104-10310-10253 MEMORANDUM SUBJECT: Garrison and the Kennedy Assassination: William Clarens WOOD SJr., alias William BOXLEY, -- 201-834272 Reference: CI/R&A Memorandum No. 9, Subject: Garrison and the Kennedy Assassination, 5 June 1968, paragraph 19c | A. Surnmary William Clarens WOOD Jr. was employed by CIA as a contract ‘instructor in clandestine operations from March 1951 when he arrived in Saipan, until March 1952, when he had a nervous breakdown resulting from family problems and alcoholism. Sent back to Headquarters, he served as an instructor in OTR from May 1952 to January 1953, when his resignation was requested, again because of heavy drinking. During or before July 1968 Garrison, who knew that WOOD had been a CIA employee, hired him as an investigator assigned to Garrison's ‘investigation of the Kennedy assassination. In December 1968, however, Garrison's office announced that WOOD had been fired because it had been ascertained that he was then active as a CIA ‘operative’. Later in 322 December WOOD made two telephone calla to his former chief in Saipan, requesting contact and instructions. The case is being referred to the FBI. iB. Summary of Earlier Events lL, William Clarens WOOD Jr., born 17. August 1920 in Shreveport, Louisiana, was approved in November 1944 for overseas employment by OSS in an assignment as a newspaperman (printing chief in a Central Pacific operation). This approvel was withdrawn on 23 December 1944, however, because of non-concurrence by OG/AAF. He waa then assigned to combat infantry duty in the Southwest Pacific; he was not used by OSS. In February 1945 he visited the Honolulu Office of OSS and claimed that
13-00000 he had been recruited by OSS while he wag attending infantry school at Fort Benning in October 1944. He stated that his services were to have been used to originate and conduct radio programs in the CBI theater, that he had been investigated by Dunn and Bradstreet, and that in the couree of a long distance telephone call to the OSS Personnel. _ Procurement Office he had been told that OSS could not use him at that time but that he should keep in touch. The interviewing officer in Honolulu commented in his report to Security Officer, OSS Headquarters, ‘that the Dunn and Bradstreet leak should be noted and that WOOD certainly knew more about OSS than any other potential recruit whom the interviewer had ever seen. 2. On 13 December 1950 Subject was given a Covert Security )3 -93 Clearance for use as a staff agent and was assigned to Saipan as Chief Instructor of Clandestine Operations. He arrived at his post in March 1951, and two monthe later his dependents were issued travel clearances to join him. In March 1952 he suffered a nervous breakdown and was _returned to Agency Headquarters for medical observation. The medical conclusion was that the breakdown had resulted from famfly troubles and overindulgence in alcohol. In May 1952 WOOD was assigned to OTR as an instructor in the Operations Course. In October 1952 his status was converted to that of a staff employee, and he was assigned to OTR as a GS-11 instructor. 3. In December 1952 an Agency guard found WOOD lying ona sidewalk near Temporary Eye Building. He was bleeding from the mouth. There was.no evidence of foul play. At his own request he was taken to Emergency Hospital. In January 1953 he failed to report for duty. Agency represenatives went to his residence, the Lafayette Hotel, and found him under the influence of alcohol. He was requested to report for duty the next day, but the hotel doctor had him removed to Gallinger Hospital because of continued intoxication. Subject's resignation was - requested on 19 January 1953 and became effective 27 January 1953. 4. On 11 July 1953 Subject telephoned the Security Office from Dallas, Texas. He said that he would undergo brain surgery on 13 July at Baylor Hospital, Dallas. He aeked that an Agency representative be present. Arrangements were made to ensure that anything WOOD said under anaesthesia would remain confidential. WOOD was given sodium pentothol, but no surgery (except @ spinal tap) was performed. In hie hospital room, to which he had been returned from the operating room, WOOD said that he had served overseas with the CIA and had
13-00000 SECRET seen many people killed. "The CIA are a bunch of dirty cut-throats, and 1 wouldn't be a bit surprised if they sent one of their men to cut mine, They think they are smart, but one of these days in the near future I will show them who is the smartest. They have about 100 GS-14's walking around with their heads shaped like egga . . . . Ihave been a failure but after I get well I am going to go back to school and get my degree and fight the CIA with everything that I can." 5. A report of 30 April 1957 from the FBI office in Dallas, Texas, noted that Subject had telephoned from Midland, Texas, to a Chinese intelligence officer in Formosa, WOOD said that he had formerly been employed by the CIA. He offered to help the officer "with things I know'’, He then telephoned Lubbock, Texas, and spoke to a person believed to: be his wife. He told her that he had spoken with Chiang Kai-Chek's chief. of intelligence and that “if this thing goes through", she and the baby _ would receive from $700 to $1000 a month. _ 6 In February 1967 the Domestic Contact Service in Dallas requested clearance to use Subject and reported that he had not had a drink in nine and a half years, On 3 March 1967 derogatory FBI informa - tion and the information that WOOD was again drinking heavily were forwarded to the DCS, which then dropped him as a potential source. 7. On 18 January 1968 Ron OSTROW of the Los Angeles Times called the A/DCI and relayed a Los Angeles query about a former CIA agent, William BOXLEY, who was an investigator for Jim Garrison, The A/DCI replied, “no comment wo 0 8 In April 1968 Paul ROTHERMEL, security officer for Hunt Oil Company, Texas, said that he had been visited by a Bill WOOD who was conducting investigations in Dallas for Jim Garrison under the alias of Bill BOXLEY. WOOD was making inquiries about the CIA and its operations, It was further reported that WOOD was well knownin Houston and that his connection with Garrison was no secret. 9. On l2 2 July 1968 the New York Times (p. C35) carried an article headlined "Garrison Claims Foreign Spy Link Link", The article includes the following: . "Over the telephone, Mr. Garrison also introduced an investigator for his. office, Bilk Boxley, as a former SECRET
