Representative Ford. But if it is, for some Soviet reason, a good reason to keep somebody around beyond the time of their visa, wouldn't that be of some interest to us—I mean to the United States officials?
Mr. Snyder. Oh, yes; but, of course, that assumption was already strongly made in the Oswald case by other circumstances in this case. There was no question in my mind that Mr. Oswald was there in Moscow for the purposes for which he stated he was in Moscow, and that this was known to the Soviet authorities, for he said he had applied for Soviet citizenship.
Representative Ford. Is it the usual thing for them to let an individual stay beyond their visa termination date?
Mr. Snyder. Well, I would say it is not usual. Again, one can never cite a list of specific instances in these things, but I think that when you are working as a consul in Moscow for a couple of years, you have a considerable feel for these things, and that I would say it is not usual—people simply do not overstay their visas in the Soviet Union without the knowledge, by and large, of the Soviet authorities.
And this is because of the nature of the passport registration system at your hotel, and all of this sort of thing. It simply is not normally done by oversight or by lapse either on the part of the individual or on the part of the Soviet State.
Representative Ford. When he presented the passport, or when you were given the passport by him, did you examine it?
Mr. Snyder. I undoubtedly examined it.
Representative Ford. Where in the passport would this fact be noted that he had overstayed his visa by 5 days?
(At this point, Senator Cooper entered the hearing room.)
Mr. Snyder. It may either be on the original visa or on the police stamp placed in his passport at the time. This is to the best of my recollection.