<SANITIZED> (W/ATTACHMENT)

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
01482401
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
U
Document Page Count: 
3
Document Creation Date: 
December 28, 2022
Document Release Date: 
August 7, 2017
Sequence Number: 
Case Number: 
F-2007-00094
Publication Date: 
June 4, 1973
File: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon sanitized (wattachment)[15132674].pdf110.99 KB
Body: 
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01482401 Executive Ilnittt.zy ;$ MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD SUBJECT: REFERENCE: (b)(3) (b)(6) 4 June 1973 .0GC 73-0994 1 Jun 73 Memo for Record fr General Counsel "Watergate Case" 1. The Inspector General furnished me information which indicated that whose name� had come up in my conversation with FBI representatives as described in referent, 2. I called Mr. Angelo Joseph La_no of the FBI and gave him this information, saying we had had no contaict with since his retirement except in connection with an (b)(3) income tax case. Mr. Lano said he had been thinking over the problem of why they had been called off and felt that maybe it was a general direction against further investigations in rather than a prohibition as to one individual. He thanke me for giving him the information on (b)(3) (b)(3) (b)(3) (b)(3) � (b)(3) (b)(3) Att-Referent and Background on Subject cc: ES/CIA. MC IG LAWRENCE R. HOUSTON General Counsel (b)(3) Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01482401 Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01482401 1 June 1973 MEMORANDUM FOR TI4E RECORD SUBJECT: Watergate Case 1. At their'request, I met with Mr. Daniel C. Mahan and Mr. Angelo Joseph Lano of the FBI on 1 June 1973. They said they wished to discuss the so-called McCord letters received by the Agency beginning in July 1972 through early January 1973. They told me that after talking to the U. S. Attorney they thought it proper to give me a Miranda warning for which they had a standard form which I signed. 2. I gave them a copy of the affidavit I had prepared for the congressional hearings and then talked to them at some length about the circumstances and rationale for not sending the first McCord letter to the Bureau. I said the decision on the first letter controlled the handling of the succeeding letters which they courd query Mr. Howard Osborn about. Mr. Mahan had some difficulty in. understanding why I did not read the first letter as indicating a possible high level cover up and I merely asked him to consider the position we were in at the time in early August of 1972 and read the letter in that light. I also explained how we had traditionally worked with U.S. Attorneys in those cases where defendants had tried to involve the Agency in a criminal defense. I did say that at the time we prepared the October 24, 1972 report to the Attorney General, which I had discussed on the 24th with Mr. Petersen so he could brief Mr. Silbert, it was a pure failure of memory on my part that the letters were not included and there was no reason whatsoever at that time why they could not have been given to Mr. Silbert. Actually when we compared notes it was agreed there was only the original letter at that time but we could Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01482401 Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01482401 have given the succeeding letters as they came in. I again said I could only plead a faulty memory for not thinking of the letters after the cover up became apparent but they did not come to mind until I was reminded aft ex a check at Mr. Silbert's request for the latest contacts with Mr. McCord. 3. At the request of Messrs. Mahan and Lano, Mr. Osborn joined us and we gave them Mr. Osborn's affidavit and Mr. Gaynor's affidavit. They said these in effect answered all the questions they wanted to ask Mr. Psborn and we spent a while discussing other aspects of the Watergate case. In particular they said they were bewildered why when they wanted to talk to a in in July 197 2 they were called off by higher authority. They thought had something to do with the Agency. I said I had never heard of this and did not see why we would have interfered. I said I would check and let them know. OGC:LRH Note for File: cc/ES/CIA MC IC LAWRENCE R. HOUSTON Genereal Counsel Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01482401