The FBI and Warren Commission could not identify who provided the initial suspect description of “slender white male about 30, 5’10, 165lbs”

So what right?

Well, following Oswald’s trip to Mexico City in October of 1963, a declassified interdepartmental cable between the FBI and CIA stated:

“Lee Oswald who called SOVEMB 1 Oct…Former Radar Operator in United States Marines who defected to USSR in Oct 1959. OSWALD IS FIVE FEET TEN INCHES, ONE HUNDRED SIXTY FIVE POUNDS…”

Oswald was about 130lbs when he was arrested by the DPD. The incorrect 165lbs description of Oswald first surfaced in an FBI report in 1960, and now had seemingly found its way to Dealey Plaza.

Lee Rankin was so troubled by this, that even after the Warren Report had been released he wrote to J. Edgar Hoover asking him to confirm if Howard Brennan was the source of the description. Hoover responded in November 1964 stating that the broadcast of the suspect description “was initiated on the basis of an unidentified citizen who had observed an individual approximating Oswald's description running from the Texas School Book Depository Building immediately after the assassination. It is not felt recontact with the Dallas Police Department on the same matter would be justified at this late date.”

Hoover was telling Rankin to let sleeping dogs lie. Having reviewed Brennan and Herbert Sawyers’ testimonies, Hoover knew the description could only be attributed to this “unidentified citizen”.

Sources:

CIA/FBI interdepartmental cable 10/63: https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=1565#relPageId=3

FBI’s description of Oswald from 1960: https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=1134#relPageId=732

Rankin to Hoover: https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=60311#relPageId=71

Hoover responding to Rankin: https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=60311#relPageId=72

DPD to Rankin stating the “unidentified citizen” did not come to the Sheriff’s office as requested: https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=57753#relPageId=109

Sawyer’s testimony: https://history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh6/pdf/WH6_Sawyer.pdf