LETTER TO HOWARD H. BAKER FROM W.E. COLBY RE ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF YOUR LETTER ON 20 FEBRUARY 1974 WITH ATTACHED MEMO FROM FRED THOMPSON TO YOU

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 01474410
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• 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 21, 1974

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20505
Honorable Howard H. Baker
United States Senate
Washington, D. C. 20510
Dear Senator Baker:
OLC 74-0259/A
21 February 1974
This will acknowledge receipt of your letter of 20 February 1974
enclosing a memorandum of the same date from Fred Thompson to you.
I must say I am rather surprised and perplexed by the statement in your
letter that you fear you are not getting the information you need as
promptly as you need it, particularly in view of your statement to me
several days ago that you were extraordinarily pleased with the way the
Agency was cooperating.
As you must know Agency representatives are in continuing, in
fact almost constant, contact with Fred Thompson and have been bending
every effort to cooperate with him in providing information he has
requested which is relevant to Watergate. As I am sure you also know,
thus far this month eleven witnesses from this Agency have appeared
and responded to questions from Mr. Thompson and other members of
the Committee staff.
With respect to Mr. Thompson's specific comments, some of the
material mentioned is in preparation and will be provided very shortly.
Some of the requests come to our attention for the first time in this memo.
Certain of them, such as the request for "the extent of CIA activities in
Mexico in calendar year 1972, " pose a serious question. I had hoped by
being fully responsive to your investigation to avoid any difference between
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us over our responsiveness, but I am indeed concerned about the
problem of leaks in the current atmosphere in Washington. A request
as broad as this, however, would obviously expose sensitive intelligence
sources and methods having no relationship to your inquiry. In this
situation I must request a more precise bill of particulars, as there
might be some matters which I would hope could be handled through our
normal oversight procedures with the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Again,. please be assured of my desire to provide your Committee
with any information it requests that is relevant to its areas of responsi-
bility, but I must also meet the responsibilities that are imposed upon me
to protect intelligence sources and methods.
I trust that all goes well with your wife's surgery and that she
will have a complete and speedy recovery.
Sincerely,
W. E. Colby
Director
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..4A00 L rrtv1.4, JR.. N.C.� CHAIRMAN
WA`� H. CAXI R. ill ri-,04. VICE CHAIRMAN
.1 I A. r...:WARD .1. GURNEY, FLA.
DA L e .1, itA1N All LOWLLL P. WEIGHER. JR.. CONN.
.J0::! re. MCNTOYA, N. MEX.
SAMUEL DASH
CHIEF CCUI.LiEl. AI..2 STAFF DIRECTOR
FRED P. THOMPSON
MIN0aITY COUNSEL
RUFUS L. EDMISTEN
DEPUTY COUNSEL
February 20; 1974 �
Honorable William E. Colby
Director
Central Intelligence Agency.
Washington, D. C. 20505
Dear Mr. Colby:
77
( f
ZOIT'XJ;(-3
SELECTCOMMITTEEON
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES
(PURSUANT TO S. RES. 60, 910 CONGRESS)
WASHINGTON. D.C. 20510
I enclose herewith a memorandum from Fred Thompson, Minority
Counsel of the Watergate Committee, to me of this date. The
memorandum is in rough form and contains a good bit of
editorial comment, 'but ,I wanted you to see it in its original
form.
I very much fear the impression I have is that we are not
getting the information we need as promptly as we need it
and with appropriate arrangements for convenient access.
I talked to Mrs. Pindar today to advise her that this
memorandum was being dispatched by messenger. My wife will
be entering the hospital tomorrow for elective surgery,
and I will be unavailable for a little while. I will plan
to try to be in touch with you by telephone as soon as I
reasonably can.
In the meantime, I would be deeply grateful for your attention
to these matters, and if you find it necessary to discuss the
matter with Fred Thompson, he, of course, will be glad to go
into the situation further.
Sincerely,
�
aeT H. Baker , Jr.
HHBJr:d1..
Enclosure
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sAM I. ERVIN, JR., N.C.. CHAIRMAN
1.e.o.ARD H. RAKER, JR., TENN.. VICE CHAIRMAN
� �-+ F. TLhDGE, G. EDWARD J. GURNEY. FLA.
