SYMINGTON DOUBTS NIXON WAS UNAWARE OF CIA ROLE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP77-00432R000100160001-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 45
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 20, 2001
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: May 18, 1973
• Content Type: NSPR

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 Approved For Release 2001/08/07 : CIA-RDP77-00432R000100160001-9
WASHINGTON POST
18 May 1973
SY11111101on Doubts
Was Unaware of CIA Role
By William Claiborne
Waabinaton Post Staff Writer
Sen. Stuart Symington (D- salary payments from
Mo.) said yesterday he finds "covert funds" for - the)
.Watergate defendahts some
it hard to believe that Presi- 'of,
of, whom were,; in? Dean's re-
dent Nixon was unaware of . 'ported words, "seared" and
attempts by senior White ."wobbling."
House officials to use the' Walters said he told Dean
Central Intelligence 'Agency that if CIA money were,
to cover up the Watergate used for covert operations-
scandal. In this country, he would
Symington expressed his have to, report it to a con-
doubts after listening to gressional committee that
three more h
f
ours o
testi dl with CIAffi
-eas aars.
mony before the Senate Walters refused to com-
Armed Services Committee -ment on his testimony yes
by present and former CIA terday, but Symington said
officials. Haldeman apparently
He recalled his own expe "localized in" on Walters
rience on the National Secu-, and that Dean followed up
rity Council in 1950.51, and' 'with pressure to obtain CIA
observed: "It is hard for me help.
to visualize that he (Mr. * \ Senator Jackson, also a`
Nixon) knew nothing about "committee member, -termed-
it." Sen. Henry Jackson (D- ''the White House effort a
Wash.) expressed a similar ''premeditated plan and de?
The witnesses before the crup in connection with ille?'
committee yesterday were gal activities undertaken by
former CIA Director Rich the administration."
and Helms and his deputy in Jackson said Helms and
the agency, Gen. ' Robert other CIA officials "had rea-j
Cushman, and Lt. Gen. Ver- son to believe the requests
non A. Walters, the agency's had the sanction of the Pres-
deputy director. ident of the United States.
They gave additional de- But, like Symington, he wass
tails of efforts to further in. unable to offer any evidence' 11 -
volve the agency in domes- to substantiate that claim.
tic espionage by three White When asked whether'
House offficials-H. R. Hal- Helms had questioned
deman, John D. Ehrlich- Haldeman and Erhlichman,'
man and John W. Dean III. about the President's sup-'
The CIA officials have 'port, Jackson said, "You,
previously testified to the don't ask those questions,
agency's role-at the behest when you're a professional,
of the White House-in the and in this kind of climate." '
Daniel Ellsberg investiga- ' Jackson said Helms "had
tion and in additional ef- a right to believe that it (the -
forts by the White House to request for ' cover-up,.
involve the CIA in covering 'assistance) -came -from the.'
Democratic Party's Water- ' Symington said that`.
gate headquarters in June ? Helms testified that he
1972. talked with Mr. Nixon ear-
Helms, Cushman and Wal- her this year when Helms'
ters have all testified, Sym- was appointed ambassador,
ington said, that they were to Iran, but said that the
'unaw'are of the extent of subject of Watergate did not;
President Nixon's knowl- come up. Symington said
,edge of these interventions.' that at no time during the
-Helms' has also testified, time of the White House
however, that approaches to pressures on the CIA did
'the agency by White House Helms communicate his con-
'officials were made in the., tern to the President.
'name of the President. . A committee source said
General Walters, in an afe that-Helms' testimony yes
.fidavit released Wednesday,- terday was mostly an, elabo
described several meetings ration on the three White,
,.with Haldeman, Ehrlichman house requests described
:and,Dcan beginning within Monday by Walters, and
a week after the Watergate that no new approaches';
.break-in. He was asked in emerged.
the course of these meetings The source said that from
for CIA help in disguising the questioning it-was obvi?
the nature of the break-in. ?ous that the committee
Furthermore. said Walters, members felt Helms and the
Referring-to White House ' "" Lilt: tLOr-
ne
agency to provide bail and done a pretty good job of re r y Generals statutory ac...
resisting (the White House),
'under-the circumstances."
Helms clearly made some
accommodations 'to the
White house staff, the
source said, without con'-
necting the , requests to a.
larger program of political,
espionage that had not yet
been publicized at the time. :
However, Helms may face,'
'
more unfriendly questioning
,*Monday when he appears`
before the Senate foreign
Relations Committee to ex-.-
;Plain why he denied at least
three times in January and,
February that the CIA had
been involved in Watergate
ih any way.' Helms made the
'denials in hearings for his .
confirmation as.ambassador
to Iran.
"Sever al members of the'
.committee are 'disturbed
that some of the stories they.
have read of CIA involve-,
ment are not consistent with
w~iat they understood from
the
nfi
m
ti
h
i
"
co
r
a
on
ear
ngs,
point Charter for the se-
a committee staff aide said. P
The aide said Helms will cial prosecutor he plans:
'be. asked in the closed ses- 'to appoint.
sion to describe all White ? At the same time, Rich=
House requests to the CIA ardson expanded his list of'
and the domestic - intelli candidates for the '
gence in which it. partici? job to an
pated.. :even dozen. Already bruised'
While the committee, can., in his search for an ap-
not revoke its confirmation ' pointee, he hopes to an.
!of Helms
it could turn over
,
nounce hihi
s coct
transcripts.' of testimony to :Saturday., Justice Department for'
possible perjury action, or The response of Demo-'
could even recommend im?, eratic members of the Sen-
peacliment proceedings. ? ate Judiciary Committee
Helms is also scheduled to who want Richardson to'
appear before a federal disqualify himself andre-
grand..jury here and before Jain only the right to fire
the Senate Select Subcom- the prosecutor was ambiva
mittee investigating Water- lent at best.
gate. He may also be' called Three of them, Sens. Ed-'
by a Los Angeles County ,ward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.),
John V. Tunney (D-Calif.),
grand jury, investigating. the'
and Quentin Burdick (D,break-in of the office-of Ells-' 'N.D.), called Richardson's
berg's psychiatrist. proposals "constructive,",
It was also disclosed yes- but said they think more
.terday that Walters testified 'concessions are essential.
.that he recently visited the, Senate Majority Whip Rob-
White House to talk with, ert C. Byrd (D-W. Va.) said
Counsel J. Fred Buzhardt he wanted to put the guide-
and that he left some memo,lines "under a microscope"'
randa there at Buzhardt's before giving his approval.
,suggestion. 'Buzhardt, for- ' Making public a written
?mer Pentagon ? counsel, draft of the . prosecutor's
joined the White House on; Proposed authority, Richard-
:May 10. son pledged that he would
The memoranda, a coin- not "countermand or inter.
mittee source said, were fore with the special prose.
'Walters' recollections of the cutor's decisions or actions."
White House meetings in lie said the prosecutor
June with Haldeman and -would not be removed from,
"Ehrlichman. Symington said the post "except for extraor-
that the Armed Services :dinary,improprieties on his.
Committee has requested' part."
the. documents. and that Bu- .. Both of those guarantees,
zhardt has said he will de-' it was learned, were not in:
liver them. the guidelines Richardson
Helms appeared later inoffered to the two candi-
dates for special prosecutor
the day before a House ar- who refused the job earlier*
med forces subcommittee; this week,
after which Chairman Lu- ?? Richardson continued to.'
cien N. Nedzi (D-Mich.) said' -insist, however, that the ex
the former CIA director 'tent of the
rose ..s + .
p
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"domestic Intelligence opera.
tions, Nedzi said, "It is diffi-
cult with the benefit of
hindsight how one should
`have acted under tremen-.
dons pressure."
WASHINGTON POST
18 May 1973
utlin.ec
By George Lardner Jr.
i'., Washlnston Post Statt writer
Seeking to soothe tile'
Senate over his insistence'
j one "final authority" iii.
the Watergate case, At
'
t
"orney General-designate.
Elliot L. Richardson yes-
terday proposed an eight-
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:countability for all matters' impressed," but said Rich-
falling within the Depart- ardson still seemed to be
anent of Justice." saying that, as Attorney.
The prosecutor would also : General, he would maintain
have to submit his budget" "ultimate responsibility" for,
requests "in the same man-- the Watergate investigations:
ner as existing divisions of "I just wish he would dis-.
the department" And ex- qualify himself," Byrd said.
cept for the special author- "This nomination is his
ity granted him In writing, fourth in this administra-
he would he "subject to the tion. It makes no difference
general regulations and poli- how pure he is. The result is ?
cies of the Department of, that this investigation, in
Justice." 'the?minds of many, will still
Within that framework, be impure . . . But he seems
Richardson said the prosecu- to be unwilling to gO1 that
tor would have "full author- absolute last mile."
ity" for: Kennedy, Tunney and
? "Conducting Proceed- Burdick praised Richardson
ings before grand juries and in their joint statement for
any other investigations he . making the guidelines pub-
deems necessary." ' lie and thus giving the Ju-
? ",Reviewing all documen- . ' diciary Committee, bar:
tary evidence available from ' associations and others a
any source, as to which he chance to assess them.
shall have full access." But they emphasized, with
? "Determining whether out elaboration, that "there
or not to contest the asser- are still a number of very
tion of 'executive privilege' 'significant areas which we,.
or any other- testimonial believe the special prosecu-
privilege." tor would want and need to
? "Determing whether or have clarified if he is to be
not application should be assured the independence
made to any federal court,; the American people expect:
for a grant of immunity to him to have."
any witness, consistently ? Richardson pledged to 'give',
with applicable statutory re- the prosecutor "full author-
quirements." (Those require- ity" to select his own staff
ments include the need for of attorneys and investiga
Richardson's signature or tors, including enlistments
that of one of his top from the Justice Depart-"
deputies.) ment "to the fullest extent'_
? "Deciding whether or possible" in light of its other
not to prosecute any individ- needs for personnel. He said]
ual, firm, corporation or? the prosecutor would also'.
group of individuals" be provided with "suclir '
? "Initiating prosecutions,. funds ... as he may reason''
framing indictments, filing ably require." .11
informations, and handl..ng,' The "Watergate special:
-all aspects of any cases prosecution force" thus as-
within his jurisdiction sembled, Richardson added,
.[whether initiated before or: would be assigned jurisdic-
after his assumption of tion over "all offenses" ris-'
duties), . Including . any ap- ing out of the 1972 presi-
peals." dential campaign that the
? "Coordinating and di special prosecutor.. chooses
recting the activities of all' to pursue as well as any'
Department of Justice per-` other allegations "involving
sonnel, - including United the ? President; members of
States attorneys." the White House staff, or
? "Handling relations with presidential appointees."
all congressional commit-' In a - separate letter to
tees having jurisdiction over Sen. Adlai E. Stevenson III
any aspect of the above mat- ?(D-Ill.),' who has introduced
ters." a sense-of-the-Senate resolu-,
Many of these points, in- tion calling for the prosecu-
eluding "full" rather than for to he given "final author
"final" authority for the ?ty," Richardson maintained'
prosecutor, had been prom- that his proposals amount to
ised by Richardson in piece- .,,a truly unique level of. in-
meal fashion during his Sen- dependence within the .De-
ate confirmation hearings 'partment of. Justice." But
which began last week. again, he called it "critical
He wrote Senate Judiciary, that the Attorney Gen,..
Committee members, how- eral retain that degree of re-
ever, that he-was submitting: -sponsibility mandated by his
the guidelines in hopes of statutory accountability."
erasing the "considerable,.) Vhis duncertainty and apparent with Voicing
Richardson's dissatisfaction
misunderstanding" about his proposals,,
position. He said lie had re- Stevenson called them "am-
'k,
sult of the hearings and his 1 n e administration ap-
interviews with candidates 'pears still to insist upon
for the post, and he as ced 'controlling the investigation
for the senators' comments of the administration," Stev-
by noon today. . . enson said. "If the admini-
Sen. Byrd said a cursory stration does not assure a
glance at the proposals left truly independent investiga-
Congress to do so." Since then, however, other
Stevenson is considering, 2
withdrawing his sense-of-the-t
.Senate resolution and intro-
ducing a bill that would
lodge "final authority" In
the special prosecutor by:
law.
The prosecutor's charter,'
which is sure to come up for
a Senate airing before Rich-1
tardson is confirmed, is only',
one of the nominee's head-
aches. * A- ~ .?
His first choice' for-' the.
post, federal Judge Harold.
Tyler Jr., turned down the.
offer Monday with hints that.
the guidelines Richardson
offered at that point werei
not satisfactory. Former
Deputy Attorney General_
Warren Christopher, an-.
'other of Richardson% four
'so-called "finalistz,"' took
`himself out of the running.
Wednesday, saying that he
saw no "reasonable proba-
bility" of securing "the req-
?uisite independence."
With only two more to go--'
retired New York appellate.
court Judge David W. Peck,;
71, and Judge William H.:
Erickson, 49, of. the Colorado;
Supreme Court -Richardson,,
it was learned, added 10 more i '
names to his list, including'
some he had initially con-
sidered but not checked out,
and others not previously con. ii
templated:
Hopeful of making his pick
-by the weekend, Richardson l
is known to feel that the pub
lie turndowns have already:
given the prosecutor's post an.'
unattractive "second-best" fla~.?
vor. More delay- and turn
downs could damage his own
chances for confirmation as ?.
Attorney General. -
Senate sources, by the same,'
token, contend that Richard-,
son lost Tyler and Christo
pher by not offering them:
enough Independence at the!
.outset. .
NEW YORK TIMES
17 May 1973
Helms Says He Did 't ' T -ell
Nixon About Bids' to X ?
By MARJORIE HUNTER I
Special to The New York Times
WASHINGTON, May 16 - )present and former officials of
Richard Helms, former Director 1 the agency have told Congres-,
of Central Intelligence, was sional committees that the agen-
quoted today as saying that he cy provided assistance to the
felt White House requests for White House in two incidents
his agency's assistance in the involving' the Pentagon papers
Watergate affair had been im- (case and was approached other
proper but that he never told (times by White House aides in
President Nixon 'i of his concern. apparent attempts to cover up
Mr. Helms, now Ambassador events involving the break-in of
to Iran, was questioned for Democratic headquarters at the
more than three hours today' Watergate complex last year.
by a Senate Appropriations Mr. Helms confirmed the re-
subcommittee 'that is investi- ports of 'other C.I.A. officials,
gating the Central Intelligence but under questioning. he also
;Agency's involvement in the defended his earlier denial of
Watergate and Pentagon papers the ? agency's involvement in
cases. the Watergate affair.
? His testimony was'not made "He did not relate these
public and he refused to answer1 'events to the Watergate,' Sen-
questions as he emerged from Bator McClellan said.
h
t
e hearing.
Senator: John ' L.' McClellan,
Democrat, 'of,. Arkansas, who is
chairman of the investigating
panel, said later that Mr: Helms
had ?expressed, concern over re-
peated attempts of White
House aides to involve the
C.I.A. in the Watergate affair.
Asked if Mr. Helms had con-
veyed his concern to the Presi-
"After all, this Watergate is
a very broad-based thing," said
Senator Milton R. Young of
North Dakota, ranking Republi-
can of the subcommittee.
Asked if Mr. Helms had
known that White House re-
quests for C.I.A. assistance
were part of an attempted
cover-up, Senator Roman L.
Hruska, Republican of Nebras-
ka, replied: "He didn't and, in
f
t
h
'
ac
, t
ey wcrenn
t. The so-
dent, Senator McClellan replied:'
called Mexican laundering op-
"No. He did not feel at that; eration did not relate in any
time that he should go to the way to the bugging of Demo-
President about it. He did not cratic headquarters." ,
want the C.I.A. involved." The Mexican "laundering"i
incident. involved Nikon re-
Mr. Helms had told the Senate election campaign funds that
Foreign Relations Committee had been channeled through a
earlier this spring, at his con- Mexico City ' bank and later
firmation hearings on the am- used to finance various opera-
basadorial post, that the intelli- 'tions connected with the Water-
gate affair.
Bence agency had not been in.
Li
ll
eut. Gen. Vernon Walters,
deputy director of the Central
I( Intelligence Agency, told the
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Senate Armed Services Commit-
tee earlier this week that two
White House aides, H. R. Halde-
man and John D. Ehrlichinan,
had asked the. agency, to call
off an investigation by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
into the "laundered" campaign
funds in the interest of national
security. ?4
General Walters also old
that committee that John
W;
;Dean 3d, recently dismissed a
WASHINGTON POST
18 May 1973
0
counsel to the President, has
'asked the C.I.A. to pay the bail
and salaries of the men ink
volved in the Watergate break
in. The request was believed
to be an attempt to get the
agency to provide a `cover''
.for the operation. .
Senator McClellan said that
Mr. Helms told thesubcommit-
tee today that he felt these.
White House requests were:
wrong and had insisted that
the C.I.A. not become involved:
`Reluctantly' Granted
But the Senator said that Mf
Helms had admitted that he#
approved earlier a request, o?
another White House. aide. fo
preparation by the agency of aa~&~
personality assessment" orr~
Dr. Daniel Ellsberg, who wash
:later indicted on charges in +;
volving his copying and makJ
ing public the Pentagon paper
on United States involvemei
r onoiwng are partial texts and illegal fund-raising.
of the initial remarks of Thus it is clear.that we have
rChairman Sant J. Ervin Jr. the frill responsibility to rec-
(D-N.C.) of the Senate select ommend any. remedial leg-
comm.ittee investigating the islation necessary.
