MEMO: GARRISON AND THE KENNEDY ASSASSINATION: WILLIAM CLARENS WOOD JR., ALIAS WILLIAM BOXLEY, 201-834272
Originator: CIA
From: DC/CI/R&A
Document date: 1969-01-03 00:00:00
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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Released under the John F. Kennedy

Assassination Records Collection Act of

1992 (44 USC 2107 Note]. Case#:NW

65990 Date: 11-01-2021

Excitin• Registry

14-22

#JAV 1019

MEMORANDUM

SUBJECT: Garrison and the Kennedy Assassination:

William Clarens WOOD Jr., allas William BOXLEY,

201-S34272

Reference: CI/R&A Memorandum No. 9, Subject:

Garrison

and the Kennedy Assassination, 5 June 1968, paragraph 19c

A. Summary

William Clarens WOOD Jr. was employed by CL as a contract

instructos, in clandestine opcrations from March 1951 when he arrived

in Saipan,Juntil March 1952, when he had a nervous breakdown resulting

from family problems and alcoholism. Sent back so Headquarters,

he served as an instructor in OTR irom May 1952 to January 1953,

when his resignation was requested, again because of hravy 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 Dicember 1968, however,

Garrison's office announced that WOOD had bech fired because it had been

ascertained that he was then active as a CIA 'operative". Later in

December WOOD made two telephone calls to his former chief in Saipan,

requesting contact and instructions.

The case is being referred to the FBI

B. Summary of Earlier Events

1.

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 This approval was withdrawn on 23 December 1944,

however, because of non-concurrence by OG/AAF.. He was 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

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he had been recruited by OSS while he was 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 Bradsticet, and that

in the course of a long distance telephone call to the OSS Personnel

Procurement Office he had been told that OSS could not use him at that

cime 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.

On 13 December 1950 Subjeci was given a Coyert Sccurity

Clearance for use as a staff agent and was assigned to Saipanjas Chief

Instructor of Clandestine Operations.

He arrived at his post in March

1951, and tiro months later his dependents were issued travel clearances

to join lum. 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 family troubles and

overindulgence in alcohol. In May 1952 WOOD was assigned to OTR

as an instructor in the Operations Coursc. 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 on a

sidewalk near Temporary. Eye Building.

He sas bleeding from the

mouth. Tiere was no evidence of foul play.

At his own request he was.

taken to Emergoncy Hospital.: In January 1953 he failed to report for

dutj: Agency represcratives 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 bicause of continued intoxication. Subject's resignation was

requested on 19 January 1953 and becaine 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 asked 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 a spinal tap) was periormed.

In his hospital room, to which he had been returned from the operating

roors, WOOD said that he had served overseas with the CIA and had

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SECRET

seen many people killed. "The CLare a bunch of dirty cut-llroats,

and I wouldn't be a bit surprised it they sent one of their men to cut

minc.. They think they are smart, but one of these days in the near

future I wili show them who is the smartest. They havc about 100

GS-14'g walking around with their heads shaped like eggs... I have.

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 (rom 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 ClA. 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-Chuk's chief

of intelligence and that "if thia thing goes through", she and the baby

would reccive from $700 to $1000 a munth.

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 ycars. 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 Lus Angeles Times.

called the A/DCI and relayed a Los Angeles query about a former CLA

agent, William BOXLEY, who was an investigator for Jim Garrison.

The A/DCI replied, "no comment. "

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

opcrations. It was further reported that WOOD was well known in

Houston and that his connection with Garrison was no secret.

8. On 12 July 1968 the New Yurk Timeg (p. C35) carried an article

headlined "Garrison Claims Foreign Spy Link'.

The article includes

the following:

"Ovor the telephone, Mr. Garrison also introduced an

investigator for his office, Bill Boxley, as a former

SEBRET

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Contral 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 was 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 ovcrseas

and in Washington and had 'uscd 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 bj the Underground Press' Syndicate, had stated in

its issue of 29 December 1967 -- 4 January 1963 that Bill BOXLEY;

an investigator for Garrison, had vorified a Mafia plot to kill Garrison.

11. The New Orleans Times-Picayune of 10 December 1968

carried the following:

"The office of Orleans Parish District Attorney Jim

Garrison Monday announced the removal of a member of

the staff investigating the assassination of President John

F. Kennedy because of alleged involvement with the ClA.

" '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 CIA was in Washington,

D. C., where he served for years as an active agent for 'what

was then terried the Department 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!. "i

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12. The New Orleans Times-Picayune of 12 December 1968

included the following itent:

"'Garrison also commented on William Boxley,

an investigator he fired on Monday because, Garrison

said, he was an operative of the Central Intelligence

Agency.

" 'He was not only a CLA agent,' said the DA, ' but

he was one on a very high level'. Asked what proof his

office developed, Garrison said it 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 CLA or any federal agency since 1952.

"'He said he believed Garrison 'has been genuinely

misled' about his CIA involvement, adding: 'I am 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 his possession.

Boxley said the only written material he ever provided

Garrison's office was a description of how various intelligence

agencies operate.

Boxley said he was 'really sud' over his firing by

Garrison, but added that he believed no one could convince

Garrison that he was not an agent of the ClA."

C. Current Developments

13. On 21 December 1968 Dr. Stephen Aldrich uf DD/S and I

informed the Office ai Security that at 1600 hours on 27 December he

had received a telephone call from Subject, who had been his subordinate

in Saipan. CI/R&A called Dr. Aldrich, who supplied the following

additional information:

5

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a. WOOD said that he was calling from a pay:

phone in a Sears Roebuck store ir. Dallas. He provided

a home telephone number, which we have not ocen 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 1966, 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 Subject'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 call. He suggested that

whoever called or visited him should icontify himself by referring to

information held in common (i.e., to Saipan in 1951-1952). Out of a

job, WOOD had received two or three ofers 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 home telephone.

16. It is our intent so ask the Bureau to relay this information

to its oftice in Dallas and'to instruct an FBI representative to call

upon Subject and request clucidation, because such information

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as Subject may have, if any, is within the Bureau's jurisdiciion

rather than that of this Agency.

Donoramil: Ratt

Donovan E. Pratt

DC/CI/R&A

Distribution:

Orig - DCI

I - DDP

- Executive-Comptroller

General Counsel

A/DCI:

Office of Security

Director, Domestic Contact Service

C/CI, DC/CI

RID/ Files, 201-834272

- CI/R&A chrono

- DP Garrison file.

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