REPORTING TO CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE AND THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 01482386
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: August 7, 2017
• Case Number: F-2007-00094
• Publication Date: July 6, 1973

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MEMORANDUM FOR: Mr. Colby
SUBJECT : Reporting to Congressional Committees
and the Special Prosecutor
1. Forwarded herewith is a memorandum from the Acting
General Counsel summarizing Agency associations with four
attorneys who have some involvement with the Watergate affair.
These have been submitted for consideration for inclusion in
"Volume III" of the papers being provided the Ervin Committee,
the Special Prosecutor, and our Oversight Committees. Also
forwarded is a memorandum from SAC/DDO opposing reporting
one of these cases, that of Robert McCandless and his law firm,
as well as raising the basic question of protecting Agency asso-
ciations with private persons and businesses.
2. We are of the opinion that none of these cases is
appropriate for inclusion in "Volume III. " They involve the
remotest ties between the Agency and persons associated with
the Watergate inquiry. To record this material formally with
other subject matter of presumably greater relevance would attach
undue significance to it and risk undeserved notoriety and publicity
for persons in no way involved in the matter.
3. Although we are committed to making full and frank
disclosures, we also owe some protection to persons not involved
in Watergate from the dramatic reporting currently being given
the issue. There certainly seems to be room for an exercise of
judgment in what we report and how we report it. �To this end we
propose that three of the four items reported by the Acting General
Counsel be reported and that this be done saparately from "Volume
discreetly and in low key. This could be done orally to appro-
priate members of the various authorities involved, for their back-
ground information. We propose that these communications follow
the. general line set forth below:
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The A.gency has associations, past or present, with
three attorneys involved in one way or another in the
current Watergate matter,
Robert McCandless, counsel for John Dean, has until
recently been a member of the law firm of Burwell.
Hansen and McCandless.
Differences among the partners over McCandless'
representation of Dean has led to his severing his
membership in the firm.
Paul O'Brien, reported counsel for The Committee to
Reelect the President, is a member of the law firm of
Hanson, O'Brien, Birney, Stickle and Butler./
James J. Bierbower, counsel for Jeb Magruder, was an
employee of the .A.gency in the early 1950s.
4. The requirement to report such material to the authorities
should be explained in advance to the persons involved, as well as
the manner in which we plan to proceed. Predictably each will have
reservations about any approach, and we should make every effort
to design our statements to their requirements. We have discussed
the matter with the Office of General Counsel and the Office of
Legislative Counsel and would recommend that OGC take the matter
up with the Federal prosecutors and that OLC approach our Sub-
committees to determine the best way of handling this material.
We would not propose to contact the Ervin Committee unless our
Committee Chairmen have strong feelings about our doing so.
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5. It is noted that SAC/DDO has requested that he be
consulted if this information is- to be given the authorities, and
his participation in designing the form of conveying the infor-
mation should be solicited.
Donald F. Chamberlain
Inspector General
Attachments:
As Stated Above
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