Watergate affair and, the! In pursuing its task, it is
a ranking minority member of clear that the committee
the committee, Sen. Howard will be dealing . with the
,day's opening session of the 'process under which we op- quarters, and even the, resi-
:committee's public hearings: 1 crate in a nation that still is," dences of candidates and
the last, best hope of man- "their campaign staffs' ahd of
Sen. Ervin: We are begin- kind in his eternal struggle' members of the press; by
,ning these hearings today in. to govern himself decently the publication of forged.
an atmosphere of the utmost and effectively ... documents designed to
:gravity, the. questions that ' In dealing with the chal-' fame certain candidate es or
by the multitu- , enhance others through,
,have been raised in the lenges posed fraudulent means; the infih
wake of the June 17 break-in t dinous allegations arising' -tration and disruption of op-.
out of the Watergate affair
, ponents'. political organiza-
,strike at the very undergird-
' ing of our democracy. If the howet er, the select commit- tions - and gathering the
many alle"ations made . to. ,tee has a task much more rpaisitigcantd handling of cam-,
,difficult and complex than. ai
,this date are true, then the 'dealing with intrusions of ? p gn contributions through
tburglars who broke into the , i. ......1- _r ~_ _ mans. designed to circum-'
in Vietnam. a
Senator McClellan said th41
Mr. Helms "did not think this
quite proper" but that he "r
luctantly" granted the reques
because it-had come from th'
White House.
Senator McClellan said tha
he. felt that-the C.I.A.had vi
lated the National Security,Ac
by becoming involved in th
Ellsberg case. The law forliid '
the agency from engaging 'ft'
internal security operations,
climate of our nation. On
the contrary it is my convic-
tion and that of the other
committee members that the
accusations that have been;
leveled and the evidence of
wrong-doing that. has' sur-
faced has cast a black cloud
of distrust over our entire :
;society. Our citizens do not
know whom to believe, and'
many of them have con
cluded that all the processes,
of government have become
so compromised that honest
,governance has been ren-
dered impossible,
We believe that ? the '
health, if not the survival of
.our social structure and of
our form of government re-.'
'
-quires the most candid and
'public investigation of all
the evidence and of all the
headquarters of the Demo ""` "`??~,. ". we govern- vent, either in letter or in' accusations teat nave been :
meat upon the power of tile. spirit, the provisions of cam leveled at any persons, at
cratic National Committee others. It must probe into; 'paign disclosure acts; and whateven level, who were
at the Watergate were in ef- 'as
ti
th
t th
'
ser
ons
a
engaged in the 1972 cam-:
e very sys even the acceptance of cam-
feet breaking into the home' ten, itself has been, sub- paign contributions based, 'paign. My colleagues on the
'United every Statescitizen of the,' verted and its foundations, ,upon, promises of illegal in committee and I 'are deter.
' ' shaken. terference in governmental mined to uncover all the rel
And if these allegations To safeguard the strut processes on behalf of the evant facts .surrounding
prove to be true what they tural scheme of our govern- ? contributors. these matters, and to spare'
were seeking to 'steal was ; mental system,'the founding :Finally, and perhaps most no one, whatever his station
,not the jewels, money or, fathers provided for an elec disturbingly, it has been.al= to life
mmay pl be, in our goal. At,
other property of American toral process by which the . leged that, following the th a same time, want oal. citizens, but something, elected officials of this na- Watergate break-in, there' 'the same time, I waos em.
of
much more valuable - their; tion should be chosen. The has been a massive attempt these h that the purpose e-
most precious heritage, 'the Constitution, later-adopted to cover up all the improper tse hnot prose,
right to vote in a free elec- 'amendments, and mo>e spe- activities, extending even so' tutorial es juveial, but
tion. Since that day, a mood. ?'cifically, statutory law,'pro- far as' to pay off potential rather investigative and in
of incredulity has prevailed vide that the electoral proc- witnesses and, in particular, formative.
among our pupulace, and it esses shall be conducted by the seven defendants in the No one is more cognizant
is the constitutional duty of the people, outside the con- Watergate trial in exchange than I of the separation of
.this committee to act exped- fines of the formal branches' for their promise to, remain. PQwets issues that hover
itiously to allay the fears be of the government, and ' ^silent - activities' which, if' over. these hearings. The
ing expressed by the citi- through a political process :true, represent interference committee is fully aware of
zenry, and to establish the . that must operate under the . ',in the integrity.of the prose- 'the on-going grand jury pro.
'factual bases upon which ' . strictures of law and ethical tutorial and ',judicial proc- 'eeedings that are taking
these fears have been guidelines, but independent, esses of this nation. More- place in several areas of the
founded. 'of the overwhelming power over, there has been cvi.' country, and of the fact that
The first phase of the of the government itself. deice of the use of govern- criminal indictments have.,
committee's investigation Only then can we be sure mental instrumentalities in been returned already by'
will probe the planning and that each electoral process efforts to' exercise 'political one of these
'execution of the wiretap- cannot be made to serve as surveillance over candidates ike grand ,urthe
the mere handmaiden of a in the 1972 campaign. members all Americans, the
ping and break-in of the . members of this c
Democratic National Com- particular administration in ommittee
Let me emphasize at the are vitally interested in see.'
mittee's headquarters at the Poyrer,
pWatergate complex, and the If the allegations that 'outset that our judicial prod- ing that the judicial proc
have been made allegations
the wake ess thus far has convicted esses operate effectively and
alleged cover-up that fol-, only the seven persons ac- fairly, and without interfer-'
lowed. Subsequent phases' of the Watergate affair are Y,
substantiated, there has CL1Sed bue emo and ence from any other branch
will focus on allegations of wiretapping pi ping the Democratic' of government.
campaign espionage and been a very serious subver-
subversion and allegations Sion of the integrity of the National, Committee Head-
of extensive violations of . electoral process, and the' quarters at the Watergate
complex on June 17. The
campaign financinrr la.vs committee will he obliged to
as
s
The clear mandate of the consider. the manner in hearings which we initiate very time, the crisis of a
unaminoi s Senate resolu- which such a subversion af- today are not designed to in- mounting loss of confidence
Lion provides fora biparti- fects the continued exist- tensify or reiterate un- by American citizens in the '
San investigation of every once of this nation as a rep- founded 'accusations or to' integrity of our electoral
3 how resentative democracy, and poison furtjler the political process, which is the bed.
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subversions may be
prevented in the future.
It has been asserted that
,tile 1972 campaign Was influ-'
enced by a wide variety . of '?
? illegal or unethical activi
ties, including the wide-'
spread wiretapping of the'
The investigation ? of this
select committee was born
of Crisic unabated
of thi
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rock of our democracy.'
The American people are
looking to this committee,,
'as the representative of all
the congress, for enliEht-'
merit and guidance regard-
ing the details of the allega-
tions regarding the subver-
sion of our electoral and po-
litical processes.
As the elected represents-.
tives of the people, we
would be derelict in our'.
duty to them if we failed to
pursue our mission expedi-'
tiously, fully, -and with the'
utmost fairness. The aim of ?
the committee is td provide
full and open public tcsti,
mony in order that the na-t
tion can proceed toward the
healing of the 'wounds that,
now afflict the body politic.
It is that aim that we are
;here to pursue today, within
the terms of the mandate
imposed upon us by our col-?
leagues and in 611 compli-`
ance with all applicable
rules of law. The nation and
history itself are watching
us. We cannot fail our mis-
sion.
Sen. Baker: This commit--
tee is not a court, nor is it a
jury. We do not sit to pass
judgment on the guilt or in-
nocence of anyone. The;
.greatest service that this
coin mittee can perform for
'the Senate, the Congress.
and for the people of this
nation is to achieve a full
discovery of all of the facts
'that bear on the. subject of
this inquiry. This committee
was created by the Senate
to do exactly that. To find
as many of the facts, the cir-,
cumstances and the relaton-
ships as we could, to asscm-
,ble those facts into-a colier-
ent and intelligible preren-,
:nation and to make recam-
mendations to the Congress
for any changes in statute
law or the basic charter doc-
ument of the United States ,
that may seem indicated.
But this committee can
serve another quite impor-,
tant function that neither a
grand jury investigation nor
a jury proceeding is equip-
ped to serve, and that ie. to
develop the facts in full
view of all of the people of
America. Although ju;:ies
will eventually deteririne
the guilt or'the innocence of
persons who have been and
,may he indicted for specific
violations of the law, ic. is
the American people who
must be the final judge of
,Watergate. It is the Arreri-
can people who must decide,
based on the evidence
,spread before them, what
Watergate means about how
we all should conduct our
public business in the fu-
ture.
When the resolution
which created this commit-
tee was being debated on
the floor of the Senate in
February of this year, I and
other Republican senators
expressed 'concern that the
inquiry might become a par-
'tisan effort by one party to
exploit the temporary vul-
nerability of another. Other
1' congressional inquiries in
the past had'been conducted
by committees made up of
equal numbers of members
from each party. I offered.
an amendment to the resolu-
tion which would have given
the, Republican member
.equal representation on this
committee. That amendment
'did not pass. But any doubts
that I might have had about:
the fairness and impartiality
of this investigation have
been swept away during the,
last few weeks.
Virtually every action'
'taken by this ' committee
since its inception has been.
taken with complete una-
nimity of purpose and pro-
cedure. The integrity and
fairness of each member of
this committee and of its
fine professional staff have
been made manifest to me,
and I know they will be
made manifest to the Ameri-
can people d u r i n g the
course of this proceeding.
This is not in any way a par-
tisan undertaking, but,,
rather it is a bipartisan
search for the unvarnished
truth.
I would like to close, Mr.
Chairman? with , a few
thoughts on the political
process in this country.
There has been a great deal
of discussion across the
country in recent weeks
'about the impact that
'Watergate might have on
the President, the office of
the presidency, the Con-
gress, or our ability to'carry
on relations with other
countries, and so on. The
constitutional institutions of
this Republic .are so strong
and so resilient that I have
never doubted for a moment
their ability to function
without interruption. ,
On the contrary, it seems
clear to me the very fact
that we are now involved in
the' public process of clean-
ing our own house, before
the eyes of the world, is a
mark of the greatest,
strength. I do not believe.
that any other political sys-
tem could endure the thor-
oughness and the `ferocity of
'the various inquiries now
under way within the
branches of government and
in our courageous, tena-
cious fiice press.
No mention is made in
our Constitution of political
parties: But the two-party
system. in my judgment, is
as.integral and as important
to our form of government
as the three formal
branches of the central gov=
ernmcnt themselves. Mil-
lions of Americans partici-i
pated actively, on one level,
or another, and with great
enthusiasm, in the presiden-?
.tial election of 1972. This in-
volvement in the political
process by citizens across
the land. is essential to par-
17 May 1973
2 Top Aides
aid Facing
i
Indictments
By Lawrence R. Meyer
and Timothy S. Robinson
Washington Post Staff Writers
The lawyers for H R.
(Bob) Haldeman and John
D. Ehrlichman told a fed-
eral judge here yesterday
that the two former top.
White House aides "may be
indicted" as a result of the'
federal grand jury's invr3ti-
gation into the Watergate'
affair.
The statement., contained
in a formal motion filed
with U.S. District Judge
Charles R. Richey, was ac-
companied by sworn state-
ments from Haldeman and
Ehrlichman in which they
say that they have been for-
mally notified by the prose-
cution that they are
"sub,iects of the investiga-
tion" and that their state-
ments could be used in
'ticipatory democracy.
If one of the effects of
Watergate is public disillus-
ionment with partisan poli-
tics, if people are turned off
and drop out of the political.'
system, this will be the
greatest Watergate casualty
of all. If, on the other hand,
this national catharsis in '
which d'e are now engaged
should result in a new and
better way of doing political:
business, if Watergate pro
,duces changes -in' laws and
campaign procedures, then:.
Watergate may prove to be '
a great national opportunity..
to revitalize. the ' plitical;
process and to i,-ivolve even
more Americans in the day
to day work of our two great
political parties. I am deeply
encouraged by the fact that
I find no evidence at this
point in time to indicate
that either the Democratic
.National Committee or the;
.Republican National Com-
mittee played any role in
whatever may have gone
wrong in 1972. The hun-
dreds of seasoned political.,'
professionals across, this,
country, and the millions of
people who devoted their'
time and energies to the
campaigns, should not feel
implicated or let down by
what has taken place.
With these thoughts in ,
mind, I intend to pursue, as
I know each member of this
committee intends to pur-
sue, an objective and even-
handed but thorough, com-
plete, and energetic inquiry
into the facts. We will in- .
quire into every fact and fol-
low every lead, unrestrained
by any fear of where that
lead might ultimately take
us.
"subsequent proceedings."
Although it has been pre-
viously reported that both'
Haldeman and Ehrlichman
had testified before the'
grand jury here, their affi-
davits and the statement of
their lawyers yesterday
were the first formal ac-,
knowledgement that the for-'
mer presidential aides may
be defendants in a criminal
trial.
The motion filed with
Judge Richey asks him to,
delay scheduled depositions
of Haldeman and Ehrlich-
man set for May 22 in con-:,1
nection with the $6.4'million
civil suit. brought by the
Democratic National Com-
mittee against officials of
the Committee for the Re-.
-election of the President fol-
lowing the break-in and bug-i
Bing of the Democrats'.
Watergate headquarters.
In related developments-
yesterday:
0 Sen. Sam J. Ervin Jr. (D-
N.C.), chairman of the Sen-
ate select committee Investi-
gating the' Watergate affair]
told a press conference in~
Brunswick, Maine, that dur-
ing the committee's public
hearings "there will be some'
startling revelations brought
out that have not yet been,
.disclosed by the news me-
dia." T e televised hearings
begin at 10 a.m. (EDT) to-,
day.
? Chief U. S. District
Judge John J. Sirica granted',
immunity from prosecution
yesterday to former White
House aide David R. Young
Roy H. Sheppard, a,
,and
'tiiysterious figure in ' then
Watergate investigation. In'
granting the two men immu-
nity, Sirica directed them to,
answer questions before the
.grand jury.
The attorney for John'
W. Dean - Ill, the former
f White House counsel who;
Chas become a central figure'
' in the Watergate scandal,
also asked Judge Richey to'
postpone Dean's deposition
in the Democrats' civil suit.
Dean's lawyer said the de-
position, set for May 17, may
? jeopardize Dean's bid to
gain immunity from prose-
cution in return for his testi-
mony before the 'Senate
committee.
o Convicted Watergate
conspirator G. Gordon
Liddy was granted limited
immunity from prosecuion
and ordered to testify be-.
fore the Senate committee
yesterday by Judge, Siriea.
Liddy is now serving an
eight-month contempt of,
court jail term-on top of.
the six years and eight'
months terra he was given
for his role in the Watergate
conspiracy-after he refused'
to answer questions before
the.grand jury. Liddy's law-,
yer, Peter Maroulis, said'
yesterday he also has ad-
vised his client not to an-
swer Senate committee
questions because it might
jeopardize appeal of his
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WASHINGTON POST
16 May 1973
Watergate conviction.
Haldeman, until his resig
nation was accepted by,
President Nixon on April 30, 4
was the White House chief,
of staff and generally con-
sidered to be one of the"
,,most powerful men in the.
Nixon administration. Ehrl-'
ichman, whose resignation
also was accepted on April
30, was chief assistant to the
President for domestic af-
fairs and part of the inner,
circle at the White House.
In his affidavit, Haldeman
said he had appeargd before
the grand jury on May 9 and
'14. Ehrlichman said he ap?.'
,peared on May,'3, 9 and 14...
'According to the lawyers.for
.both men, John J. Wilson
'and .Frank' H. Strickler;
Haldeman has testified for a
total of about six hours and
Ehrlichman for about eight
hours.
The affidavits ' of both
men contain this statement:
"That in connection with'
my said appearances I, was'
told by the Assistant United
States Attorney before the
said grand jury that I was
one of the subjects of the in-
vestigation, and that any-
thing 'I might say could be'
.used against me in subse-
quent proceedings."
The lawyers' brief says,
that "It is possible that one,
or the other or both mov-
ants (Haldeman and Ehrlich-
man) may be indicted as a
result of the investigation."
Haldeman and Ehrlich-
man reportedly are impli-
cated in a variety of "steps
allegedly taken to cover up
the Watergate scandal:
? Lt. Gen. Vernon Wal'
ters, deputy director of the
CIA, has told a Senate com-'
mittee that both men, along
with Dean, tried to pressure
,the CIA into assisting in the
cover-up. The CIA resisted
the pressures, Sen. Stuart`
Symington (D-Mo.) said of-'
ter hearing Walters in
closed testimony before the
Senate Armed Services
Committee Monday.
? Ehrlichman and Dean
reportedly turned over docu-
ments to acting FBI Direc-
tor L. Patrick Gray III
taken from the' Executive
Office Building safe of con-
victed Watergate conspira-
tor E. Howard Hunt Jr.
Gray reportedly said he was
told by Dean that the docu-
ments should "never see the
'light of day." Gray has ac-
knowledged to Senate inves-
tigators that he later de-
stroyed the documents.
? Dean is reported to be,
prepared to testify'' under'
oath that Haldeman and
Ehrlichman aided in the al-?
leged cover-up. The . grand
jury reportedly has been'
told that money was paid to
the Watergate conspirators:
on Haldeman's orders to,
buy their silence.
