(EST PUB DATE) QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT LEE R. PENNINGTON

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 01435032
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: August 7, 2017
• Case Number: F-2007-00094
• Publication Date: January 1, 1974

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Questions Raised About Lee R. Pennington
Lee R. Pennington, a retired. FBI employee,' was for a number
of years an informant of CLA.ls Office of Security. Being involved in work'
for the American Legion in the field of security he did research on the
subject for CIA. He was a personal friend of James McCord, the former
CIA employee who was arrested in the Watergate burglary.
At some point shortly after the Watergate arrests Pennington. visited the
McCord. home, where he found Mrs. McCord, with her daughter and on in
law, destroying papers. While these papers have been elleged to have
included material bearing on McCord's past ties with CIA, their true nature
has not been revealed by testimony available to CIA, which does not to this
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date know their true nature.
The incident at the McCord home became known in general terms to a
few employees in the Office of Security, but was not reported to senior
officers. Not until 22 February 1974 wa.5-this matter reported to the
Director of Security, who. 'reported it immediately to the DC1. It was reported
at once to the various investigating authorities.
In addition to the above, in August 1972 the FBI Alexandria Field
Office requested the CIA Office of Security for any information that it had
on a person described as having the name of "Pennington., " and possibly
- having been a former supervisor of McCord. Lee Pennington had. never
been a staff employee of CIA, and could not have been IV: C o d. ts supervisor.
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The CIA employee receiving the request had previously been impressed
by the FBI Alexandria Field Office to provide no information except that
specified, and provided the name of another Pennington, an employee of
the CIA Office of Security, but who had never been a supervis_or of McCord.
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