13-00000 SECRET Central Intelligence Agency instructor in the ‘clandestine operations department'. He said he had found Mr. Boxley while seeking a 'man who had been with the intelligence ‘agency but still cared about the United States. ' “Mr. Boxley then said his real name was William C. _ Wood; he wae forty-eight years old, originally from Texas; he had worked 10 years as a newspaper reporter -- last on The Denver Post from 1948 to 1950; he had been with the intelligence agency two to five years in the 1950's overseas and in Washington and had ‘used as many as 10 different names in operations with the agency'." 10. The basic facts about WOOD were provided to the FBI by CSCI 316/02725-68 of 15 July 1968. Additional relevant information | was requested. The Bureau replied on 18 July 1968 that the "Berkeley Barb", published by the Underground Press' Syndicate, had stated in ite issue of 29 December 1967 -- 4 January 1968 that Bill BOXLEY, an investigator for Garrison, had verified a Mafia. plot t to kill Garrison. ll. The New Orleans Times-Picayune of 10 December 1968 | carried the following: "The office of Orleans Parish District Attorney Jim Garrigon Monday announced the removal of a member of the staff investigating the assassination of President John F. Kennedy because of alleged involvement with the CIA. " ‘William Boxley was fired after evidence recently developed by the District Attorney's staff indicated current activity by him as an operative of the Central Intelligence Agency, ' the office said.. "Boxley's initial service with the CLA was in Washington, D. C., where he served for, ears as an active agent for ‘what was then termed the Departtent of Covert Activity', according to the office. . “The office said federal intelligence efforts to interfere with the investigation into President Kennedy's assassination | have been occurring since the beginning of the inquiry'."— ersor so ET
13-00000 | 12, The New Orleans Times-Picayune of 12 December 1968 included the following item: “Garrison aleo commented on William Boxley, _an investigator he fired on Monday because, Garrison ‘said, he was an operative of the Central Intelligence Agency. : '' ‘He wae not only a CIA agent, ' said the DA, ' but he was oné.on a very high level'. Asked what proof his office developed, Garrison said {t concerned material _ that Boxley had put in written form. “Boxley, contacted in Austin, Tex., told the Times-Picayune on Wednesday that he has not been involved with the CIA or any federal agency e@ince 1952. "He said he believed Garrison ‘has been genuinely misled' about his CIA involvement, adding: ‘lam sure he believes as strongly in this (his alleged CIA involvement) as he once believed in me." Boxley said he would cooperate completely with Garrison's office in returning to it material he still has in hie possession. Boxley eaid the only written material he ever provided Garrison's office wae a description of how varioue intelligence agencies operate. Boxley said he waa treally gad' over his firing by . Garrison, but added that he believed no one could convince Garrison that he was not an agent of the CIA." Cc. Current Developments 13. On 27 December 1968 Dr. Stephen Aldrich of DD/S and T informed the Office of Security that at 1600 hours on 27 December he had received a telephone call froni,\Gubject, who had been his subordinate in Saipan. GI/R&A called Dr. Aldrich, who supplied the following additional information: 12?
13-00000 *  SEGRET a. WOOD aaid that he was calling from a pay phone in a Sears Roebuck store in Dallas. He provided (a home telephone number, which we have not been able to verify, and he believes that this telephone is bugged. b. WOOD had found the telephone number of ‘Dr. Aldrich in the directory. His only previous call was made in 4966, when he requested a recommendation for — a newspaper job for which he was applying. Dr. Aldrich referred him to Personnel. c. Subject told Dr. Aldrich on 27 December that he had information which he urgently wanted to communicate to CIA. He sounded upset. 14, C/CI/R&A advised Dr. Aldrich that if Subject telephoned again, he should be told that his call had been referred to the proper authorities. Because of the information reported above, there was a possibility of provocation. 15. In the. mid-afternoon of 28 December 1968 Subject again telephoned Dr. Aldrich from an unknown location. He asked whether someone would be in touch with him. Dr. Aldrich said that Gubject's information had been relayed to those responsible and that he had no information about future contact. Subject said that he was not trying to involve Dr. Aldrich but that he did have information to relay. He sounded less frightened than on his previous eall. He suggested that. ‘whoever called or visited him should identify himself by referring to. 13 23 information held in common (i.e., to Saipan in 1951-1952). Out of a job, WOOD had received two or three offers of employment but was not sure of the identities of the prospective employers and feared provocation, presumably from Garrison's office. Apparently he believes that the FBI is monitoring his heme telephone. 163: It ie our intent to ask. Bureau to relay thia information to its. office in Dallas and to instruct. an FBI representative to call. upon Subject and request elucidation, because such information
13-00000 Seo! ag Subject may have, if any, is within the Bureau's jurisdiction . rather than that of this Agency. 2 Donovan E. Pratt DC/CI/R&A Distribution: Orig - DCI 1 +« DDP - Executive-Comptroller - General Counsel - A/DCI « Office of Security « Director, Domestic Contact Service - €/Cl, DC/Cl e RID/Files, 201+834272 - C1/R&A chrono - DP Garrison file foot umd oom fared pant) fine femal fed frm 1. SECRET