-In the hearing ? before;
Judge Sirica on immunity'
for former White House
aide Young, the transcript,
of the grand jury proceed-
ings-read in open court
showed that Young had de-'
clined to answer questions'
about his job in the White
House for the National Se-.
.curity Council.,
Young, whose resignation'
from the White House was;
announced April 30, de
'clined to'tell the grand jury'
whether he had been, in-,
volved in White House in-
vestigations of security
leaks.
Roy H. 'Sheppard,. whose
former lawyer told Sirica'
last month that his client
had received eight cartons
of Watergate-related docu-~
ments at the. White House'
the day after the Watergate,
break-in, refused to answer'
,all questions put to him be.
fore the grand jury. Shep-
pard refused to say whether:
he was married, whether he,
knew Hunt or whether he'
was reading his, Fifth'
Amendment invocation from';
a slip of paper:
Dean's motion to delay,
the taking of his deposition'
states that federal prosecu;,
tors "have refused to indi
cate" whether Dean "is only'.
a witness or a prospective
defendant or target" of the
grand jury's investigation.
Dean has not been called yet
,to testify, his lawyer,'
.Charles N. Shaffer, said, but
he "will be called,'" he added..
The Senate committee has:
voted to grant immunity'
from prosecution to Dean for,
any statements he makes to
the committee . under oath.i
.If Dean were to give his,
deposition `prior.'to appear-:
ing 'before the committee of,
the grand jury, Shaffer said,'
he could'jeopardize his Fifth',
Amendment rights and thus,
the immunity the commit--
tee is granting him.
The Justice Department'
still has not told the com-
mittee whether it will exer-
cise its legal right to delay,
the granting of immunity to;
Dean for 30 days, according
to a committee source.. `
The committee has re=
ceived a "letter from Justice'
saying that the department.
'.will delay for the maximum'
30-.'days the 'immunity the
committee granted, more,
?th;.n a week ago to former
deputy . 'Nixon campaign
manager Jeb Stuart Ma-
'gruder, according to an in=
formed source. '.
ure an
By Laurence Stern
Washington Post Staff Writer
The Central Intelligence Agency resisted an extraor-
dinary series of. pressures by top White House aides to
assist in a cover-up of the Watergate scandal over. an
eight-month period beginning in June, 1972, Sen. Stuart
Symington (D-Mo.) revealed yesterday.
These pressures became so intense that the CIA's depu-
ity' director, Lt. Gen. Vernon Walters, warned former
White House counsel John W. Dean III 'that he would
resign and demand an audience with President Nixon if
he were ordered to "compromise" the agency ' in the Wa -
:tergate case.
This new account of White House intercessions in the'
Watergate investigation was disclosed by Symington based '
on testimony by Walters on Monday to the Senate Armed
Services Committee and a deposition given by the CIA
officials to federal prosecutors yesterday.
The White House officials implicated by Walters' testi-"
mony are Dean, H. R. (Bob) Haldeman and John D. Ehr?
lichman. Former acting FBI Director L. Patrick Gray. III'
also became involved in the efforts, according to Sym-
ington.
-
"It is very clear to me that therd was an attempt to;
unload major responsibility, for the Watergate 'bugging'
and cover-up on CIA," Symington said. The three aides,,.
he added, "were doing everything in the world to obstruct
justice."
Symington said the narrative began on June 23, 1972,
less than a week after the celebrated Watergate break-in,
when Walters and former CIA Director Richard M. Helms
were summoned to the White House to meet with Halde;
man and Ehrlichman.
Haldeman warned that the Watergate incident "might
.be exploited by the opposition" and he directed Walters
to tell Gray that any investigation into channeling of Wa-'
tergate funds through Mexico would endanger CIA activi-i
ties and 'resources in that country.
"Mr. Haldeman specifically bypassed General Walters'-
`superior, Mr. Helms, in asking that only General Walters
`visit Mr. Gray," Symington noted.
. , An immediate appointment was made by the White
;House with Gray and within an hour the acting FBI direc-'
tor and' Walters were sitting down in a face-to-face meet."
ring.
Walters,: according to the testimony, told Gray that "sen-
ior people at the White House, whom he did not name, had
told him that pursuit of the investigation of Mexican fi;.
nancing would uncover some of the agency's clandestine
activities." Gray answered, that he was aware the FBI and,
'CIA "do not uncover one another's sources and opera'
:,tions," according to the Symington account.
But when Walters returned to the CIA he was told, Sym:,
,ington believes by Helms, that an FBI investigation of the Mexican fund "laundering" operation would not endanger.
CIA covert resources.
Three days later Walters was summoned to the White:
House, this time by Dean, to discuss the scheme for call-
ing off the FBI investigation. -
Walters went to see Dean after confirming with Ehrlich-
man "that it was all right to talk with him," Symington
related. He told Dean that "the agency was not compro-~
mised in any way in the Watergate bugging, and that there'
was no CIA involvement in the case."
Helms told Walters on this occasion and in the ensuing
:developments that. "he had handled the situation just -
right," according to the Symington account.
? The following clay, June 27, Dean again called Walters
in. "Mr. Dean reportedly asked 1f there was some way the
CIA could go bail or pay the salaries of the individuals
accused in the Watergate case while they were in jail,"
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Symington said.
"General Walters stated that he told Mr. Dean that to,
spend funds in this way would implicate the agency, and
that he, General Walters, was prepared to resign-rather
than to do this."
Dean sbnunoned him a third time the next day, Walters
related.
' "Mr. Dean reportedly asked if there could have been'
some CIA involvement that General Walters did not know
about. General Walters said he stated that there could not
be," according to the account.
"Mr. Dean asked if General Walters had any ideas, and
General Walters replied, yes, that anyone who was re-
sponsible should be fired."
It was at that point that Walters told Dean, according
to Symington's statement, that if he were ordered to im-.
plicate the CIA "he would ask,to see the President and to
explain to him how dangerous he thought such an action
would be."
The next call to Walters-about a week later-came
,from acting FBI Director Gray. Gray said he could not
stop the FBI inquiry into the Mexican fund conduit with-
out a letter from Helms or Walters "stating that such an
investigation would damage the agency's assets in Mexi-
co." Walters replied That the CIA "had no interest in stop-
ping any investigation."
Ile repeated to Gray his determination to resign if there
was an attempt to compromise the agency, Symington re-,
lated.
There is a sharp divergence in the testimony of Walters
and Gray on the meeting that took place between the two
men in early July.
Gray claims that Helms told him the CIA had no inter-
est in the Mexican matter but that Walters asked the FBI
to postpone interviews with two key witnesses. Gray's
claim was reported in a digest of his testimony to the
Senate's Watergate investigating committee, according to,
the Associated Press.
One of the witnesses alluded to by Gray was reported
to be Manuel Ogarrio, the Mexican City lawyer who alleg-
edly "laundered" a $100,000 check through his bank,
proceeds of which ended up in the safe of Nixon fund-
raiser Maurice H. Str ns. These funds figured in bankroll-
ing the Watergate and other operations of the Committee
for the Re-election o,' the President.
Symington alluded yesterday to a memo by convicted
Watergate conspirator James W. McCord Jr. alleging that
"Helms was fired from the CIA. because it was felt he
.would not go along" with the cover-up attempt-
. Walters, he said, was acting constantly under the in-
structions of Helms. "And Mr. Helms," he added, "left
the agency."
McCord, in a memorandum to the Senate Watergate
investigating committee and federal prosecutors earlier
this month, said he believed Helms-was fired in order
to lay the foundations for a claim that the bugging and
break-in were conducted under CIA auspices.
NEW YORK TIMES
17 May 1973
DATA SUBPOENAED
OPT POLITICAL 67FT
The next important contact with Dean, related Syming-
ton, was in late January or early February, 1973. At that
time the White House counsel called the new CIA direc-
tor, James R. Schlesinger, and asked the CIA to retrieve;
from the FBI material bearing on. the September, 1971,
burglary of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office by
Watergate conspirators E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon
Liddy. -
Schlesinger and former CIA Deputy Director Gen. Rob-'
;ert E. Cushman Jr. acknowledged last week that the'
agency provided Hunt and Liddy with spy equipment that
was used in the Ellsberg burglary in 1971.
Top CIA officials decided that "there was no way" to,
comply with Dean's request-"that it would implicate the
CIA in something it was not implicated in." The decision
was made by Walters, Schlesinger and incoming CIA
Director William E. Colby.
Both Walters and Cushr an served as personal aides to
President Nixon at the .ime he was Vice President. Cush-
man was his military aide in the late 1950s and Walters
served as his interpreter on various foreign tours, includ-
ing Mr. Nixon's 1958 tour of South America during which
the vice-presidential party was showered with rocks and,
other debris. Walters was sprayed with glass splinters.
"It is clear," said Symington, "that senior White House
officials were deeply involved in attempts to. enmesh CIA
in the Watergate affair and thus take the pressure. off,
those who were really responsible."
Symington said he could not explain why the alleged'
White House cover-up pressures on the CIA did not sur-.
face until it .months after they were first applied, to'
-Helms and Walters.
He said he was not aware of any effort to report the
series of events to the prosecutors in the Watergate case,
the'various CIA oversight committees on Capitol Hill, or
to bring the matter to the direct attention of President
Nixon. U
"I can't decide why someone didn't come forward," said
Symington, who is. acting Armed Services Committee'
chairman. "We are show in the process of investigating this
He noted, however, that the director of the CIA reports'
directly to the President and that the request for CIA col-,
lusion in the cover-up came "from the President's head,
staff man"-Haldeman.
At the request of Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.), Sym-
ington said he would order an investigation of how The
Washington Post learned exclusively and reported in yes-
terday's edition that the White.House had sought to use;
the CIA to suspend the FBI investigation into the Mexican -
fund connection with Watergate.
Helms met for more than two hours yesterday with
Earl Silbert, principal, assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting
the Watergate case, to discuss Watergate and related
matters. The former. CIA director goes before a Senate
Appropriations subcommittee on intelligence today to
give his version of the CIA dealings with the White,House,
campaign.
United States Attorney HenryJ. Novak Jr. filed a subpoena'
showing that he had personally.
served the cashier of the First
City National Bank with a de.
mand for Mr. Allen's records,
Federal court records revealed.
Part of the contribution,
$89,000, wa's traced to a Miami
bank account of Bernard L.
Barker, a former agent of thel
Central Intelligence Agencyi
who was arrested June 17 in-'
side the Watergate headquar-
ters of the National Democratic
Executive Committee.
The money traced to Barker's
account was in bank drafts,
from Manuel Ogarrio Dagucrre,
a Mexico City attorney who
represents Gulf Resources. Mr.
Allen said last week that
routing the money through
Mexico was the best way to
make the anonymous contribu-
tion.
HOUSTON, May 16 (AP)-
The Federal Government yester-
day subpoenaed the bank rec-
ords of the president of Gulf
Resources & Chemical Com-
pany, Robert H. Allen, and re-
called a Fed^.ral grand jury for
a special session Friday in con-
nection with a contribution to
President Nixon's re-election
campaign.
The jury is investigating pos.
sible criminal violations in-
volving $89,000, part of a
$100,000 contribution by Mr.
Allen, who says he personally
donated the money. Mr. Allen,
who spent two hours with the
grand jury last week, has
denied that the company con-
?tributed to the campaign.
It is unlawful for a corpora.
tion to contribute to a political
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Watergate.. and the CIA
Mexican money that financed the break-in (by having
the CIA invent a false rationale that the probe would
compromise CIA sources); those aides then asked CIA
to use secret funds to "go bail or pay the salaries" of
Watergate conspirators. By available testimony, the CIA
resolutely rejected these entreaties. Gen. Vernon Wal
to Vice President Nixon, even said he would resign and To the extent that the integrity of the professional
go to the President before so compromising the agency. intelligence comtitunity may have been compromised,
we think it, necessary to look first to the White House.
In the third episode, in early 1973----by, then, "Water- It was the men there who in their cavalier abuse of
gate" was rapidly unfoldilig-Mite White 'House -sought power and' their contempt for the institutions of Ameri-
to have the CIA receivd back (knowingly) the Ellsberg, can government-even an institution as sensitive as the
'burglary inaterials.it had blindly given Hunt in 1971. CIA-tried but, it seems, largely failed to compromise
The CIA absolutely refused. and subvert the CIA.
WASHINGTON STAR ....:' ' --. ---- -- .-_. _. _--
11 May 1973
:Pend
9
n 11-3) 4M
BY J. F. TER HORST
Special to the Star-News
The Soviet Union was
given a set of the top se-
cret Pentagon Papers be-
fore they, were first made
public in 1971 by the New
York Times, according to
a former white House offi-
cial.
An account of the bi-
zarre episode was first
obtained by the North
American Newspaper Alli-
ance during the controver-
sy over the Pentagon Pa-
pers and the
administration's unsuc-
cessful court battle to
block their publication two
er release of the Pentagon
sworn reference to Soviet. Papers was part "of a
"possession" of the Penta- wider conspiracy." Krogh
gon Papers came to light said he was "informed by
.in the Los Angeles trial of the FBI that the so-called
;Daniel Ellsberg on Pentagon Papers were in
? charges of stealing, copy- the possession of the Sovi-
ing and releasing them. et Embassy, Washington
,
EQL KROGH, the for- , , D.C. prior. to their publica-
mer presidential aide who ; lion by the New York
resigned his undersecre- Times newspaper, sug
tary of transportation post - gesting an effort to aid and
yesterday, submitted an abet an enemy of the Unit-
affidavit explaining his ed States. through the.
supervisory role in a ally."
White House investigation While Krogh's statement
into Ellsberg's back- to the court does not go
ground, including the bur- into details, the original
ff-
--
glary of th
e o
of Whit
But shortly thereafter, was not written then be- Ellsoerg's psychiatrist. plained it this way:
the source said, Soviet of- cause it rd not be cbe- Citing national security i Unidentified persons
ficials returned the docu- roborated independently. reasons, Krogh's affidavit were observed delivering
ments to U.S. authorities- said the Nixon administra- bundles to the Soviet'
apparently without having Monday, however, a lion was concerned wheth- Embassy.
examined them. Approved For Release 2001/08/07 : CIA-RDP77-00432R000100160001-9
;,WASHINGTON POST
18 Mav 1973
,
g
House aides reportedly tried on repeated occasions to sensitivity of the diff'irtilt ?rnip of a e e,'et inIeHirranrn
psychiatrist took place a month later. At the same time,
CIA Director Richard Helms, in the same context of an
ostensible White' House investigation of security leaks,
ordered up a CIA psychiatric profile of Mr. Ellsberg at
White House request. His successor, James Schlesinger,
later termed these missions "ill advised."
In the second episode, beginning only six days after
the Watergate break-in of June 17, 1972, top White'
nical aid to Howard Hunt. But he, was put off by ? gress,whatever may have been his suspicion or knowl-
Hunt's manner; the agency, learning that "domestic edge at various times that something sour was going on.
clandestine operations" were involved, cut the Hunt We.submit that no final answer can be offe1?ed until
link in five weeks; General Cushman quickly informed .? there ,becomes available, a fuller ' record not only of
Mr. Ehrlichman. The burglary of Daniel Ellsberg's?. 'precisely what Mr. Helms told Congress last February
personal aide to Vice President Nixon, granted tech-...*. should have reported either to the President or Con-
ployee Howard Hunt, then identified as a White House
security consultant, technical help for an undisclosed
mission. The Pentagon Papers had just been published.
rho CIA's legislative charter' gives it "responsibility
for protecting intelligence sources and methods from
unauthorized disclosures," and in that context the then-
deputy ;'.
director, Gen. Robert Cushman, who had long..
known Mr. Ehrliclunan and wlie had also served as a
In the first episode, in July-September 1971, the CIA
was asked by John* Ehrlichman to give retired CIA em-
view.
CIA Involvement suggests another and more' complex.
somelioly despoiled or suborned. But such a compre-
hensive indictment should not be handed down casually.
Central Intelligence Agency, too, was caught up in the., House trampled over the provision of the CIA's charter
erlcic of rrAx/Grnonnn U< ...< xxr ~- L_ __1
The rush of 'events has cast the imressionhahe,
p tt t So what do we have? In all three a }codes llle White
ittuu~u Otte t iti to nait an r'isi prone into the "laundered" agency in a free society. The CIA operates "under-
ispecifyingthat the agency function "under the National
Security Council" -and it sought to turn the GIA to
purposes having at best a tenuous connection to the
agency's intelligeftce mandate--even the way the White
House presented it-and,at worst no connection what-
soever. In the episodes involving the Mexican money
and the receiving back of Ellsberg burglary materials,
successive CIA directors and their deputies stood off
fierce White House pressure aimed at forcing them to ?
violate the spirit and letter of their charter. In the
episode involving aid for' a mission whose purpose was,
at first unknown to the CIA, 'the agency recovered
promptly when it got a better sense of what was going on.
The further question arises of whether Mr.' Helms
and March and again in the last few days, but also of
the steps he, may, have taken to protect the CIA from
taint before he was, relieved of the agency's director-
ship. ,
To establish a kind of base line, we think it ap-
propriate meanwhile to recall a?.rare public ? speech Mr.
