Report: WikiLeaks prime source suffering

QUANTICO, Va., Jan. 14 (UPI) -- The jailed U.S. Army private who propelled the WikiLeaks organization to international attention is in psychological decline, a friend told The New York Times.

Bradley Manning, 23, is imprisoned at the U.S. Marine brig in Quantico, Va., charged with giving WikiLeaks hundreds of thousands of classified diplomatic exchanges.

Friend David House told the Times Manning "has difficulty keeping up with some conversational topics" and appeared very weak.

The soldier could face more than 50 years in prison if convicted of charges of divulging national secrets.

His e-mails to the self-described whistle-blowing WikiLeaks group in London launched one of its founders, Julian Assange, to celebrity status. Since the emergence of the publications last year, Assange has negotiated $1.7 million in book deals and is living in luxury on a friend's estate outside of London while fighting extradition to Sweden on sexual assault charges, the Times said.