AFFIDAVIT STATE OF VIRGINIA COUNTY OF FAIRFAX - KARL WAGNER

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 01474407
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: August 7, 2017
• Case Number: F-2007-00094
• Publication Date: February 5, 1974

Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01474407
'AF'FIDAVIT
STATE OF VIRGINIA )
COUNTY OF FAIRFAX )
SS.
I, �Karl Wagner, being first duly sworn, state:
1. I was born on 8 March 1924 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After
serving as an Army officer in World War II and completing my, college
education, I joined the Central Intelligence Agency in October 1950.
I have held the position of Executive Assistant to the Deputy. Director
of Central Intelligence since November 1969.
2. This affidavit is submitted at the request of Mr. William E.
Colby to explain the circumstances of my discovery on February 4,
1974 of a file of stenographers notes among which was the attached
note of Miss Barbara Pindar summarizing a telephone conversation
between Lt. General Robert E. Cushman, Jr. and Mr. John
Ehrlichman on 7 July 1971.
3. Director Colby's secretary, Miss Barbara Pindar, came to
my office on Monday morning, February 4, 1974. She said that
Mr. Colby would like me to go through my files once more to make
certain that there were no misplaced transcripts of conversations
which had been recorded in the Office of the Deputy Director of
Central Intelligence. The recording of visitors' conversations had
been done on a very selective basis and this practice was discontinued
after General Cushman left CIA in December 1971.
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01474407
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01474407
4. During the morning of February 4, 1974, I went through
the papers in my safe in order to determine if any misplaced
transcripts of conversations were located there. At the bottom of
the second drawer were two folders of material that contained
information used for General Walters' orientation briefings after
he was appointed Deputy Director of Central Intelligence in March
1972. Under these briefing files I found a brown folder containing
ten stenographic notes summarizing General Cushman's telephone
conversations with members of the White House staff in 1969, 1970
and 1971. In this folder was a summary of General Cushman's
7 July 1971 conversation with Mr. John Ehrlichman.
5. These stenographic notes in this folder included summaries
of General Cushman's conversations with Dr. Kissinger on leaks
of intelligence reports in the press, and his request for an
analytical paper on Cambodia. There were also conversations with
other White House officials on intelligence leaks and on requests
for name checks of foreigners. The conversations with Dr. Kissinger
were on top of the file of ten stenographic notes and one memorandum
written by the CIA General Counsel. The note of General Cushman's
conversations with Mr. Ehrlichman on 7 July 1971 was included
about two thirds of the way down in the file. I had looked at this
file in May 1973 when Dr. Schlesinger requested employees to
search all files for material which might have been related to
Howard Hunt and the Watergate affair. At that time I noted the
records of the conversations with Dr. Kissinger and others on matters
which were completely unrelated to Watergate. I did not see the
single page item on General Cushman's conversation with
Mr. Ehrlichman about Howard Hunt, and presumably, inadvertently
failed to uncover it when I was paging through these papers.
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01474407
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01474407
6. The file of summary notes of General Cushman's telephone
conversations was maintained by his secretary. I usually did not see
them when they were made because they were chiefly used by
the secretaries to clarify questions which might be raised later.
In many cases, General Cushman probably did not see them either.
In December 1971 Miss Barbara Pindar, General Cushman's secretary,
and I reviewed General Cushman's papers after he left CIA to become
Marine Commandant. I decided to retain only those papers which
related to General Cushman's conversations with members of the White
House staff.
Affiant.
SUBSCRIBED and SWORN to before
me this ,c-i4 day of February, 1974.
Ny Commission Expires March IS, 1977
Notary Public
(SEAL)
3
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01474407
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01474407
AFF.IDAVIT
STATE OF VIRGINIA )
COUNTY OF FAIRFAX )
S S
I, Karl Wagner, being first duly sworn, state:
1. I was born on 8 March 1924 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After
serving as an Army officer in World War II and completing my college
education, I joined the Central Intelligence Agency in October 1950.
I have held the position of Executive Assistant to the Deputy .Director
of Central Intelligence since November 1969.
2. This affidavit is submitted at the request of Mr. William E.
Colby to explain the circumstances of my dist:overy on February 4,
1974 of a file of stenographers' notes among which was the attached
note of Miss Barbara Pindar summarizing a telephone conversation
between Lt. General Robert E. Cushman, Jr. and Mr. John
Ehrlichman on 7 July 1971.
3. Director Colby's secretary, Miss Barbara Pindar, came. to
my office on Monday morning, February 4, 1974. She said that
Mr. Colby would like me to go through my files once more to make
certain that there were no misplaced transcripts of conversations
" which had been recorded in the Office of the Deputy Director of
Central Intelligence. The recording of visitors' conversations had
been done on a very selective basis and this practice was discontinued
after General Cushman left CIA in December 1971..
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01474407
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01474407
4. During the morning of February 4, 1974, I went through-
the papers in my safe in order to determine if any misplaced
transcripts of conversations were located there. At the bottom of
the second drawer were two folders of material that contained
information used for General Walters' orientation briefings after
he was appointed Deputy Director of Central Intelligence in March
1972. Under these briefing files I found. a brown folder containing
ten stenographic notes summarizing General Cushman's telephone
conversations with members of the White House staff in 1969, 1970
and 1971. In this folder was a summary of General Cushman's
7 July 1971 conversation with Mr. John Ehrlichman.
5. These stenographic notes in this folder included summaries
of General Cushman's conversations with Dr. Kissinger on leaks
of intelligence reports in the press, and his request for an
analytical paper on Cambodia. There were also conversations with
other White House officials on intelligence leaks and on requests
for name checks of foreigners. The conversations with Dr. Kissinger
were on top of the file of ten stenographic notes and one memorandum
written by the CIA General Counsel. The note of General Cushman's
conversations with Mr. Ehrlichman on 7 July 1971 was included
about two thirds of the way down in the file. I had looked at this
file in May 1973 when Dr. Schlesinger requested employees to
search all files for material which might have been related to
Howard Hunt and the Watergate affair. At that time I noted the
records of the conversations with Dr. Kissinger and others on matters
which were completely unrelated to Watergate. I did not see the
single page item on General Cushman's conversation with
Mr. Ehrlichman about Howard Hunt, and presumably, inadvertently
failed to uncover it when I was paging through these papers.
2
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01474407
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01474407
6. The file of summary notes of General Cushman's telephone
conversations was maintained by his secretary. I usually did not see
them when they were made because they were chiefly used by
the secretaries to clarify questions which might be raised later.
In many cases, General Cushman probably did not see them either.
In December 1971 Miss Barbara Pinclar, General Cushman's secretary,
and I reviewed General Cushman's papers after he left CIA to become
Marine Commandant. I decided to retain only those papers which
related to General Cushman's conversations with members of the White
House staff.
KARL WAGNER!
Affiant.
SUBSCRIBED and SWORN to before
me this it_.41) day of February, 1974.
e�,...; �
.
� Notary Public
(SEAL)
'My Commission Expires Much 15, 1977
3
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01474407