Helms gave in April 1971, before any of the known inci-.
dents had occurred
in which he spoke with feelin
and
constant supervision and direction of the National Se-
curlty Council," he said. It assumes only "normal re-.
sponsibilities for protecting the physical security of our,
own personnel, our facilities, and our classified infor-
ination . . In short, we ' do not target on American
citizens."
 Approved For Release 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP
W AS 77-0 4O32F W100160001-9
IT-rdncsdav',',lf' 16. 117;3
l
WASHINGTON .POST]
c
-Nt Vocto
er
e
oath in closed sessions of
the Senate Foreign Rela-
tions Committee about CIA
involvement in, Watergate or
other domestic operations.
The questioning also came
months after the President's
three principal White House
aides,- H. R. (Bob) Haldeman,,
Ehrlichman and John W.
Dean III, reportedly sought
the CIA's collusion in cover-
ing the Watergate trail.
So far the record suggests
that Helms stood up admir-.
ably during the eight months
of Haldeman -Ehrlichman -
Dean,:pressures that began a
week 'after the Watergate
break-in and continued until
last February. His deputy,
Gen. Vernon Walters, told
the White `House he would
resign rather than comply
By Laurence Stern
Washington Post Staff Writer
Richard M. Helms, long
regarded as Washingl.on's,
most candid professional in-
telligence man, is the latest
casualty of 'the Watergate
scandal.
Watergate has been a
graveyard of public reputa-
tions, and Helms today be-
gins a series of congression-'
al appearances in which he
hopes, presumably, to sal-
vage his own. I
Just recalled from Iran,
where he is the American
ambassador, Helms spent his
first hours here in a most
imambassadorial setting-the
office of Assistant U.S. At-
torney Earl J. Silbert, chief
prosecutor in the Watergate
case. He was meat at the air-
port by a deputy federal
marshal rather than a pro-
tocol officer.
Helms' reputation for can-
dor with Congress already
has been badly tarnished.
In at lepst three appear-
ances before the Senate
Foreign Relations Commit-
tee prior to his departure for
Iran earlier this year,- Helms
unequivocally denied that
the CIA under his director-
ship had ever been involved
in Watergate.
Yet as long as two years
ago, it was disclosed last
week on Capitol Hill, the
CIA gave undercover assist-
ance to the star conspirators
of the Watergate case, E.
'Howard Hunt and G. Gor-
don Liddy.
The assistance--snooping
paraphernalia of a variety
that James Bond might have
found embarrassing - was
delivered to Hunt on the
authority of a phone call
from White House aide John
D. Ehrlichman to former
Deputy CIA Director (.en.
Robert E. Cushman, a raili-
tary aide to Mr. Nixon Lack
in the vice-presidertial
years.
The agency called off its
help to Hunt in August,
1971, but not in time to,
prevent the burglary of the
office of Pentagon papers
defendant Daniel Ellsberg's
psychiatrist, Dr. L e vw i s
Fielding. .
Last February and March
-long after Hunt and Liddy
had become household
words in Washington-
Helms was questioned under
with any plan to implicate
the CIA in the cover-up at-
tempt,
Yet Helms said not a word
to the Foreign Relations
Committee, once his warm-
est constituency on Capitol
Hill, even in response to a
series of probing questions
on CIA domestic involve-
ments during a lengthy
closed hearing last March 5.
Silence in adversity is an
underlying discipline of the
intelligence craft. But to a
number of the senators wait-
ing eagerly for a crack at
Helms this week, Watergate
was no legitimate intelli-
gence concern of the CIA
but rather a grisly domestic
political conspiracy centered
in the White House.
To the credit of Helms,
he did withstand the pres-
sures of the White House to
make the CIA 'an exculpa-
tory tool for a clique of
presidential aides. As Sen.
Stuart Symington (D-Mo.)
pointed out yesterday, it
takes some powerful with-
standing to spurn a direc-
tive of the President's chief
of staff.
And some congressional
investigators are looking
into the possibility that the
departure of Helms as CIA
director last D e c e m b e r
stemmed in part from his
unwillingness to cooperate
with the cover-up enterprise.
Close friends and colleagues
of Helms said at the time
that it was a reluctant de-
17 May 1973
Soviet Press Ends
foro 01P. Rilp. nire~:
By Robert G. Kaiser
Washington Post Foreign Service
MOSCOW, May 16-The of-' facts of the Watergate break-
ficial Soviet press finally in and subsequent trials. The
broke its long silence on the paper notes that former Attor-
Watergate affair today. ney General John N. Mitchell
Literary Gazette, a weekly' and former secretary ?of com-
newspaper for the intelligen-imerce Maurice 1.1. Stans
sia, carried a 500-word story "turned out to be involved."
under the headline "Water-I The story lists some of the
gate Affair: What's happen-, recent resignations in Wash.
ling?" ington, and quotes President
The unsigned art'cle i?, care- Nixon as saying that the resig-
President Dixon had any in taken as signs of their guilt;
t'olvement in the case. in its next. paragraph. Literary
Soviet editors acknowledge Gazette mentions Haldentanj
privately that the 1t'atergate
tw
f
d Eh
li
h
man as
1
o o
an
r
c
story has been too compli-I those who-judging by reports,
sated for them to handle
i
"
-w
ll
.. in the American press
Their difficulties stem from; be indicted in the near future.
the Soviet philosophy of jour- The paper does not mention
nalPsm, which dictates that alll any of the wider ramifications
stories on a subject should re- of Watergate or the related!
fleet the current line. , events like the political sabo-i
The Communist Party has; Cage campaign, the mysterious'
decided that the line on the campaign funds and so on.,
United States should- bei Nevertheless, a careful Soviet'
friendly and unbeat. President reader would undoubtedly;
'Nixon is to be treated as a; gath4ar- from the story that
tente. ing on, if only because soj
purposes: to try to flatter tile ~important~officials have ire-,
United States, and to rein-1 signed and are expected to be'
that 4he g
ipr
i
I??
h
mess
on
t
e
,party has acted correctly bye u4 ~cu.
ds with T The only earlier Soviet re-,
k
f
i
t
d
idi
r
en
o ma
e
ec
ng
Western' ports on the affair were brief
the United States
.
diplomats here speculate lbat announcements on the with-
I _ drawal of Patrick Gray's nomi-
about the popular reaction to
Watergate.
"People may ask why Brezh-
nev is, running off to see a
man involved in such a scan-
dal," one noted.
tion as acting chief of the FBI.
Literary Gazette has also,
translated a James Reston col-
umn on the affair. I
Literary Gazette's story ap-
j only the vaguest notion of i i"i?"" ' ?' --'"'
Watergate until today's arti-I doesn't mention that they
cle. The Literary Gazette: have been indicted. The story
i -t
- i
l
d
s a factual error .
-
nc
u
e
nace policy against the possi-I It reports that two of the orig
_ _ _
b
- even
t
_ __
_ 7
ill woi se, yea
aps
s
threatening the summit con-: ently a confusion with th -
Terence scheduled for June. fact that two remian to be see-
parture.
Last September, during a'
leisurely lunch at the Hay-
Adams Hotel here, Helms
shook his head at the un-
folding revelations of the
Watergate scandals. Speak-
ing sympathetically of acting
FBI Director L. Patrick
Gray's plight, he remarked:
"Can you imagine the pre-
dicament of a new FBI di-
rector coming into office and
having this thing break over
his head?"
But since then the scourge
of Watergate has cut a great
swath through the ranks of
public men in Washington.
And it is now Helms -who
stands under its shadow.
8
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Whatever the explanation,
Soviet newspaper readers had
 Approved For Release 2001/08/07 : CIA-RDP77-00432R000100160001-9
NEW YORK TIMES
.16 May 1973
Text of a Statement on Testimbny b Walters
Special to The New York Times following Monday, June 26,
WASHINGTON, May, 15- and wanted to talk with him.
Following is the text of a about the substance of his,
statement by Senator Stuart conversation with Mr. Halde-
Symington, acting chairman man and Mr. Ehrlichman,
of?,the Senate Armed-Services the previous Friday.
Committee, on White House Mr. Dean reportedly said
links to Central Intelligence that General Walters could
Agency actions: call Mr. Ehrlichman to insure
In sworn testimony before
the ', Senate Armed Services
Committee yesterday, Mon-
day, May 14, the deputy di-
rector of the C.I.A., Lieut.
Gen. Vernon Walters, testi-
field to a remarkable series
of events:
On June 23, 1972, General
Walters, who has been at the
C.I.A. about six weeks, said
`he was asked to go to,rthe
White House with C.I.A. di-
then called Mr. Ehrlichman
who told him that he. could
speak with Mr. Dean. ,
General Walters then test[-?
fied that at 11:45 A.M. that
same day, June 26, he went
to see Mr. Dean. Mr. Dean
reportedly received him
alone. General Walters stated
that he told Mr. Dean that
after talking with Mr. Gray
he had looked into the matter
ith Mr. H. R.. compromised in any way in
they met with--Mr..
. Haldeman and Mr. Ehrlich. : the Watergate bugging and.
man in the latter's office. . that there was no C.I.A. in-
General Walters said he '.volvement in the case.
was told by Mr. Haldeman' Helms Is informed
.that the Watergate incident Following this Monday
might be exploited by the meeting, General Walters
opposition, s ci drl go t to that r acting had d stated hat he returned to
been n decided that he, .Wag the C.I.A. and told Mr. Helms
F.B.I. director, . Patrick ck of his conversation with Mr.
r Dean and of his denial of
Gray :Gray, and
involvement in
that nif should the F.B.I. pursued tell Mr. d any agency encate case.
an Watergate investigation of certain the Woteg to General
to
funds in Mexico, connected g
the Watergate case, Walters, Mr. Helms told him
this inquiry would compro- that he had handled the sit-
`mise certain C.I.A. actiivties uation just right. General
and resources in Mexico. Walters also testified that he
Mr. Haldeman specifically constantly checked with Mr.
bypassed General Walters's Helms during the following
superior, Mr. Helms, in ask- events and that Helms as-
ing that only General Wal- sured General Walters that
ters visit Mr. Gray. he was acting correctly.
Agreement With Gray The next day, June 27th,
General Walters furthertes- Mr. Dean reportedly called
tificd that an appointment General Walters again went
with Mr. Gray was made for to see him at his office. Mr.
him immediately, and'that he Dean reportedly asked if
went to' see Mr. Gray an hour there was some way the
later. According to his testi- C.I.A. could go bail or pay
mony, he told Mr. Gray that the salaries of the individu-
senior people at the White' als accused in the Watergate
House, whom he did not case while they were in jail.
name, had told him that pur- General Walters stated that
suit of the investigations of he told Mr. Dean that there
Mexican. financing would un- was no way this could be
`cover some of the agency's done, that any internal ex-
.clandestine ` activities. Mr. penditure of funds by the
.Gray reportedly responded ' C.I.A. must be reported to the
that he was aware that the House and Senate oversight
? F.B.I. and C.I.A. do not un- committees. General Walters
~coVer one another's sources 'stated that he told Mr. Dean
,and operations. that to spend funds in.this
General Walters states, way would implicate the
however that on his return agency and that he, General
C.I.A. involvement that Gen-
eral Walters did not know
about. General Walters said
he stated that there could
not be.
At one point in the con-
versation, according to Gen-
eral Walters, Mr. Dean asked
if General Walters had any
'ideas, and General Walters
replied, yes, that anyone who
was responsible should be
fired.
Nixon Visit Threatened
General Walters further
testified that he told Mr.
Dean that he would have no
part in attempting to com-
promise the C.I.A. in some
thing in which it was not in
fact compromised. He -said
that,' if ordered to do so,
he would ask to see the Pres-
ident and to explain to him
how dangerous he thought
such an action would be.
On July 5th, General Wal-
ters received a call, accord-
ing to his testimony, from
Mr. Patrick Gray, the acting
director of the F.B.I, Mr.
Gray, referring to his pre-
vious conversation with Gen-
eral Walters, reportedly said
that he could not stop the
investigation of the Mexican
financing unless he received
a letter from the director or
General Walters stating that
such an investigation would
damage the agency's assets
in Mexico.
General Walters testified
that he then went to see
Mr. Gray the next day, July
6th, and told 'him that he had
checked this matter and dis-
covered that such an inves-
tigation would not endanger
any C.I.A. assets, that the
C.I.A. was totally uncon-
nected with the matter, and
that the C.I.A. had no inter-
est in stopping any investiga-
tion.
He -then testified that he
told Mr. Gray the story of
his meeting with Mr. Halde-
man and Mr. Ehrlichman,
and that he had been told
to convey his previous mes-
sage to Mr. Gray. General
Walters testified that he
repeated to Mr. Gray. his de-
termination to resign if there
was an attempt to compro-
mise the C.I.A. in this matter.
According to General W41-
to the agency he checked Walters, was prepared to re- ters' ,testimony, he saw Mr.
and discovered that investi- sign rather than to do this. Gray again on July 12 at the
gation of the Mexican finan- General 'Walters testified F.B.I. office, and gave him
cial affair would not compro- that the next day, June 28, some additional information
mise any C.I.A. clandestine . Mr. Dean called him again, regarding material which had
assets. and that he went to see Mr, already been made,available
General Walters testified Dean for a third time. Mr. to Mr. Gray with regard to
further that Mr. John W: Dean. reportedly asked if ` the C.I.A.'s contact the previ-
Dean .3d called him on ?the,.. there could have been some' ous year with Mr. Hunt.
Finally,' General Walters!
testified that in late January
or early February, 1973, he
told Dr. Schlesinger in a gen-
eral way of the above mat-
ters. He testified that;
shortly thereafter, Mr. Dean!
called Dr. Schlesinger and'i
asked if the C.I.A. could have
returned from the F.B.I. them
package of material that had,
been sent to the F.B.I. regard-j
ing the assistance furnished,
to, Mr. Hunt the previous'
year. -
He. testified that he, Mr.
Colby, and Dr. Schlesingerr
discussed the matter andi,
agreed that there was no)
way this could be done-that;
e
it would implicate the C.I.A.0
in something it was not iritl
plicated in.
General Walters then testi d
fied that he went to see Mn.
Gray that morning-he di 4
not have the date availablei
-and told him of the request
by Mr. Dean, and of the'
C.I.A.'s decision. Pt
He testified that he thought c
he later went to Mr. Dean'(
and told him also, that thereli
was no way the C.I.A. could
have this material returned,,t
With respect to this testi-g;
mony, I would like to sayil
the following, based upon the l,
facts we have uncovered tot.!
date:, At
"As I stated yesterday, " itiL
is clear that senior Whitgil
House officials were deeply 't
involved in attempts to en-it
mesh C.I.A. in the Watergat%f
affair and thus take the pres.?.i
sure off- those who were
really responsible. G
"Because of security clea4l
anco and questions with re-4
spcct to verbatim release 0 3
statements which might af,-,?
feet legal proceedings, 1 do'1
not know when the full tran?',1
script of our hearings can'
be made public. Under thosd
circumstances, I thought this-')
narrative account should bel
made public. ;9
"It is very clear' to me that't
there was an attempt to un i'
.load major responsibility fort
the Watergate bugging and3i
cover-up on C.I.A. Under'j
these difficult circurnstances'1
and heavy pressures, I be-(
lieve that Director Helms and.[
General Walters, who was at,]
all times cooperating with'
the approval of Mr. Helms,
behaved very well with re-:
spect to this attempt. ? ,to
Our inquiry, of this anQl
other related matters is con-'
tinuing and we expect to heat-
testimony from Mr. Helms'
this Thursday.
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 Approved For Release 2001/08/07 : CIA-RDP77-00432R000100160001-9
WASHl GTON POST
15 May 1973
Mexican
Episode
Involved
By Laurence Stern
Washington Post Staff Writer
Three of Preside-1t
Nixon's highest-ranking
White House aides sought
to persuade the Central
Intelligence Agency to
call off-on national se-
curity grounds-an FBI
investigation into the Wa-
tergate scandal's "Mexi-
can Connection."
This testimony was given
to a closed session of the
Senate Armed Services
,Committee yesterday by the
CIA's deputy director, Lt.
Gen. Vernon A. Walters, it
was learned.
Walters said the proposal
was made to him at a White
House meeting to which he
,was summoned by presiden-
tial aides H. R. Haldeman,'
John D. Ehrlichman and
John W. Dean Ill.
The CIA official, who is
expected to be summoned
imminently before a federal
grand jury to tell the story,
said the then CIA Director
Richard M. Helms refused
to go along with the plan
and the White House was ,to
informed.
The case involved the
$100,000 or more in. Nixon
re-election funds that were
"laundered" through a Mex-
ico City bank and ended up
ultimately in the safe of
Maurice H. Stans, chief
presidential fund-raiser in
1972.
Walters, according to
qualified sources, testified
that the three White House
advisers told him they
wanted the agency to tell
the FBI that an investiga-
tion of the Mexican money
would jeopardize CIA opera=
tions.
When he relayed the sug-
gestion to Helms, said Wal-
ters, the former director de-
cided that there was no ba-
sis for the request to the
FBI.
The Mexican money inci-,
dent was one example 'of?
what one authoritative
source described as a
"continuing pattern" of
White House efforts in 19'72
to involve the CIA in Water-
gate cover-up activities, as
depicted in yesterday's tesl,i-
mony.
Walters was accompanied
to the hearing by outf;obig
CIA Director ' James R.
,.Schlesinger, Director-desig-
Hate William E. Colby, the'
CIA's present director of
clandestine operations, and.,
'Marine commandant Gen...
