Theorists have often contended that it was not the real Lee Harvey Oswald who visited Mexico City seeking a visa to travel to Cuba and the Soviet Union in September-October of 1963. Rather, according to these theorists, it was an imposter acting in furtherance of the conspiracy that they maintain murdered JFK, although the theorists often disagree on what entity was controlling the conspiracy.
But in reality, the evidence that the one and only Lee Harvey Oswald was in Mexico City is ironclad. The following summary is paraphrased from the book Reclaiming History by Vincent Bugliosi.
- Sylvia Duran identified Oswald as the person she had interacted with at the Cuban consulate in Mexico City who was seeking a visa.
- Sylvia Duran's name and the phone number of the Cuban consulate were found in Oswald's address book.
- In addition to the information in the address book, several items were found among Oswald's possessions after the assassination that indicated a Mexican trip. They included coins, postcards, a bracelet and an annotated Spanish-English dictionary.
- Alfredo Mirabal Diaz, one of three individuals who saw the man identifying himself as Oswald at the Cuban consulate, said that it was indeed Oswald who was seeking the visa.
- Oswald's visa application bears his photograph. His signature on the application was verified by CIA experts. Similarly, the HSCA concluded that Oswald had signed both the original application and a copy.
- Coinciding with the confirmed visits by Oswald to the Cuban and Soviet embassies, HSCA handwriting experts found that he signed the register of the Hotel del Comercio on September 27, 1963. Five witnesses also identified Oswald as the hotel guest.
- Oswald's November 9, 1963 letter to the Soviet embassy in Washington recounted his visit to the Cuban consulate and alluded to the Cuban consul Eusebio Azcue. Oswald also mentioned "Comrade Kostin" which is undoubtedly a reference to Valeriy Kostikov, a KGB officer who was a member of the consular staff.
- Kostikov, Colonel Oleg Maximovich Nechiporenko and Pavel Yatskov all identified Oswald as the person they interacted with at the Soviet embassy in late September of 1963 (Passport to Assassination).
- Oswald told his wife Marina about his Mexico City sojourn.
- After his arrest, Oswald told Postal Inspector Harry Holmes about his trip to Mexico.
For more information see Steve Roe's page on the subject.