Wrestling Shows Up in the Declassified JFK Files

The recent declassification of the JFK assassination files stirred up a lot of questions that all had the same answer: all the good stuff would be redacted out or “accidentally destroyed.”

CNBC’s Jeff Cox unearthed in the documents a strangely urgent message to the director of the FBI himself about two Ray Stevens matches at the San Francisco Cow Palace in autumn of 1963 and the promoter who connected them.

“CI two five two four dash C, a wrestling promoter in San Francisco area, advised December twenty, instant, that on September fourteen, last, Ray Stevens wrestled Don de Nucci at the Cow Palace, San Francisco. On October twelve, last, Stevens wrestled Carl Gotch at the Cow Palace. CI two five two four dash C stated Wilson unknown to him by name or photograph.”

This isn’t a weird code. These matches did actually occur. They are likely being used to establish some sort of timeline, but the promoter being designated CI – a confidential informant – is an interesting twist. It could mean a few things. It could mean that they designated him that simply for giving them information on this one matter. It could also mean that a wrestling promoter was already an informant with information pertinent to the assassination of JFK. Why would he already be an informant? The FBI had previously investigated the NWA. Either way, what a bizarre intersection of worlds.

“Wilson” can only be Lloyd John Wilson, a white supremacist who claimed to have paid Lee Harvey Oswald about $1000 in the plot to kill the president, apparently at a wrestling show. The FBI eventually came to the conclusion that Wilson’s confession was illegitimate, but he’s the link that ties wrestling to the assassination of JFK, as bizarre as it sounds.

“Who killed JFK?” is one question.

“Who is wrestling promoter CI 2524-C?” is another one entirely.

Written by Bobby Murphy (@RobertJMurph)

Image screenshotted from archives.gov