Robert E. Cushman Jr. whoa
.preceded Walters ' as CIA'
deputy director.
Acting Armed Services'
Chairman Sen. Stuart Sym-
ington (D-Mo.) said he was
surprised to learn of Halve-,
man's implication in they
case.
"The CIA was asked to
provide help on other mat=
.ters beyond the Ellsberg
case by the White House
staff," Symington said after,
today's closed session. "We,
found out that Haldeman
was very heavily involved."
Dean had been implicated
in secret testimony Friday
dealing' with White House
.pressures on the agency, it!
was learned.
The time sequence of the
attempted intercessions was
not clear. They. occurred, ac-
,cording to one qualified
source, "at a time when
these guys were frantically.
trying to get off the hook
,and get other guys on the'
'hook" presumably after
disclosure of the Watergate
break-in last June 17. .
Both Symington and Sen.,
Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) praised
,the CIA for standing up to
the alleged White House
pressures to assist in cover
ing up the Watergate trail.
One of the subjects cov-,
Bred by.the committee in its
questioning of the CIA wit-`
?nesses was a memorandum
to federal prosecutors by
convicted Watergate con-
spirator James W. McCord
-Jr., who said he had been
urged by his previous coun-
sel to claim that the Water-
gate break-in was a CIA op-
eration.
The' lawyer, Gerald Alch'
of Boston, denied in an in-
terview last week that he
had made any such proposal,
to McCord. The attorney'
said he merely asked Mc-
Cord about. possible CIA im
plication because, on the ba-
sis of government-produced
evidence, McCord had once
intimated that the break-in
team consisted of CIA em-
ployees.
It was disclosed last week:
that Ehrlichman in July,,
1971 had asked then CIA
Deputy Director Cushman
to give undercover assist-
ance to Watergate conspira-
tor E. Howard Hunt for an,
undisclosed m i s s i o n that
even Hunt would not di-
vulge to the CIA. The as-
sistance, spy equipment and
secret phone numbers, were
provided. The mission, it,
turned out, was the burglary
of Daniel Ellsherg's psychia-
trist, Dr. Lewis Fielding of
WASHINGTON POST
17 May 1973
ixon ...e Used:
To Pressure C14"
By William Claiborne ' i
Washington Post Staff Writer
Several high White House
aides invoked the name of
President Nixon when they
asked the - Central Intelli-
gence Agency to help cover
up the Watergate scandal
and assist key conspirators,
Sen. John L. McClellan (D-
, Ark.) disclosed yesterday,
For that reason Mc-
Clellan s a i d, Richard ' M.
Helms, who was then CIA
director, and other intelli-
gence officials did not in-
form either Congress or the
President about the , re-
quests.
McClellan said they
"wanted, to go as far as they
could to accommodate the
President" because the re-
quests had come from such'
high offices of the Executive
Branch.
"Some things went too far
and they put a stop to it,"
McClellan said after listen-
ing to three hours of testi-
mony by Helms in a closed
Senate Appropriations sub-
committee hearing.
Helms, who is now ambas- -
sador to Iran, emerged from
the, hearing room with his
jaw tightly clenched and
bored through a crowd of*
newsmen to a waiting car
.without making a comment
about. the first of at least
three scheduled ' appear-
ances before Watergate-rela-
ted investigating panels.
But McClellan later re-
viewed Helms' testimony,
,and then angrily accused
the -White House of violat-
ing the National Security
Act by trying to pressure
the CIA- into covering up fi-
nancial manipulations con-
nected with Watergate.
Referring to the 1.947 act'
that prohibits the CIA from
'domestic intelligence work,
McClellan said, "I'm satis-
fied the CIA made a mis-
take. I'm satisfied that the
"CIA was imposed upon."
McClellan also implicitly
:Beverly Hills, Calif.
The, names of Haldeman.
and Dean had not come up
in the course of last week's
public revelations.
Senators who attended yes-
terday's closed session were
extremely reluctant to di-
'vulge details. "We are deal-
ing with what may well be
serious criminal violations
by high - ranking officials,"
commented one committee
member. "Whatever we. say.
now could probably jeopard-
ize any future criminal prose-
,cutions."
criticized Helms for his si-
lence over a two-year. pe-
riod, saying that when it'be,'
came obvious "a cloud was
being passed over' the'
agency" the former CIA di.-';
r"or had an opportunity to.
complain' about the pres-,
sures brought to bear by the ;
White House.
But he reserved his most,
stinging criticism for former'
presidential aides H.R. (Bob),
Haldeman, John D. Ehrlich-,
man and John W. Dean III;'
calling their actions,"heyond;:~
impropriety." : t
Two major White HbusgJ
requests of the CIA to assist;
in apparent conspiracies.,
were met, McClellan said','
and a third was refused.
Only one of the three re-
quests, he said, was person-,
ally approved by Helms, and
that was done "reluctantly."
"Mr. Helms and his assist-
ants were seriously imposed
:;pon and they undertook to
mitigate those impositions
by doing as little as they
could, and. finally they, did
refuse," McClellan said. ' ", 3
The first CIA involvement;
with Watergate figures; Mc-
Clellan quoted Helms as tes-
tifying, occurred when the
agency provided E. Howard'
Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy'
with disguises, burglary
tools and electronic surveil-'
lance equipment that were
,used to break into the 'of-i
fices of Pentagon Papers de
fendant Daniel Ellsberg's
psychiatrist.
McClellan said Helms did'
not know the equipment had ?'
been provided-at Ehrlich-
man's request-until "some-
time later, when Hunt began
making more requests for'
CIA assistance.
Helms, according to Mc-'
Clellan, ordered former
Deputy CIA Director Gen.,
Robert E. Cushman to stop
providing equipment. to,
Hunt.
McClellan said the next
request came when David L.
Young, a National Security
Council staff member, asked
the CIA for a psychological
profile on Eilsbcrg.
Helms "reluctantly went
along" with that request,
McClellan said, even though
he "didn't think it was quite
proper by reason of the
source."
Former presidential aide'
Egil Krogh Jr. has said in a
,sworn statement that the.
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NEW YORK TIMES
12 May 1973
.profile provided no useful'
information to a special
'White House security squad
called "the plumbers," and
for that reason the burglary
of the psychiatrist's office
was planned by Hunt and
Liddy.
The third White House at-
-tempt to involve the CIA in
the Watergate scandal was
made last June 23 by Halde=
man to Helms and his dep-
uty, Lt. Gen. Vernon Wal-
ters, McClellan said.'., I
CUSHMAN ACCOUNT
~pean 'tour to appear before the
committees.
Helms's Rule .Widened,
His comments about havin
g
By MARJORIE HUNTER
Special to The New York Times informed his superior of what
WASHINGTON, May 11= he had ,done would appear to
Gen: Robert E. Cushman Jr. indicate; that Mr. Helms was
said today that Richard Helms, more fully aware of agency in-
his superior at the Central In- volvement in the 'Watergate
telligence Agency in 1971, had and Pentagon papers cases
"assented" to agency assist- than had previously been sug-
ance to E. Howard Hunt Jr., gested.
one of the conspirators in the Earlier this 'week, current
Watergate case- C.I.A. officials disclosed that
f
a per-
McClellan said Helms tes- Mr. Helms, .now Ambassador agency preparation o
tified that Haldeman to Iran, was Director of Cen- sonality assessment of Dr. Ells.
"suggested to him that' Gen. tral , Intelligence. at the ? time berg, a defendant in the Penta
Waiters go to see the direc gon papers trial, had been
in the summer of
the a
enc
y,
g
made with the approval of Mr.
tor of,the FBI and ask them
to call off the' investigation 1971, provided disguises and Helms.
into the Mexican money equipment to Hunt, upon the But, until today, it had been
se
Whit
H
f th
.
ou
request o
e.
e
journey.' ? I . widely assumed that Mr. Helms
He was referring to the, The materials supplied to
may have been unaware that
Hunt were used for the break-
5100,000 check that was,
_ General Cushman had agreed
of
at that time
which ended up in the safe? 3, 1971, in Beverly Hills, Calif.'
XT. White House aide, for C.I.A.
rice H. Starts. The money mandant of the marine Corps,: Senator J. W. Fulbright, in
figured in .bankrolling the confirmed today that as Deputy 'a television interview spon-
Water
ate break
a
d
g
n
n
, Director of Central Intelligence,: f Bored last night by the Nation-
.nthor nnlitinnl Pcnionnda nn_
fo terials made available to Hunt.
r the Re -election of the' that Mr. Helms had assured
Walters testified before' after doing so, he reported his agency had not had anything
another Senate subcommit actions to Mr. Helms and "her to do with the Watergate af-
tee on Monday that he told assented to what I had done.' fair.
Dean three days later that The general's account oft The Arkansas Democrat said
i C.I.A.. involvement with Hunt that when Mr. Helms appeared
he-would resign if ordered was made in a. three page, before the committee for con-
by y the the White House to com=: firmation hearings on his ap-
promise the CIA in the sworn affidavit that he per-: pointment as Ambassador, 'I
Watergate case. sonally presented today to three` asked him specifically during
McClellan said yesterday separate Congressional com? his examination, did the C.I.A.
-that it was Helms who or- ,mittees. He cut short a Euro-j have anything to do with any
dared Walters not to of this Watergate, and he said
get in. not.
-volved in asking Acting FBI It is understood that the se-
: Director L. Patrick Gray to, ary Helms flatly denied any cret transcript of the Senate
cover up the probe: Mc- CIA involvement in Water- Foreign Relations Committee
Clellan said Helms was con- gate, McClellan said, "He. on the Helms confirmation
!vinced that the FBI irvesti- did not relate this to the hearing confirms Senator Ful-
'gation of the Mexican con- Watergate." hearing comment.
nection would not interfere. Hruska chided reporters' Hunt pleaded guilty last Jan.
with the CIA's operatives in for attaching ' the 10 to having taken part in the
;,Mexico, which he said had' "Watergate" label to every, bugging of Democratic head-
been suggested by Halde- allegation of White House quarters in the Watergate com-
man. misfeasance. He claimed plex last year. He received a
McClellan and Sen. Re? that at the time of the con- provisional 35-year prison term. man L.? Hruska (R-Neb.) re. firmation hearings Helms The sentence could be reduced
later if Hunt is found to have
eatedly'em hasized 'Helm's' did not connect the requests
P p made to the CIA to the cooperated in the current
reluctance to become in- Watergate investigations. He
.volved in a Watergate cover- break-in at Democratic Na- has also admitted taking part
up. Another subcommittee tional Headquarters. in the office burblary of Dr.
member, Sen. John Pastore, McClellan conceded that . Elleberg's former psychiatrict in
(D-R.I.),,.described Helms as he "didn't intend to put Los Angeles.
"quite hurt that his reputa-? (Helms) through the grill" General Cushman, resplend-
tion has been tainted after during the hearing. He said ent' in full uniform with row
whether the C.I.A. exceeded its
authority by becoming involved
,in domestic undercover opera-
tions. The agency's charter pre-
cludes it from internal security
functions.
The committee meetings were
closed, but the general's sworn
affidavit was made public after
each session. .
Senator McClelan said that
his appropriations subcommit-
tee hoped to hear testimony
next week from Mr. Helms, who
,is in Iran.
Senator Henry M. Jackson,
Deniocrat of Washington, after
hearing the Cushman testimony
before the Armed Services Corn-
mittee, said, "I don't think the'
C.I.A. violated the law. I think
the white House violated the
'law."
Senator Sympington, too, in-
dicated that he believed that
the White House request for
the agency's assistance was
'improper.
In his affidavit, General
Cushman said that on July 7,
1971; Mr. Ehrlichman called
him from the White House and
said that Hunt had been made
a consultant on security mat-
ters. He said that Mr. Ehrlicli~
man asked that the agency. give
Hunt some assistance.
General Cushman, a military
aide to President Nixon when
Mr. Nixon was Vice President,
said that he has known Mr.
Ehrlichman for 10 or 12 years
and respected him highly.
"I also knew that he [Mr.
Ehrlichman] was one of the
three chiefs of staff, as it were,
to the President and that there-
fore he spoke with the authoriy
of the President's name," Gen-
eral Cushman said.
The general said lie was
aware that leaks of inteligence
information were of great con-
cern within the government at
that time and that Mr. Ehrlich-
man had been named "wihin
the White House as the man
in charge of stopping security
leaks and overhauling the se-
curity regulations."
In view of that,' the general
continued, he concluded that
Hunt had been hired by the
White House to act in. the
security field and that the
C.I.A. was being ordered to
assist him:
He said that Hunt appeared
in his office on July 22, 1971,
and said that he had "a very
sensitive one-time interview
that the White House wanted
him to hold" but that he dared
not reveal his identity.
40 years (of government that he and other subcom- upon row of battle ribbons and) ; General Cushman also noted
service)." mittee members had little ~a sharpshooter's medal, marched that Hunt was "a highly res-
service)." to prepare questions
However, when asked why -from one Congressional com- pected and honorably retired
Helms did not take hid con- and that Helms was testify-. mittee to another for what C.I.A. employe of 20 years' serv-
ing mostly from memory. turned out to be da to
corns to President Ni. on Y- ng in- ice."
However, McClellan said' terro ations.
while his agency was all g- g The general said that he was
he probably will seek more
edly being pressured by He appeared first before 'a unable to discover an details
Haldeman and Ehrlich an,, testimony from Helms at a House Armed Services Subcom- Y
McClellan said: future date. He said he also - mittee, headed by Lucien N. him of the that t plan. w said ernt told
"He remained silent planned to seek testimony. Nedzi, Democrat of Michican; as under White:
from Haldeman, Ehrlichman' then before a Senate a ro ria- House orders not to reveal the'
He didn't feel that he was PP P
and Young., tions subcommittee, headed by nature or scope the planned
called on to go to the PrGsi- Helms, m e a n w h i 1 e,is : John L. McClellan, Democrat of interview and not t to reveal
for
dent. He didn't want they scheduled to testify at 10 Arkansas; and finally before the fact that H even worked for
CIA involved, a.m. today before the Senate Senate Armed Services Com- the White House.
When reminded that in at "He did assure me, however,,
least three confirmation ap- Armed Services Committee mittee, of which Stuart - the general said, "that he was
and sometime later before ton, Democrat of Missouri, , is
pearances before the Senate a federal grand jury here temporary chairman. working to be a good purpose
.Foreign Relations Commit- in the interests of the country."
and the Senate Select Sub- All three committees are in- About a month after tee last January and Febru- committee investigating the giving
quiring into the issue of Hunt a wig and other disguise
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WASHINGTON POST
12 May 1973
materials and various equip-
ment, and alias identification
papers, the general said, he
oundf that Hunt "was becoming
more and more unreasonable
and demanding" and going far
beyond what seemed necessary
for "a one-time interview."
At that point, the general
said, he stopped "all relation-
ships" with Hunt and so in-
formed Mr. Ehrlichman.
He said he also told Mr.
Ehrlichman "that in my opinion,
Mr. Hunt was of questionable
judgment" and with that left
Mr. Ehrlichman to do "as he
demmed proper."
WASHINGTON POST
15 Mz3y 1973
0
t soviets Sep,
Anli-Nixoii
.. Plot in U.S.
By Dan Morgan
Washington Post Foreign Service
BELGRADE, May 14 - So-
viet representatives in Eastern
Europe have told Westerners
T'h-at the Watergate scandal ap-
'SeArs to them to be a
,"conspiracy" by powerful
forces in the United States op-
posed to detente with Moscow.
"The' plot theory has been
floated by a number of Soviet
journalists and Communist
editors regularly based in Bel-
grade, Bucharest, Warsaw and
,Moscow. According to this the-
ory, reactionary American f~le-
ments, which have never ac-
cepted the rapproachement
with the Communists initiated
by Mr. Nixon, have organized
a~plot to discredit him.
The Watergate case seems
to have baffled and dismayed
Communist representatives.
Alr; Nixon is an admired ' fig-
uae' in- all official circles of
Eastern Europe. His name is
baked to pragmatic American
efforts to increase trade and
tone down the ideological de-
bate between East and West.
-Tangible proof of Soviet confi-
dence in Mr. Nixon's ability'to
survive the Watergate crisis
was given this weekend when
dates for Soviet party leader
Leonid I.' Brezhnev's visit to
tlle. United States next month
were announced.
The concern in Communist
circles over Mr. Nixon's posi-
tion was perhaps summed up
'best by a Polish editor who
was explaining the scant :ov-
erage of the Watergate affair
iri the Polish news media.
"From our standpoint, Rich-
ard Nixon is the best/possible
American president in' the cur-
rent circumstances,/ and we
don't want to see ,him em bar-
'80viets who accept the
spiracy theory are unim
pressed by evidence that the
earliest assailants- of the ads
ministration's handling of
Watergate were liberal news-
papers which supported East-
West bridge building even be=
fore Mr. Nixon did.
.For instance, one Soviet
journalist insisted that The
Washington Post must have.
. had; powerful forces support-
izig'it in order to have con-
ducted the kind of investiga-
tion it did.
'`l't couldn't have done It
-ori its?own," he asserted. The
same' journalist suggested that
". Rockefeller" could stop the
process .of detente - if he
wanted to. He did not specify
whether he was referring to
Gov. Nelson li.ockefeller or to
Chase . Manhattan's David
Rockefeller,'who is probably
better known in the Soviet
Upion as a symbol of Ameri-
can-capitalism.oviet representatives seem
genuinely confused by the
scandal itself and puzzled by
'the,, implications A hat Ameri-
cans draw from it.' One Soviet
journalist paled visibly when
told by an American here that
there might be a "10. per cent
chance, no more" ,,6f Mr.
