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104-10114-10162 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

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7 October 1961

MEMORANDUM FOR: The Director Federal Bureau of Investigation

ATTENTION: Mr. Sam J. Papich

SUBJECT: COURT FOSTER WOOD INTERNAL SECURITY - CUBA

Reference is made to a 25 March 1961 and a 6 July 1961 in- vestigative report on captioned Subject which have previously been furnished to this Agency.

Michael Weimer Stratton, born 21 January 1941, Austin, Texas], who is a current Agency employee, has recently been interviewed concerning his knowledge of Court Foster Wood whom [Stratton] had known since mutual attendance in high school. Attached is a de- tailed report of the information furnished by [Stratton] concerning his knowledge of Wood.

Since [Stratton] personally has sufficient reason to question the activities of Wood and the activities of the associates of Wood, [Stratton] has been advised to discontinue any further contact with Wood.

It would be appreciated if your Bureau would furnish this Agency any additional information brought to your attention con- cerning Court Foster Wood and of particular interest would be any information received by your Bureau concerning past association of Court Foster Wood with Michael Weimer Stratton]

The above information is for your use only and should not be disseminated outside your Bureau.

FOR THE DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE:

R. L. Bannerman Acting Director of Security

Attachment: As noted

OS/SRS/BLSolie:ect - 16 October 1961

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OS/SRS/BLSolie:ect - 16 October 1961 RETURN TO CIA Background Use Only Do Not Reproduce

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SUBJECT: Court Foster Wood

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Michael Weimer Stratton has recently advised that Court Foster Wood was a relatively close high school friend of [Stratton] during mutual attendance at George Mason High School, Falls Church, Virginia, during 1957 to 1959. Stratton described Wood as an average high school student who had no particular problems with the exception that there were domestic difficulties between the father and mother of Wood.

[Stratton] became acquainted with the parents of Wood and made occasional visits to their home during the above period of time. The father of Wood, Foster Wood, is an attorney who was then living in Falls Church. Some time ago the father and mother of Court Wood split up and Court Wood and father moved into an apartment on Columbia Road, Washington, D.C.

Stratton advised that after graduation from high school in June 1959 he lost any close contact with Wood who then started to attend George Mason College, where he seemed to have an interest in philosophy. [Stratton] started to attend a military school and Wood expressed extreme opposition to military schools.

[Stratton] married in 1960, which also helped to move [Stratton] somewhat out of the social circle of Wood. [Stratton] believed that for approximately a year, during 1959 to 1960, he did not actually see Wood but advised that after this period in which he did not see Wood he has had a number of contacts with Wood, many of which occurred during mutual attendance at the University of Virginia Extension School (night school) in early 1961. On one occasion [Stratton] attended a party at the apartment occupied by Wood and father at the invitation of Wood, and on this occasion came into contact with the "new set of friends" of Court Wood, whom [Stratton] described as being "beatnik types." Girls in attendance at the party, according to [Stratton], appeared to be of the "street pickup" type.

After the above party Wood occasionally telephoned [Stratton] and about Christmas 1960 Wood called and stated that he was going to Cuba under the auspices of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee. [Stratton] called on Wood after the return of Wood from Cuba and at that time Wood lauded Castro very highly. The father of Wood was also present and [Stratton] obtained the impression that the father was also in sympathy with Castro. [Stratton] recalled that he again, at a later date, had visited the Wood apartment, this being an occasion when Wood had been visiting somewhere in Falls Church and contacted [Stratton] to ask [Stratton] to take Wood home. On this

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occasion [Stratton] stayed at the Wood apartment for approximately ten minutes, and advised that on this occasion he observed some communist propaganda. Stratton also observed

In a letter. [Stratton] advised that although he would never attend the University of Florida, a communist school which was converted into a Washington and Lee High School. Both Wood and [Stratton] are attending the classes but were not attending mutual recalled tratton alized that to one occasion in Mexico Government 300 telephoned to Wood and about going to Cuba some sort of enticement to the effect of the communist republic.

together with

short time but individuals Baker,

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in June 1951. George Mason College with Wood. [Stratton] also recalled a visit to the third party which he attended a number of times in the company of Wood and a second Wood a member of the George Mason High School the time of Wood.

to Philadelphia education, but Stratton at the time of the interview did not know whether such a conversion

Wood, did not know if his the

that the time of the above [Stratton] [Stratton] did not

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