Mr. Rankin. There has been some suggestion that possibly the leadership of the Soviet Union would not have been politically interested in the death of the President but possibly a distant wing of the Party might have been so involved.
Can you give us any light on that, Mr. Secretary.
The Chairman. By suggestion you mean rumor?
Mr. Rankin. In the newspapers, and things of that kind, rumor.
Secretary Rusk. I haven't been able to put a rational structure behind that possibility. If there are dissident elements their primary problem is within the Soviet Union.
If these dissident elements were aiming to change the present Government of the Soviet Union or its leadership or to return to an early range of policy by the elimination of present leadership or seizure of control, I don't quite see how the elimination of the President of the United States could contribute to that purpose.
I would also suppose that in their kind of system such elements would be under pretty close supervision and surveillance and they would have limited opportunities for the kind of action that would be organized in a way in this direction, although that is a matter of some speculation.
But, I would doubt very much that such dissident elements would have a motive or very much of an opportunity. Again, I have seen no evidence pointing in that direction.
Mr. Rankin. How could you tell us in regard to Cuba in the same general way, your opinion and knowledge of any information or credible evidence?
Secretary Rusk. Well, I would again repeat that the overriding consideration is to make every possible effort to find evidence and follow the evidence to wherever it leads.