Nixon's resigning.
-The conspiracy theory may
have been hastily drawn up by
Soviet representatives as a
piiusibie explanation for an
Implausible state of affairs In
Washington. The Soviet leader-
ship has only recently dealt
with its own reactionary ele-
ments by dumping several ap-
parent opponents of detente
fi grn high positions. Thus, It
rnay. be natural for Soviets to
assume. that such opposition
exists in the United States as
well.
,,On this point, Western ex
pdrts in Moscow say that the
extent of support for Mr. Nix-
on's foreign policy in, the
United States has been con-
sistently underestimated by
cast. Europeans and Russians
xai,sed in the atmosphere of
sustained cold war. So It is
natural for Russians to worry
pgw about "powerful forces"
upsetting. this process.
(,,There is nothing to indicate'
that Brezhnev accepts the
Watergate plot theory against
Mr. Nixon. Western diplomats
believe he receives excellent
information on the Washing-
ton scene from Ambassador
Anatoliy Dobrynin.
Therefore'the circulation of
the plot theory by Soviet rep-
'iesentatives raises the ques-
tion whether it may itself be
an attempt to warn liberals
and other supporters of the
East-West dialogue against
any' steps that could make
detente a' - casualty of, the
Watergate affair.
(charges Dismissed~
Ins `Papers Trial
By Sanford J. Ungar
Washington Post Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES, May 11-U.S. District Court Judge
W. Matt Byrne Jr:, citing governmental misconduct so
i severe as to "offend the sense of justice," ended the Pen-`
tagon Papers trial of Daniel Ellsberg and Anthony Russo'
Jr. today and dismissed all criminal charges against them.:
After two weeks of sensational disclosures, including\
news of a White House-directed burglary of Ellsberg's,
psychiatrist's office and of government wiretaps for which,'
all records have disappeared, Byrne said, "there remain,
more questions than answers" about how seriously the,
defendants' constitutional rights were violated.
The judge 'blamed various government agencies, in-;
eluding the Central Intelligence Agency, for taking "an,
:unprecedented series of actions" against Ellsberg after`
he 'was originally 'indicted almost two years ago 'for;
But Byrne said his ruling was, also based on the fact'
that government prosecutors had "time and again failed"ti
to comply with his court orders to produce materials'
(from government files that tended to exculpate, or estab-,'
lish the innocence of, Ellsberg and Russo.
He declared that they "should not have to run the'
risk of being tried again before another jury."
"No investigation," Byrne said, "is likely to provide
satisfactory answers where improper goverrlinent con-
iduct has been 'shielded so long from public view and
where the government advises the court that pertinent
files and records are missing or destroyed. My 'duties
-and obligations relate to this case and- what must be'
done to protect the right to a fair trial."
Byrne's ruling, which took 15 minutes for him to read',
from the bench this afternoon, brought pandemonium'in;
his courtroom.' As he strode back to his chambers, there
was applause and whoops 'of joy from Ellsberg's and;
,Russo's staff and supporters.
There was also discreet pleasure at the Justice Depar. t-;
ment in Washington, where high officials had come to,'
.be lieve that the Pentagon Papers trial, while important
-to President 'Nixon's effort to stem leaks of "national
,'security information" from. the federal bureaucracy, was,
Specifically, Byrne granted both a mistrial and a dis
,missal of the indictment which charged Ellsberg and,,
Russo with conspiracy, espionage and theft of govern-,
.:ment property. He said he had determined that to grant,
a mistrial alone, leaving open the possibility for a new;
The only way that the Justice Department could now,'
move to retry Ellsberg and Ru'sso on the charges here !
would be to appeal Byrne's decision on dismissal to the
Ninth U.S: Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco,'
which it is entitled to do.
But: legal observers pointed out that such an appeal is
unlikely to be taken-and that it would probably not-
-succeed-because Ellsberg and Russo 'had already been
'placed in "jeopardy" of conviction on the offenses:
charged.
The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution dictates that.'
no person "shall . . . be subject for the sane offense to
be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb.... "
Unlike an occasion last year when a mistrial was do-
clared in the, Pentagon Papers case, Ellsberg and Russo
did not seek a mistrial this time, nor did' they file a
"waiver" of their rights against. "double jeopardy."
Whatever the strict legal posture of the situation, Jus-
tice Department sources said :that as long as Richard G.
Kleindienst remains Attorney General-he has resigned
from the Cabinet because people close to him are under
.investigation in the Watergate affair-Byrne's decision .
certainly will not be appealed.
But the sources stressed that the final decision will
be up to Attorney General-designate Elliot L. Richardson,`.
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whose nomination is before the Senate, Judiciary Com-
mittee, on the basis of advice from Solicitor General
? Erwin N. Griswold.
It was uncertain, however,' whether the Justice De-'
partment would renew a separate grand jury'investigation
in Boston, suspended since last December,, which focused .
on Ellsberg's' distribution of "the Pentagon Papers to The
New York _ Times, The Washington Post and other
newspapers.
(The, charges here focused only on Ellsberg's 'and
Russo's actions in late 1969, when they photocopied the
top-secret Pentagon' study at a Hollywood advertising
agency, and their "conspiracy," ..which the government
said continued into late 1970.),'..,
-.
A jury of 10 women and two men had been hearing
the evidence against' Ellsberg and Russo and in their de-
fence, since mid-January.
The jurors were sent home, for. a week last Tuesday,
while Byrne weighed. the tangle of disclosures concerning
the government's investigations of, Ellsberg. This' after-
noon, they were notified by telephone. that they would
not have to bother returning to court next' week.
Attorneys on both sides of the case. had already ex-
pressed their misgivings that the jury, which was not'
sequestered, had been insulated from information about
? the recent sensational developments.
} The Ellsberg-Russo defense fought to the last moment
fora ruling from Byrne on its motion for a directed
verdict of acquittal, based on the assertion that the
government's evidence was insufficient to sustain' a
conviction. ? ,
Russo, for- his own part, repeatedly instructed his.
attorney Leonard I. Weinglass, that he wanted the case.
to go to the jury in order to vindicate his and Ellsberg's.
'conduct in releasing to the public the secret history of.
American involvement in Southeast Asia. `
Before Judge Byrne dismissed the case this afternoon,
he indicated that if he were to rule on the motion for a?
directed verdict of acquittal, he would acquit the defend-
.ants on some counts, but send other counts to the jury
for a verdict.
He gave the defendants time to consult with their
attorneys' on whether they wanted to have him follow
that course or'rule on the dismissal motion...
After a moment, chief defense counsel Leonard B.
Boudin said, "The defendants do press their motion,'based
on the totality of. government misconduct." It was then
-that Byrne delivered his ruling. __ 11
While scolding the prosecution generally, the judge':
seemed ' to indicate that he viewed most seriously the,
revelation on Thursday that Ellsberg had been overheard
in late 1969 and'early 1970 in a wiretap on the Bethesda,:
Mdi, residence of Morton H. Halperin, then a consultant
to the National Security Council and more recently "chief
.of staff" for the Ellsberg-Russo defense.
"Of greatest significance," Byrne said, was the dis
covery that the Justice Department and Federal Bureau.
.of Investigation had lost or destroyed records of the
wiretap on Halperin.
Byrne acknowledged during his ruling that t'he charges
.against Ellsberg and Russo "raise serious factual and
legal issues that I would certainly prefer to have litigated
to completion." Among those issues is. the 'question of.
whether the statutes against conspiracy . and theft of
government property can be used to punish leaks of
classified information.
But the judge said that, "The conduct of the government
,has placed the case in such a posture that it precludes
,the fair dispassionate resolution of these issues by a jury.
He suggested' that the disclosures may have provided
"only a glimpse" of the government's actions against
Ellsberg, but added that, what be had already learned
was "more than disquieting."
With a trace of regret and disappointment in his voice,.
Byrne said that his responsibilities `dealt "solely and,
only", with this case, and that he had no mandate or`
authority to launch 'a. broader' probe into the Watergate
affair.
Although pressed repeatedly by Byrne over the past
.two, days, chief presecutor David R. Nissen had been, *
unable to come up with more details on the wiretap or
the missing records. This afternoon, the judge said he.
was willing to waif no longer. ? .
At'other times during the past two weeks, it ,had beenf
disclosed that:.. .t
o A burglary, squad reporting directly' to the White,;
,Howe broke into the Beverly Hills office of Ellsberg's'
.psychiatrist, Dr. Lewis' Fielding, as part of a scheme to.
determine Ellsberg's "prosecutability." '
e The Central Intelligence Agency, in possible violation
'of its. legal authority, provided technical assistance to;
the burglars over a five-week period.
o The entire operation grew out of President Nixon's'
personal directive for an urgent ? investigation-=outside'
the normal channels of the FBI-to identify. the sources.
of leaks of, "national security information."
o Convicted Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt
Jr., a member of that operation', forged two official State
Department cables to implicate the late President Ken
'nedy in the 1963 assassination, of South Vietnam Presi=,
dent Ngo Dinh Diem.
o Byrne was. approached in the midst of the Pentagon
Papers trial by former chief White House domestic adviser'
John D. Ehrlichman about accepting the permanent dir-.
ectorship of the FBI.
During a court session this morning, defense. attorneys'
for Ellsberg and Russo made a concededly half-hearted
'argument for dismissal of the case.
Boudin and Weinglass asserted that. legal precedent
supports a dismissal 'when the government has failed to.
produce the logs and other records of a wiretap.
"The government has engaged in an act whose legality,
it cannot even seek to establish," Boudin told the judge."
"The government has destroyed. the records or made.
them disappear."
Referring -to allegations 'that records of "national' se-.'
curity" electronic surveillances were removed from the:
.FBI's files in 1971, Boudin-said, "It' makes no difference's
"whether it was the White House, the Justice Department
or the FBI" which conducted the wiretap that overheard:
Ellsberg-"although, apparently, one was subject to rob-.
bery by the other."
Weinglass contended that once any records of the wire
,tap were produced, the defense,. is legally entitled to-
,inspect them and help in the court's determination of'
,whether the surveillance was related to the case and had
"tainted" the prosecution evidence.
On the contrary, argued chief prosecutor Nissen, the',
government should have the opportunity to demonstrate
..that it had an "independent origin" for all of its evidence.
But the thrust of defense arguments today was an. ap. '
peal that Byrne not conclude the controversial case
.
'without first mounting a full investigation 'of the wiretap
,and other "governmental misconduct" and settling the
complex legal issues involved 'by acquitting Ellsberg
and Russo of all charges.
Weinglass suggested that acting FBI Director William
Ruckelshaus's last-minute discovery. Of, an FBI employee
who remeanbered that Ellsberg had been overheard in a
wiretap was "a White House attempt to divert the court"
from more embarrassing, disclosures.
"It is very possible," he argued, that "this (FBI) agent
is a person assisting the government to. get out from a..?
very uncomfortable situation."
Boudin said after the judge's ruling that there was
.great concern in advance that Byrne might restrict him-,
self to the wiretap issue in his dismissal, but lie conceded',
that the ultimate decision was "the very broadest opinion
we could have hoped for." -
His co-counsel, Harvard law school Professor Charles R.
Nesson, added that Byrne "really stuck it to them."
13
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0
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WASHINGTON POST
12:May 1973
By-John Hanrahan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Convicted Watergate con-
spirator James W. McCord,
Jr. has sworn that he consid-
ered the Watergate break-in
and bugging legal because
he had received assurance
that the operation had been
cleared, by then-Attorney
General John N. Mitchell
and then-presidential coun-
sel John W. Dean III.
Had he not been so as-
sured, , McCord said, "I
would not have partici-
pated." The assurances, he
said, came early in 1972
from G. Gordon Liddy, then
counsel to the Finance Com-
mittee to. Re-elect the Presi,
dent and later convicted
with McCord in the Water-
gate conspiracy trial.
McCord said he had deter-
mined that "had the opera-
tions been clearly illegal, he
(Mitchell) being the top gov-
ernment lawyer and Mr.
Dean being the top govern-
ment lawyer within the
White House ... would have
turned them (the plans)
down' at the first meeting,
which was not done accord-
ing to Mr. Liddy."
McCord's statements came
in a wide-ranging, 383-page
deposition given April 30
and May 1 in connection"
.with civil suits that grew
out of the Watergate break-
in last June. The deposition
was made public late Thurs-
day.
Much of the information
in the deposition had been
previously reported, but at-
tributed to so?urces who
knew of McCord's il testi-
mony. In the deposition, Mc-
Cord provides many' addi-
tional details and publicly
sheds light on what he de-
scribes as his own motives
in joining the Watergate
break-in gang and for finally
deciding to cooperate with
the government to implicate
former high' White House
and administration officials.
As previously reported,,
most of the information
linking Mitchell, Dean and
others to the Watergate bug-
ging came second-hand from
Liddy, McCord said.
.McCord also explained
further the points he. made
in a letter to Judge John J.
Sirica of the U.S. District
:Court in March when Mc-
Cord agreed to cooperate.
with the continuing Water-
gate investigation.
In his deposition, McCord
states, among other things,
that:
*Mitchell' provided the
impetus for the second
Watergate break-in at which
the arrests were made June
17. Mitchell, according to
Liddy, was impressed by the
photographed documents'
that resulted from the first,
Watergate break-in during
which the phone bugs were
planted on Memorial Day
weekend, and "desired a sec-
ond entry operation to do
more photographic work" in
Democratic National Com=
mittee headquarters.
*Mitchell, according to.
Liddy, also wanted informa-
tion of a "blackmail nature".
that supposedly was in the'
possession of Hank Green-
.spun, publisher of the Las
Vegas Sun, for use against'
presidential candidate Sen.
Edmund Muskie (D-Maine).
Plans were made, but never,
carried out, to break into
Greenspun's office and pho-
tograph the alleged, docu-
ments. (Greenspun could
not be reached for com-
ment).
?Jeb Stuart Magruder,
former deputy campaign di-
rector under Mitchell at the
Committee for the Re-elec-,
tion of the President, lied in
his testimony at the Water-,
gate trial in January when.
he said he had no advance
knowledge of the Watergate
bugging. McCord told the
grand jury last month that,
Liddy, told him Mitchell,
Dean and Magruder all had
advance knowledge.
In earlier testimony be-
fore the grand jury; McCord
had said that unnamed offi-
cials at the Committee for
1,116 ite-clccl.ion of the 'I'resI.
dent had tried to pressure
fellow Watergate conspira-
tor E. Howard Hunt to say
that the break-in and bug-
ging had been a CIA opera-
tion. McCord, in his ? depo-'
sition, reiterated his earlier.
,denial that the CIA was in-
volved.
In a more recent private
memorandum to the Senate
select committee that is in-
vestigating the Watergate
affair and related political
espionage, McCord said his
own attorney, Gerald Alch,.
had tired to pressure him to
say the bugging was a CIA
operation. No mention , of
this is made in the depo-
sition. .
Alch yesterday said he
was withdrawing as Mc-?
Cord's attorney. He denied
putting any pressure on Mc-
Cord., and said he had'
merely asked 'McCord.
whether there was any CIA
involvement.
Alch said McCord did not
at first deny CIA involve-
ment in the Watergate bugr
ging, so he asked McCord
about it again a few days
later in late December. At
.that second meeting, he
said, McCord vigorously de-
nied CIA involvement. .
14
r
CZ1 1/1 e,d~ If/l~
In his deposition, McCord
explained why he had spe-
cifically said in his letter to
Judge Sirica that the Water-
gate break-in and bugging
was not a CIA operation.
He, said he specifically
mentioned this because of
initial pressures on Hunt
to use as a defense that
the bugging was done for
the CIA. Also, he said, he
wanted to correct certain
newspaper stories that had
indicated it might have been
a CIA operation because of
the anti-Castro background
of some participants.
In his memo to the select
committee, McCord said
that to describe the Water-
gate operation as a CIA proj-
ect "would have had the
effect of clearing the Com-
mittee for the Re-election
of the President and the
White House of responsibil-
ity for the operation."
He said that some of the
Cuban defendants, particu-
larly Bernard L. Barker, had
heard that Cuban money
possibly was coming into
the Democratic National.
Committee "and therefore
he inferred some national
interest in the operation"
But, McCord said, he never
heard any of the defendants'
say they thought they were
working for the CIA.
Inntcnd, he maid, the other
defendants referred to it as
a "Mitchell operation."
McCord said his refer-
ences. to perjury in his let-
ter to Sirica referred only to
Magruder. McCord said he
and Liddy sat next to each
other at the defense table
at the trial and that both
said to, each other, "that
man (Magruder) is perjur-
ing himself."
, Magruder's testimony was
especially significant, Mc-
Cord said, because it indi-
cated "that Mr. Liddy was
the beginning and the end
of the case itself, that he fi-
nanced it, that he was the
director, that no one higher,
up than Mr. Liddy was in-
volved in the case itself,
that he ran it and that in ef-
fect he was the total pack-
age."
Magruder said this, Mc-
Cord said, even though he
-personally had advance
knowledge of the bugging
and "had knowledge ... of
the superiors in the case be-
yond Mr. Liddy."
