Mr. Chayes. Yes, sir.
Mr. Coleman. Is there any record in the Department that anyone ever examined Oswald's file to make a determination of whether he should have been issued a passport?
Mr. Chayes. In 1963?
Mr. Coleman. 1963.
Mr. Chayes. In 1963 the passport was issued on the basis of a simple check of the lookout file under the normal procedures of the Department.
What happens is that when a field office, in this case it was the New Orleans field office, get a series of passport applications, they Telex the names of the applicants and their place and date of birth to the Department, and the Department makes a name check through the lookout card file. That is all. And if there isn't a lookout card in the lookout card file, they authorize the issuance of the passport by the field agency. The field agency has to make a determination of citizenship, of course. But no further action is taken in Washington unless for some reason or other the field agency would wish to send a particular case forward.
Mr. Coleman. Since there was no lookout card, I take it we can assume that the June 25, 1963, passport was issued without any——
Mr. Chayes. Without any examination.
Mr. Coleman. Without any consultation of the files on Oswald——
Mr. Chayes. Exactly.