No. 939, and I ask you if you saw a copy of that memorandum at or around the 'time when it was sent, namely in August 1961?
Miss JAMES. My reply is we should have seen it, but whether we did or not I don't think we did according to this file.

Mr. Coleman.

You are saying there is nothing on the file which indicates that you got a copy.
Miss JAMES. Nothing on the file that indicates we had it.

Mr. Coleman.

You said that---
Miss JAMES. But I think we must have known that they made this decision.

Mr. Coleman.

Did you have anything to do with the making of the decision?
Miss JAMES. No; I don't think I can say we had anything to do with the making of the decision. Those matters are legal decisions, and the Passport Office would make it on the basis of their information.

Mr. Coleman.

You or your office never called, to the best of your knowledge--
Miss JAMES. To needle them on to make it? No.

Mr. Coleman.

To make it one way or the other?