� K. pqoUTE, HAWAII LOWELL P. WEIGHER, JR.. CONN.
^ M. mONTOYA, N, MEX.
sAmuEL DASH
CHIEF COUNSEL %ND STAFF DIRECTOR
FRED 0. THOMpSON
MINORITY COUNSEL
RUFUS L. EDMISTEN
DEPUTY COUNSEL
9.1Crsiteb
SELECT COMMITTEE ON
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES
(PURSUANT TO S. RES. II, SID CONGRESS)
WASHINGTON. D.C. 20510
February 20, 1974
MEMORANDUM
TO: Senator Baker
FROM: Fred Thompson
SUBJECT: Requests of CIA
There are certain requests which the staff has made and which you
have made personally which have not been complied with. They are
listed below along with additional requests. At the present rate of
compliance there is no way that we can conduct an adequate investi-
gation with the amount of time allotted. Secondly, much of the
material which has been shown to us is still being retained by (b)(3)
personally and is not on deposit with George Murphy. It is
(b)(3)
becoming so that we must have constant acea&�oa1LoLthese materials
and not be put in a position of having to calLL each time (b)(3)
we want to review an item. All materials should be on deposit with
Murphy from now on.
I. PREVIOUSLY REQUESTED INFORMATION:
insists you contact Colby directly in order to get
Martinezt Case Officer) back from Vietnam for an interview.
Note: Almost everyone connected with this affair
is either retired or has been transferred.
2. The extent of CIA activities in Mexico in calendar year 1972.
Note: �This was the basis of the Haldeman-Ehrlichman-
Helms-Walters controversy.
3. Any previous relationship, contact, or reference in files to Bob
Woodward.
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
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4. The original shorthand notes of Barbara Pindar:tof Cushman/Ehrlichman
telephone conversation of July 7, 1971, the transcription of which we were
supplied this month after the notes were found in Walters' safe. We need
all the original notes (10 stenographic notes) in the "brown folder" and
also the folder. All of the notes have to do with White House conversations.
Note: You requested this approximately two weeks ago.
Barbara Pindar is being interviewed tomorrow at
2:00 P.M. It would be most helpful to have these
notes before then in order that we can have time
to transcribe them ourselves.
5. Originals of all Martinez contact reports by
and not the "cut and paste" jobs of portions of certain reports that
have received..
we
6. The "Watergate file" prepared by nd on file in Colby's office.
Note: They tell us we have essentially everything that's
in it but that, of course, is their evaluation.
II. MATERIALS NOT PREVIOUSLY REQUESTED:
1. Logs or notebooks of technicians or others indicating the January 21,
1972 order to destroy tapes. Any other logs, notebooks or notations
indicating any other destructions or orders to destroy tapes from 1963 to
date, including the January 24, 1973 destruction order.
Note: Here again on the January 1973 destruction order,
they have given us the language "...per Eliz", but
we need to see the documents.
2. Originals or carbons of lists of tapes which were destroyed, compiled
by technicians and presently kept in the Office of Security.
3. Copies or originals of any lists of tapes furnished to Elizabeth Dunlevy
from which the decisions were made as to which tapes to destroy.
4. We have been furnished the dates of various room recordings. We need
the names of any "guests" who participated in those conversations.
5. Logs, notebooks or any documentary evidence of technicians or others
showing notation where Barbara Pindar requested technicians to supply the
Hunt-Cushman tape.,
*Barbara Pindar is now Colby's secretary.
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6. We need to examine the "Mr. Edward" file which Kruger has already
testified they kept on Howard Hunt. Kruger told us this file was given
to Colby.
Note: Again they will undoubtedly say we have the
"essence" in information already supplied.
7. Address for
Note:
is former CIA Agent contacted by Hunt.
8. Any contacts that
have had with the CIA since they left the CIA.
Note: Hunt contacted all these people.
9.
Note:
employment records.
As stated above, was Martinez' Case Officer and
he is now i Vietnam. The CIA is hopelessl confused
as to whe left Miami and when took
over. The evidence is conflicting and it is certain that
they have this information,
or
10. Reports, memoranda, etc., of
to Washington after the break-in.
Note: has testified that he discussed "this matter"
with the
I I
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
_(b)(3)
debriefing after he returned
(b)(3)
_(b)(3)
(b)(3)
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