</s>157-1001-10121 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 Date: 10/07/93 Page:1 JFK ASSASSINAATION SYSTEM Page: 1 IDENTIFICATION FORM AGENCY INFORMATION AGENCY : SSCIA RECORD NUMBER : 157-1001/10121 AGENCY INFORMATION RECORD NOBER : 153-1001/-10121 RECORDS SERIES : AGENCY FILE NUMBER: DOCUMENT INFORMATION ORIGINATOR : CIA ORIGINALIST : CIA FROM : DEMPSEY, JOHN P ., CHIEF, RESEARCH TO : DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF SECURITY TITLE : WILEY, CHARLES WILLIAM DATE : 04/01/74 PAGES : 116 SUBJECTS : SUMMARY REPORT BY VASALY, LOUIS W. RE WILEY, CHARLES W. [R] DOCUMMENT TYPE : PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION : S RESTRICTIONS : REFERRED CURRENT STATUS : P DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 09/29/93 OPENING CRITERIA : COMMENTS : SSCI Box 221, Folder 10 [R) - ITEM IS RESTRICTED 509955 DocId: 32203889 Page 1

Summary  
This document details Charles William Wiley’s extensive involvement with U.S. intelligence agencies (CIA, SRS) from 1955 to 1974, focusing on his role as a covert informant and researcher. Wiley was recruited by the CIA for counterintelligence efforts, including monitoring Communist Party USA (CPUSA) activities through his work on an index of *Daily Worker* publications. His projects received financial support from the CIA, with funding covering salaries and expenses. Wiley engaged in international operations, reporting on Soviet espionage, Cuban political developments, and communist networks in Europe and Asia. He was arrested by Cuban authorities in 1960 during a trip to Havana, where he provided information on internal Cuban politics and alleged Soviet military movements. Wiley’s work included collaborations with figures like Lee Harvey Oswald, Michael M. Mooney, and Howard Hunt, as well as involvement in projects related to the Bay of Pigs and JFK-related publications. His activities spanned multiple regions, including Cuba, the USSR, Vietnam, and Europe, with financial transactions documented through CIA advances and tax records. Wiley’s termination by the CIA occurred in 1974 after being deemed low-priority.  

Key People  
- **Charles William Wiley**: Central figure; recruited by CIA for counterintelligence work, involved in monitoring communist networks, and reported on Soviet and Cuban activities.  
- **James McCord Jr.**: CIA officer who facilitated Wiley’s recruitment and oversaw his projects.  
- **Howard Hunt**: Writer of a manuscript linked to the Bay of Pigs operation, with whom Wiley collaborated.  
- **Lee Harvey Oswald**: Mentioned in context of Cuban exile activities and potential connections to Wiley’s reports.  
- **Dick Whalen**: Collaborator on a JFK-related book; Wiley assisted with editorial work.  
- **Paul F. Gaynor**: SRS official overseeing Wiley’s activities.  
- **Frank Meyer**: Editor of *National Review*, referenced in discussions about Wiley’s Bay of Pigs review.  
- **Lee Pennington**: Liaison for the American Legion, facilitated Wiley’s cover work.  
- **Donald Sweeney**: Colleague of Pennington; mutual associate of Wiley.  

Key Locations  
- **Cuba**: Site of Wiley’s 1960 arrest and detention; involved in monitoring Cuban political developments and Soviet military activity.  
- **Vienna, Austria**: Hosted the World Youth Festival (WYF) in 1959, where Wiley monitored delegations.  
- **Helsinki, Finland**: Site of a youth festival Wiley planned to disrupt.  
- **Vietnam**: Wiley traveled there in 1967 under CIA sponsorship; involved in U.S.-Soviet tensions and military contacts.  
- **Washington, D.C.**: Central to Wiley’s potential relocation and operations; site of CIA headquarters.  
- **New York City**: Wiley’s base for financial transactions, media work, and anti-communist activities.  
- **USSR, East Germany, West Germany, England, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Yugoslavia**: Regions where Wiley conducted covert assignments and reported on communist networks.  

Key Events  
- **1955–1959**: Wiley began his index project on *Daily Worker*, drawing CIA interest for counterintelligence; received $10,000 in funding from the CIA.  
- **1960**: Wiley was arrested by Cuban authorities in Havana after arriving to monitor political activities; detained and interrogated, reporting on internal Cuban politics and Soviet military movements.  
- **1964–1965**: Wiley collaborated with Dick Whalen on a book about JFK, editing it to remove CIA blame for Trujillo’s assassination and revise sections on the Bay of Pigs.  
- **1967**: Wiley traveled to Vietnam under CIA sponsorship; involved in organizing a Vietnam veterans parade in New York City.  
- **1970–1973**: Wiley conducted covert operations in Europe, including planning disruptions at youth festivals in Algiers and Helsinki.  
- **1974**: Wiley was terminated by the CIA after being deemed low-priority; disputes over financial compensation and termination procedures were noted.  

Key Organizations  
- **Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)**: Recruited and funded Wiley for counterintelligence work, including monitoring communist networks and Soviet activities.  
- **Security Research Service (SRS)**: Managed Wiley’s operations until its dissolution in 1973; oversaw his assignments and financial arrangements.  
- **American Legion**: Facilitated Wiley’s cover work through index card projects and provided financial support for his indexing project.  
- **National Review**: Media outlet where Wiley’s work was published; involved in discussions about his Bay of Pigs review.  
- **Free China Weekly**: Propaganda publication from Taiwan referenced in Wiley’s activities.  
- **Support Our Boys in Vietnam (SOBV)**: Organization Wiley worked with to organize a parade for Vietnam veterans.  
- **Revolutionary Student Directorate (DRE)**: Political group Wiley reported on, linked to Cuban exile networks and anti-communist campaigns.

JFK Declassified Files

157-10011-10121.pdf

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