Asked in the deposition'
why he had decided to tell
all he knew about the
Watergate operation after
the trial, McCord said the
,decision "involved a large
number of elements that I
wouldn't be able to enumer-
ate at this point...."
But, he said, some of the
factors had to do with "my,
conclusion as to what was
best for me personally and
best for my family, and .. .
best for the country at this
point in time in terms of
stating what the truth of the'
entire matter was as op-
posed to what appeared to
be the truth that had ap-
peared up to that point in
time."
Asked about the portion
of his letter to Judge Sirica'
in which McCord expressed
concern over possible retali-
ation "against me, my fam-
ily and my friends" for de-
ciding A o tell all he knew,
about Watergate; McCord
said:
"I worked in law enforce- ,
ment for a large number of
years and I know what can
happen in terms of retalia-
tion, whether we are speak-'
ing of physical retribution
or whether we are talking
about retribution in a wide
variety of forms which the
government or others can
,bring upon an individual,
his friends, or his family,
which can wreck careers,,
family fortunes and friend-
ships and the reputations of
Innocent people who are not
involved oilier thou to be
my friends or family."
Also, he said, he was con-
cerned he might be "stabbed
or killed" in prison.
McCord, former. security
coordinator for the re-elec-
tion committee, said Liddy
recruited him for the Water-
gate break-in and bugging
team in early 1972.
' He said Liddy had a
budget approved by Mitc-
hell, of more than $225,000
for the job and that Mit-
chell, according to Liddy'
had urged in mid-April that
the operation get under way
within 30 days.
McCord said he and Hunt
paid several visits to the
Watergate before the Memo-
rial Day weekend break-in.
The decision to - go back a
second time was made after'
Mitchell said he wanted
more photographed docu-
ments.
Also, McCord said, one of
the, bugs placed on the tele-
phone of Democratic Na-
tional Chairman Lawrence
O'Brien was not properly
transmitting and Liddy
wanted to correct that.
McCord said he thought
that the hugging operation
was legal because Liddy
told him Mitchell, as attor-
ney general had authority'
on his own signature to au-
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 Approved For Release 2001/08/07 : CIA-RDP77-00432R000100160001-9
thorize wiretapping either
for domestic security or na-
tional security purposes.
(The Supreme Court last
year ;ruled domestic wire-
taps illegal without prior
court approval.)
. Mitchell, according to
Liddy, \later received writ-
ten reports on conversations
monitored at Democratic
headquarters, McCord said.
McCord said' Liddy's secre-
tary, Sally Jackson Har-
mony, also knew about the
WASHINGTON POST
12 May 1973
plans. In an earlier depos-
ition, Mrs. Harmony said
she had typed up the logs
from the bugged conversa.
tions, but didn't realize what
they were until after the
Watergate arrests.
McCord recounted previ-
ously reported testimony
that Hunt and his late wife,
Dorothy Hunt, had tried to
persuade him to plead
guilty, keep quiet and get
presidential clemency
.within a year or so, plus
payments for his family
while he was in prison.
In all, McCord said, he re
ceived $46,000 for legal fees
and continuation of salary
by the re-election committee
from Mrs. Hunt, who served
as an intermediary. Also, he
said, he used for legal fees
$18,000. left over from the
$76,000 Liddy had given him
to purchase equipment for
the Watergate operation.
In.addition to the Green-'
ANixon
By Laurence Stern
Washington Post Staff Writer
Gen. Robert H. Cushman
Jr. said . yesterday he as.'
,sumed it was on President
Nixon's behalf that former
White House aide John D.
Ehrlichman asked ;aim to
give Central Int lligence
Agency undercover assist-
ance to Watergate conspira-
tor E. Howard Hunt.
The CIA paraphernalia-
cameras, hidden tape re-
corders and wigs-was later
.used by Hunt in the. bur-
glary of Pentagon Papers =
defendant Daniel Ellsberg's
psychiatrist, Dr. Lewis
Fielding of. Beverly Hills,
in September, 1971.
Cushman, who was the
CIA's deputy director'at the'
-time, said, that when Ehrl-
ichman called him and, re-
quested the aid for Hunt, "I
knew that he ... spoke with
the authority of the Presi-
dent's name."
"I had known Mr. Ehrlich-
man for a good 10 to 12.
years and respected him%
highly as a man of complete
honesty and devotion to"
duty," the four-star Marine
,general said of the former,
Presidential aide.
Cushman, who now serves;
as Marine Corps comman-
' dant, interrupted a Euro-'
pean tour to present his tes
timony to a Senate Appro.
priations Subcommittee on
intelligence.
'Afterward, subcommittee
.chairman John L. McClellan,
,(D-Ark.) commented to
.newsmen: "I don't think he
.,(Cushman) would do it
,'again."
Cushman gave this expla-
station of how. a White
House call in July, 1971,
'triggered immediate and ex-.
Araordinary ' cooperation
' from the CIA.
"Ehrlichman had been
named within the White
'House. as the man in charge
of stopping security leaks
'and over-hauling the secu-
rity regulations. The . Cen-
tral Intelligence Agency is .
charged, with safeguarding '
intelligence sources and me-?'
thods.
"From these facts, I then,
drew the conclusion which I
believe any reasonable man
would have reached, namely
that Howard Hunt had been'
hired by the White House to.
act in 'the security field and
that the Central Intelligence
Agency was being ordered'
to assist him," Cushman as-
serted.
Outgoing CIA director-
James R. Schelesinger has
condemed the assistance to.
Hunt, provided before he as-
sumed control of the agency
.from Richard M. Helms, as
"ill-advised."
Immediate senatorial re-'
'action was that although-the'
CIA assistance to Hunt'was
improper, the fault lay with
Ehrlichman, -who resigned
'under fire two weeks ago
from his job as President ?
,Nixon's domestic counselor.
"When a man is in the
position of Ehrlichman, the
first deputy to the com-
mander-in-chief," said Sen.
Stuart Symington (D-Mo.),
actinb Armed Services Com-
,mittee chairman, "there are
not many military officers
who would not jump."
Under the CIA's charter,
the National Security Act of
1947, the CIA is proscribed
from dealing with any inter-
nal security matters: That is
the province of the FBI.
Cushman said that when
Hunt called upon him on
July 22, 1974, he "stat.ed that
he had a very sensitive one-
time interview that the
White House wanted him to
hold with a person whose ide-
ology he -vas not sure of and
that he dare not reveal his,
Hun't's, true identity."
He noted that "it must be
recalled that Mr. Howard
Hunt was a highly respected
and honorably retired CIA
employee of 20 years', serv-
ice."
Nonetheless, said Cusman,
White House wanted him to
"I was not able to elicit any-
details of the interview
which he stated that he had
to conduct and he said that
on White House orders he
was not to reveal the nature
and scope of this. interview
nor the fact that he worked
for the White House.
"He did assure me, how
.ever, that he was working to
,a good purpose in the inter.
ests of the country."
After the spy gear was is-
pued to Hunt by the CIA's.
Technical Services Division,'
Cushman reported the mat-
ter ter to then-director Helms,
according to his affidavit.
' The decision to cut off the
aid came, he said, because.
"Mr. Hunt was becoming
more and more unreasona-
ble and demanding and was
.attempting to go far beyond
WASHINGTON POST
11 May 1973
spun plan that was never
carried through, McCord
said two attempts to get in-
side the headquarters, of
presidential candidate Sen.
George McGovern (D-S.D.)
failed.
At one point, McCord
.said, he also rented an of-
fice next to the D.C. head-'
quarters of presidential can-i
didate Muskie for possible
use in some activity against.
Muskie, but nothing came of
it.
the scope of the original in-'
structions which I had given
and which related to his
statement that he had a one-
time interview? operation to,
.conduct."
He 'ordered all relation-
ships with Hunt discontin-'
ued, Cushman related, and:
informed Ehrlichman on Au-i
gust 27, 1971, that the assist-li
ante could be construed-as
improper for the CIA.
"I also advised him
(Ehrlichman) that in' my
-opinion Mr. Hunt ? was. of.
' questionable judgment. He
should know better than to
ask for such support,"- Cush--
man asserted. "Therefore, I
made this recommendation
to Mr. Ehrlichman for him
to do' with as he deemed'
proper."
011][Jor to- 4S oug
. ...Aot Hun 6=
papers, ]Pentagon S
.
Associated Press
A Pentagon spokesman re- ' President John F. Kennedy
versed himself yesterday-and was linked to the .assassins-,
substituted " one ' former tion of South -Vietnamese -
President Ngo Dinh Diem
White House aide for an- ? in 1963.
other as the man who unsuc- Friedheim said another
cessfully sought 'access at Watergate conspirator, G.
the Defense Department to Gordon 'Liddy, also made a
:? the fall of 1971.
It was David Young; a re-
sLgned member of the Na-
tional Security Council staff
at the White House, and not
convicted Watergate conspir-
ator E. Howard I'Itlnt, who
personally wanted a look at
the documents, spokesman
Jerry W. Friedheim said.
While Young was turned
down at the Pentagon, he ai'-
rnnut'd for aunt to romb,
tht?nnill rnhit's at. Clio State
Di'pnrtment. 11unt lens said..
i that th'1971 he prepared two ? from the
phohy eblen Indicating Mont;' ?;i?; !'. JiA stlca ' ES DepAritlo
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personal visit to Pentagon
counsel J, Fred Buzhnrdt,
and was also turned down in
his request for a peek at se,
cret Vietnam-to-Washington.,
communications.
Blaming the error on In
complete memories of Pen-
tagon officials, . Friedheim
said, "We are not perfect:"
Friedheim said the White
House aides were turned
down brrnuse of a standing
I)efnnHO Deltnrttnnni. pulley
requiring that any request.
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WASHINGTON POST
12 May 1973
r s ay/, Te .1s Probers
e Alerted Nixon '
About Ai.ds in '72
By Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward-
Washingtc n Post Staff Writers
Former acting FBI director L. Patrick Gray III has
told Senate investigators that, in July, 1972, he in-
formed President Nixo.a that he was "confused" by
the role of White House aides in the Watergate in-
vestigation and that their actions could lead to trouble
for iblr. Nixon.
The President, according
to Gray, replied only that
Gray should continue to
"go ahead and do your job."
Gray also said that Mr. Nix-
on did not seek to learn
more from Gray about the
misgivings of the then-
acting FBI director.
On Thursday, Gray met
,.with Senate investigators
.and provided them with his
account of a telephone con-
versation on July 6, 1972;
with the President. Five dif-
ferent Senate sources pro-
vided almost identical ac-
counts of Gray's statements
about aspects of the Water-
gate investigation, includ-
ing the conversation with,
Mr. Nixon.
According to the sourc~?s;
Gray said that he began g-,t-
ting "confused" about the.
Watergate investigation' an
June 28, 11 days after the
bugging of Democratic head-
quarters was discovered.
Gray, the sources sa:d,
had scheduled a meeting,
between CIA and FBI otfi-
?cials for that date because
FBI agents were suspicious
'of CIA involvement in the
bugging.
however, presidential as-
sistant John D. Ehrlichman
told Gray that morning that
Gray could not hold the
meeting and ordered him to
cancel it, Senate sources
said Gray told them.
The conversation with
Ehrlichman, the sources
said, occurred on the same
day that Ehrlichman and
presidential counsel John W.
Dean reportedly handed the
acting FBI director two file
folder=s belonging to one of
the Watergate conspirat)r?s
and told Gray: "These should
never see the light of day."
Gray told the Senate in-
vestigators that on July 5-
he telephoned Clark Mac-
Gregor, then President Nix-
on's campaign manager, and
urged Macgregor to tell
Mr. Nixon of the unus cal
behavior of Ehrlichman nd
other presidential aides.
Gray, the sources said, de-
cided to call MacGregor af-
?y6
ter discussing Ehrlichman's
action with a high CIA offi-
cial. Gray and the CIA offi-
cial "both d e c i d e cl they
should try to tell some high-
er authority that the FBI
and CIA were being dam-
aged in their respective mis-
sions because of this White
House interference by Ehr-
lichman," one of the sources,
said. "They were concerned
because somebody outside
their organizations was call-
ing the shots.''
Within 30 minutes after
talking to MacGregor, Gray,
told the investigators, he re-
ceived a telephone call from
Mr. Nixon, who opened the
conversation by congratulat
ing Gray on his handling of
an airplane hijacking..
Then,. Gray reportedly
,said; he told 'Mr. Nixon that.
he was "confused" by what'
appeared to be CIA involve-
ment in the bugging and by
certain actions he had been
asked to take by presiden-
tial aides.
According to the sources,,
Gray told investigators he,
(lid not mention any specif-'
is names or instances to the
President, and told him only
that he could not under
stand some of the things he'
(Gray) was being asked to
do.
One of the sources said
Gray told the President that'
he w a s particularly con-'
cerned with "White House.
involvement" in making in
vestigative decisions nor-`
mally reserved for the FBI
and quoted Gray as telling
Mr. Nixon: "It could wound
you."
Gray, t h e same source
said, quoted the President
as replying:."Keep tip with
your vigorous investigation,"
at which point the conversa-
tion ended.
Another source who has
talked with Gray about the
Watergate said that Gray's
testimony to the Senate in-
vestigators 'shows "more and
more incidents" that indi-
cated that the orders from
the White House "were to
conceal and not get to the fi-
nal bottom."
The sources agreed that
Gray said he has 'no evi-
dence that the President had.
knowledge of a White House
cover-up of the Watergate
investigation.
Some news accounts last,
night reported that Gray,.
had in his appearance be-
fore Senate investigators,
said that he had explicitly
told President Nixon t h a t
White House aides were
trying to "impede" the in-
vestigation and warned of a
"cover-up" by the White
House.
1I o w e v e r, The 'c'ost's
sources said that Gray did
not point to any cover-up.
In a statement issued Mon-
day and personally approved'
.by the President, the White
House denied specifically that
Mr. Nixon had participated in
any activities to cover up the
Watergate bugging case.
Deputy press secretary Ger-
ald L. Warren said in Key
Biscayne, Fla., that "any sug-
gestion that the President par-
ticipated in any cover-up ac-
tivity or activities is untrue."
On Tuesday, .press secretary
Ronald J- Ziegler was told
that the Warren statement
did not deny "awareness" by'
Mr. Nixon of a cover-up.
Ziegler replied that the'
original statement .was not
drawn to make a distinction
between participation and
awareness."
On Monday Warren had
been asked whether his
statement was subject to
being declared" "inopera-
tive," as Ziegler had de-
scribed earlier White House
statements about the Water-
gate case.
Warren replied: "That was
different ... this came from
the President.
In his April 30 speech, Mr.
Nixon said that die had re-
mained . convinced until
March of this year that the
charges of involvement by
members ? of the White
iHousc staff were false, and
the denials true.
After setting in motion an
investigation ? immediately
after the break-in, Mr. Nixon
said, he "repeatedly asked
those, who conducted the in-
vestigation whether there
was any reason , to believe
that members of my ad-
ministration were in any
way involved.
"I received repeated assur-
ances there were not," he.'
said.
Mr. Nixon said that he dis-'
counted press reports that
appeared to implicate offi-
cials of the administration
'or of his re-election commit-
tee because of the reassur-
ances he received, because
he believed the reports he
was getting and because he
had faith in those who gave
them. .
it was not until March, he
said, that "new information"
persuaded him of a real
possibility that some of the
charges were true, and that
"there had been an 'effort to'
conceal the facts, both from'
the public ... and from me.".
As a result, he said, he:
took r e s p o n s Ibility . on-
March 21, for "'coordinating
intensive new inquiries into'
the matter."
In a telephone interview
last night, MacGregor, the
former Nixon campaign'
,manager, said that on July
?5 lie received a late-flight'
.call from Gray who warned
him that there is "more to
the Watergate than yoti-
,know."
MacGregor quoted Gray:
,as saying, "I wonder if youi
.realize how serious Water-;
gate is!' MacGregor added:'
"He '(Gray) was obviously
very agitated about some
'thing and said the Water-,
gate was terribly serious and.
at times was somewhat jr-'
rational . ... he wanted to.
know when I would be back
?from Los Angeles."
MacGregor said that ' the:
conversation lasted ' from
five to eight minutes and
'Gray. repeated himself sev-'
eral times. After returning,
to Washington, MacGregor,
said that Gray never called
him again to discuss the sub-,
ject.
"I figured if the acting di
:rector cf'the FBI had some-;
thing to say 'he 'would, have
called me, so I never called,
him," MacGregor said,
Gray was named acting`
FBI director on May 3,
1972, following the death of
J.' Edger Hoover, but Presi-,
dent Nixon did not formally
nominate him for permanent
director until Feb. 17, al-'
most three weeks after the.
completion of the trial of
the seven original Water-.
gate defendants.
Gray's confirmation hear-
ings before the Senate Ju-
diciary Committee in March
became questionand-answer
sessions on the Watergate,
probe and on April 5, Gray
asked President Nixon to
withdraw his nomination'be-
cause it was clear that he.
would not be confirmed.
The President' withdrew;
the nomination and named'
former Environmental Pro
tection Agency chief Wil-
liam Ruckclshaus as tempo-
rary FBI director.
Ruckelshaus was, appoint-
'ed at 5 p.m. on April 27.
Gray, who had been ataying~
on long .enough to. permit,
nomination and confirnma-
tion of a new director, had
resigned suddenly at 2:30
p.m. that day.
The resignation came
amid reports that Gray de-.
stroyed the file folders
Ehrlichman and Dean were
said .to have given him with;
the comment that they.
should never see the light'
:of day.
