CONVERSATION WITH TOM BRADEN RE HOWARD HUNT

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 01482352
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: August 7, 2017
• Case Number: F-2007-00094
• Publication Date: December 20, 1973

OLC 73-1468
20 December 1973
(b)(3)
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: Conversation with Tom Braden re Howard Hunt
1. Tom Braden, who writes a column syndicated by the Los Angeles
Times and is a one-time Agency staffer and personal friend, called during
my absence today about the Hunt story. After checking with the Director,
I called Braden back and said officially we had "no comment" but off the
record and as an old friend, I could tell him that our investigation had
turned up nothing in any way supporting the story. He said he had already
talked to John McCone. He said the story obviously came from the
"Howard Baker side of the house" and Baker had put somebody on full time
to "hang it on the Agency. " I said there were a couple people working for
Baker on this--George Murphy, of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy
staff, and Fred Thompson, Minority Counsel of the Ervin Committee.
Braden said Murphy was the one. I told Braden that Murphy at one time
worked for the Agency but more recently was on the staff of the JCAE.
2. Braden said Tad Szulc was doing a book on Howard Hunt
in which he claims that Hunt was in Mexico in 1964. I said I understood
Hunt was in Washington during that year. Braden said he knew this--that
Hunt was in/ However,
he said if we could verify that Hunt was not in Mexico during 1964 he would
be very much interested because he would like to "blast" Szulc on this point.
3. I told Braden I appreciated the interesting column he had sent me
and asked whether it had been published. He said it had not been published in
Washington yet but it went to over a hundred papers and several of them had
printed it.
4. Braden ended up by reminding me he would very much like to know
whether we had any record of Hunt being in Mexico in 1964.
JOHN M. MAURY
Legislative Counsel
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01482352