Mr. Coleman. After you received Commission Exhibit No. 919, which is the second letter from Oswald, the letter dated November 3, 1959, you then prepared and sent to the Secretary of State in Washington an airgram which the Commission has had marked as Commission Exhibit No. 920.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 920 for identification.)
Mr. Coleman. I show you the document and ask you whether you prepared the original thereof and sent it to the State Department?
Mr. Snyder. Yes, sir.
Representative Ford. May I ask a question here?
When Oswald first came in, and either placed his passport on the desk or the table, or you asked for it, did you note that he had overstayed his visa by 5 days?
Mr. Snyder. I can't recall that I did or did not, Mr. Ford.
Representative Ford. Is that something that you would normally examine and determine under circumstances like this?
Mr. Snyder. Oh, I might if there were some reason to look at it—if it were particularly relevant to something I was thinking at the time or asking about at the time.
In terms of Soviet practice, it is not really too relevant. That is, if the Soviet authorities find it to their interest to keep a person around, then there is no problem. And if they do not, one does not overstay one's visa in the Soviet Union.