It was.reported on April
' 27 that the documents in-
cluded phony State Depart.
ment cables fabricated by
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Watergate conspirator E.
Howard Hunt Jr. to impli-
cate the late President John
e steno
F. Kennedy in the 1963 poli-
tical assassination of South How much of the truth has Mr Nixon told ?
Vietnamese President Ngo Mhat is now the central question of the whole
Dinh Diem.
Gray was also said by Watergate scandal-in justice, in'politics, in the
sources to have destroyed credibility of American institutions, and in the
a . dossier ? that Hunt had ,effectiveness of United States diplomacy., There
gathered on Sen. Edward
M. Kennedy (D?Mass.) and can be no certain answer yet. There can even be
his auto accident at Chap- no certainty yet that a thorough, impartial, and
paquiddick in 1969. fearless investigation is to take place.. The
The documents were said President has compounded earlier errors of
to have been taken from judgment by delegating investigation of the affair
'Hunt's executive office to. his new Attorney-General, Mr Elliot Richard-
'building safe -before being son, The reasons which Impelled Mr Kleindienst
given to Gray. to resign as 'Attorney-that he was "a close
Sources said at first that
Gray kept them in his apart- personal' and professional associate " of others
meat closet for nearly a involved in Watergate-apply equally to 'the
week, then destroyed them President. Did \ not Mr Nixon, as recently as
by tearing them up. 'and. Easter weekend, telephone Mr John. Dean to
throwing them in a "burn assure him that "you are still 'counsel to the
bag" in his office. Such bags President " ? Mr Dean has now been thrown to
are routinely destroyed at the wolves. Yet did he not rank' as a close
the FBI by security per- associate ?
sonnet.
Gray told the Ervin con- Mr Nixon has also felt it necessary to MOW
mittee that he did not destroy two, of. his closest aides, Mr Haldeman and Mr
the documents until the Ehrlichman, to resign-though in their cases
Christmas period, sources said without implication of guilt. He ought,to 'have
last night. acknowledged that this disqualified him, as their
Meanwhile, Gray's lawyer, .chief, from taking any further part in the inves-
Stephen H. Sachs, said last tigation of Watergate. The personal integrity of
night that. Gray met with Mr Richardson is not questioned. But if the,
,prosecutors yesterday, and President wishes to let justice be seen to be
with personnel from the se- done, a member of his own Administration is
lect committee on Thursday not .the' right man to choose, and even the
night. appointment by Mr Richardson of a "special
Sachs said Gray is. testify- ,supervising prosecutor" is not enough. It is now
ing "fully and truthfully and -the White House, ' the Administration, and the
"has not sought, nor been
'granted, immunity." President himself who are under suspicion, and
Sachs would not discuss any. if 'he hopes for that suspicion finally to be dis,
of Gray's testimony. He said persed, Mr Nixon should appoint an independent
he expected that Gray would investigator or prosecutor, wholly outside govern-
testify before the grand jury, merit or polities. Better still, he should get the
but that no date has been set. Chief Justice to find such a man.
In a nrwrs vonfi'i''iu in If this appcard to ask too moth of the Presi'
San Francisco yrstc,?diay, dent, one must point to the effect this tragic,,
Rep. Paul McCloskey (` long drawn-out scandal has had even among
Calif.) said that Congress nominal Nixon supporters. Senator Charles Percy,
must question the'President the Illinois Republican, declares that " the whole
personally about the Water. story is not out, and it will get worse, not better."
gate -affair ofils the to do so. Justice De-
partment fa That, quite brutally, is what friends of America
"The President has said he 'fear and its enemies hope. At best, Mr Nixon
has nothing to hide." Mc- has already been shown to be a bad picker of
Clo'skey told a news confer-, men, credulous about what they tell him, stubborn
ence in San Francisco, ac- . about what his critics say, and-in his broadcast-
cording to the Associated still too much of a political cheapjack in trying
Press. McCloskey noted that to disperse the stench of corruption by the sweet
the House is "constitution- ' smell of international diplomatic success. At
ally the only body that can 'Worst, he will be shown to be a liar ; and if that
impeach a President. happens both 'the Presidency and the profession
McCloskey is a maverick of politics-will bear another grievous scar.
Republican who challenged
Air. Nixon for the 'G 1 0 1 1- In urging that the Watergate inquiry must
-nomination last year. be pursued as rigorously as that, Mr Nixon's
critics must avoid the alternative sins-of witch-
hunting, of McCarthyism, of tainting the innocent
with a political prejudice that is blind to justice.
' Let it be admitted : to people in Britain, the
murkier aspects of United States politics and
?electioneering are in a world apart. Without
sounding holier-than-thou, can anyone conceive
the fund-raising methods that are tolerated i
America being acceptable there ? Can anyone
conceive that the conjunction of patronage and
the legal system would be tolerated ? Those of
us who belabour the Nixon Administration now
would do well to remember that he, and not
John Kennedy, might have become President in
1960 ' had it' not been that the odd electoral
!methods of Cook County took Illinois' into the
Democrat column and Kennedy into the White
House. Mr Nixon is ? not the man to say. it,
and this is not the time for him to say it, but
the methods of American electioneering do need
a thorough springcleaning. As for the. law, one'
of the minor sidelights of Watergate which'
emerged yesterday was the admission by the
judge in the Pentagon Papers trial that he met
Mr Ehriichman on March 31 and April 2 to dis-
cuss taking another post, reported to be that of.
head of the FBI. Mr Ehrliehman deserved to
be sacked for that indiscretion alone.
Why has the President been so insepsitiv"e ?
The simple answer is to regard him as a wicked
or stupid man. That seems too simple. Mr Nixon
is the' product of a remarkable political career,.
the turning points of Which were his defeats in:
1,960 and for the Governorship of California two
years later., From those he emerged as a political
lone,wolf, with a deep paranoia about the. media,
and a near4imitiess loyalty to. the few political
friends-his enemies would say cronies---,wwho
stood by him. The limits of that loyalty have, now'.
been reached, and the 'most important political'
question is in which, direction Mr Nixon turns
now, assuming that further scandal does not ruin
For Watergate has illuminated a fatal flaw
in his method of operating. An arrogant White
House and a distant Congress may just work
while all goes well, (though even then the dangers
of a foreign policy conceived by two men alone
are somewhat frightening). When things go wrong,
the President has no prateotion from the faults
of his advisers, the hostility of the Congress --?
and even of his own party within that Congress'
- and the hatred of the press. For if an
unsympathetic and sometimes cruel press in the
past has made a bitter President, the reverse is
also true. Even if no more mud sticks to him,
Mr Nixon will have to let bygones be bygones
and practise politics in ' a way that shows more
respect for the Legislature and for the media's
right to examine his policies.
And what of the world ? Mr Nixon's
effectiveness in foreign policy, will certainly be
impaired, pt least for a time. The Soviet Union
and China need scarcely sniff, for no one even
knows what lay behind the recent restructuring
in the Kremlin or the disappearance of Chairman
Mao's, "closest comrade-in-arms," Lin Piao. But
it is not the most auspicious time to pursue Dr
Kissinger's fruitful suggestion for a new Atlantic
Charter. Mr Nixon would be wise to let the dust
settle a bit-assuming that he believes it will
eventually' settle. This is a sad consequence of
Watergate. Mr Nixon's foreign policies have had
much success, notably with China and Russia,
but a pause is now inevitable..
17
Approved For Release 2001/08/07 : CIA-RDP77-00432R000100160001-9
THE GUARDIAN MANCHESTER
2 May 1973
ater9ate.
 Approved For Release 2001/08/07 : CIA-RDP77-00432R000100160001-9
WASHINGTON STAR
12 May 1973
BY JEREMIAH O'LEARY
Star?Ncws staff Writer
Former Presidential
aide John D. Ehrlichman-
has been accused by two
Democratic senators of
committing "illegal and
unethical" acts in request-
ing Gen. Robert E. Cush-,
man Jr. to provide CIA
technical assistance for E.
Howard Hunt Jr. for a
domestic security opera-
tion.
The charges were lev-
eled at Ehrlichman yester.
day by Sens. Stuart Sy-
mington of Missouri and
Henry Jackson of Wash-
ington after Cushman tes-
tified on his connection
with Hunt before a closed
session of a Senate Armed
Services subcommittee.
Cushman appeared be-
fore three separate sub-
committees' of Congress
yesterday and is sched-
uled for additional appear-
ances today and Monday.
Cushman, now the com-
mandant of the Marine:
Corps, presented a sworn
affidavit to all three sub-
committees dealing with
the circumstances under
which he approved CIA
technical assistance for
Hunt in 1971 to do an un-
specified "interview"
connected with national
security.
After Cushman's affida.
vit and intensive question,
ing of him by the Senate
Armed Services subcom-
mittee late yesterday,
there were indications that
the legislators were hold-
ing Cushman blameless
for complying with what
he regarded as White'
House orders to help Hunt.
SYMINGTON told re-
porters the subcommittee
would question Cushman
again at 10 a.m. Monday
but declared on the basis
of what the commandant
had already revealed "I
could not criticize Gen.
Cushman for the actions
he took in the beginning
and what he did later."
Cushman's sworn affida-
vit said that Ehrlichman
called him at the CIA on
July 7, 1971, and told him
.Hunt was a White House
"bona fide" employe as-
-signed to security matters.
Hunt, according to the
Ehrlichman phone call,
would come to Cushman
and "request assistance
which Mr. Ehrlichman
requested that I give."
Cushman said he, knew
Ehrlichman was one of
President Nixon's three
chiefs of staff and "that he,
spoke with the authority of
the President's name."
Cushman said he drew the
conclusion that Hunt had
been hired by the White
House to act in the securi-
ty?field and that CIA was
being ordered to assist
him.
Hunt came to see Cush-
man on July 22, 1971, and
said he had'a "very sensi-
tive one-time interview
that 'the White House'
wanted him to hold with a
person whose ideology he
was not sure of and that he
dare not reveal his,
Hunt's, true identity."
When Hunt asked for false
papers and disguises for
his mission, Cushman said
he ordered CIA's Techni-
cal Services Division to
provide them.
"I WAS NOT able to
elicit any details of the
interview which he stated
he had to conduct and he
said that on White House
orders he was not to re-
veal the nature and scope
of this interview," Cush-
man said.
Congressman told re-
porters that Cushman tes-
tified he did not learn the '
nature, of Hunt's mission
or the fact that it involved
an American within the'
United States until he read
of the robbery of
Ellsberg's psychiatrist in
recent weeks.
Sen. Jackson said Cush-
man violated no law be-
cause he did not know the
purpose for which Hunt
wanted the espionage
equipment from the CIA.,
But Ehrlichman violated i
the 1947 Security Act by'
requesting Cushman's
help for Hunt, Jackson
said. That law, he added,
bars the CIA from under-
taking any activity within
the U.S.
CUSHMAN SAID it was
in late August 1971 that he
was advised by CIA mem-
bers that Hunt was becom-
ing unreasonable and
demanding, far beyond the
scope of the original in-'
structions. He 'said he
immediately stopped all'
relationships with Hunt
and called Ehrlichman on'
Aug. 27, 1971, to tell him he
could no longer help Hunt
or have anything further.'
to do with him.
Cushman acknowledged
that he did not use normal
caution in dealing with
Hunt because of the Ehr
lichman endorsement of
the ex-CIA agent. And he'
told a Senate Appropria-
tions subcommittee he
would not be likely to go
along with a similar case
another time. Cushman
told members of the House
Armed Services subcom-
mittee the Ehrlichman
request was not routine
but rather was the only
.such case he had ever
encountered while at CIA.
M Wr"'i. 5llahngt an eIl?Il gra ?? ol?uli d THE" WASHINGTON POST Saturday, May 5,1973
F7(2
19SM "ry r Elf ?,0'
By Jack Anderson
The White House staff is in
a state of shellshock. But. no
one Is more distressed over
the Watergate scandal than is
Henry Kissinger. He's afraid it
will weaken President Nixon
at the same time that Clair-,
man.Leonid Brezhnev is gain-
ing strength inside the Krem-
lin.
World leaders have a keen'
sense of power. The President
came out of the 1972 elec.ion
with a landslide victory. This
not only meant he would be
President for four more years
but would be in a'strong posi-'
tion to. choose his successor.
He had reached a pinnacle of
power that made him n ore
formidable in foreign affairs.
But now his power has been
eroded by the Watergate s=an-
dal. World leaders have beer}
quick to sense that the Presi-
dent is slipping, that he is los-j
ing his authority to commit)
the United States.
This coincides with a shake-I
up inside the Kremlin, which
strengthens Brezhnev. He sud-
denly is stronger and the Pres-
ident weaker for their next
face-to-face confrontation in i
Washington.
The last time they met in
Moscow, most of the weight
was on Nixon's side of the bar-
gaining table. Those who have
had access to the secret ac-
counts of the summit meeting
say the President profoundly
Impressed his hosts. Intourist
guides still point out to visi-
tors the building where Presi-
dent Nixon stayed.
He also made a triumphant'
'
stop in Warsaw on his way',
home. The Poles have roped
off the room where he signed
a ' Polish-American pact as a
museum' and have bolted
down the chair in which he
sat. From Moscow to Peking
and Warsaw to Budapest, the'
Communist leaders talk only
of cooperation with Richard
Nixon.
They still tend to' dismiss
the Watergate scandal as an
internal matter. But insofar as
It weakens the President's au-
thority, Watergate will, ham-
per his conduct of foreign af-
fairs. At the next summit
meeting, the weight may be on
Brezhnev's side of the table.
-Approved-For Releaser 2001-/08/07: CIA-RDP77=00432R000100160001-9
 Approved For Release 2001/08/07 : CIA-RDP77-00432R000100160001-9
~MW YORK INe5
10 Ma IIA E D ADMITS'
'ILL-ADVISED ACTT
By MARJORIE HUNTER
Special to The Rew York Times
WASHINGTON, May 9-The
head of the Central Intelligence
Agency said today that the
agency had been "insufficiently
cautious" in providing materials
to a White House aide involved
in the burglary of the office of
Dr. Daniel Ellsberg's former
psychiatrist.
"It was an ill-advised act,"
said James R. Schlesinger, who
was named Director of Central
Intelligence earlier this year.
Mr. Schlesinger's comments
came as he emerged from a
closed hearing being conductedi
by a Senate Appropriations sub-
committee inquiring into the
agency's involvement in the
,Pentagon papers case.
In his testimony, made avail-
able later by the subcommittee4
Mr. Schlesinger confirmed earli-:
er reports that the request for.
agency assistance was made in
the summer of 1971 by John D.
Ehrlichman, a key Presidential
adviser who resigned just last
'week.
Mr. Schlesinger testified that
It was Mr. Ehrlichman ' whol
had telephoned Gen. Robert
E. Cushman Jr., at that time
deputy director of the C.I.A.
and now commandant of
the Marine Corps, requesting
agency assistance for E. How-
ard Hunt Jr., a White House
aide who has confessed taking
part in' the burglary of the
psychiatrist's office.
Senator John. L. McClellan,
Democrat of Arkansas and
chairman of the Senate 'Ap-1
propriations Committee and'
the subcommittee investigating
C.I.A. involvement, said the
panel "may very well need
Mr. Ehrlichman's testimony."
Senator McClellan also said
.,the subcommittee believed it
essential to hear from both
.Richard' Helms, now Ambas-
sador to Iran but director of
the agency at -the time of the
burglary, and from General
Cushman.
General Cushman is sched-
uled to' testify Friday before
a Senate Armed Services sub-
committee in the Pentagon
papers case.
Two Officials Id.mtified
Meanwhile; two high, State
Department officials were iden-
tified today /as the men who
had authori .ed Hunt to read
and copy; 2'40 highly classified
documents concerning the Viet-
nam war ,in September, 1971.
A State. Department'spokes-
man said that William Macom-
ber, then; Deputy Under Secre-
tary of State for Management.
D t
LOS ANGELES TWITS
11 MAY 1973
Cblby---Named OAHed---Know
for HIS He'osm 101n hhoui Bravdo
BY RUDY ABRA31SON last month as Helms' suc-
Times Staff Writer cessor James R. Schlesin-
ger began massive person-
WASHINGTON - \Vil- nel changes in the agency.
1]iam E. Colby, President Colby takes over the CIA
Nixon's choice to take at a time when it is vul-
over the Central Intel- nerable to criticism that it
went beyond the bounds
ligence Agency, got his of the National Security
first experience in intel- Act by cooperating with
]igence work with the an undercover investiga-
French resistance behind lion of Daniel I/llsberg
a.a..G UL LJLIaur16 d 1/J~lalid-
He volunteered for Col. trist in Beverly Hills.
William J. (Wild Bill) Do- Schlesinger, who was
novan's Office of Strategic nominated as the new sec-
Services in 1043 after it retary of defense by Pres-
put out a call for men ident Nixon Thursday,
fluent in French to para- criticized the agency for
c h u t e into occupied being insufficiently cau-
France to work with the tious in lending assistance
resistance. to two central figures in
A year later, Colby the Watergate 'scandal-
volunteered to lead a para- E. Howard' Hunt and G.
chute team into enemy- Gordon Liddy.
held northern Norway to A White House spokes-
blow up rail lines being man said Thursday that
used by the Germans. Colby is in full accord
. Esteemed by Boss with Schlc