MEMO TO THE DIRECTOR FROM E. H. KNOCHE RE I URGE THAT YOU NOT SIGN OR SEND THIS LETTER TO THE VICE PRESIDENT.

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 01434858
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: August 7, 2017
• Case Number: F-2007-00094
• Publication Date: June 24, 1975

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Review Staff: 75/1109
24 June 1975
MEMORANDUM FOR: The Director
1. I urge that you not sign or send this letter to the Vice
President.
2. I know that the record here is technically a better one
than the Rockefeller Commission report would indicate, but the
Commission'srt is essentially accurate in developing the
main messagethe decision of Dick Helms not to conduct an
investigation in the immediate wake of Watergate.
3. Accordingly, I really believe that the Vice President
and his staff would regard your letter as essentially a nit pick
and interestingly defensive.
4. I think further that the Vice President would find its
after-the-fact quality somewhat frustrating in that there is nothing
he can do about the points you raise here.
5. You will have ample time and opportunity to raise these
points for clarification at some point in your dealings with the
Senate Select Committee when they begin exploring this matter.
6. Please save your ammunition.
E. H. Knoche
Assistant to the Director
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.:11N1ELLIGENCE AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20505
The Vice President
The White House
Washington, D. C. 20500
Dear Mr. Vice President:
In the Report to the President by the Commission on CIA
Activities Within the United States, there are two small errors con-
cerning me which I would respectfully like to clarify. On pages 201
and 202, there is a description (Tab A) of several incidents involving
xerox copies of Howard Hunt's photographs of Dr. Fielding's premises.
The Commis�ion criticizes the Agency's actions in this and other
respects.
In hindsight, I concur that the xerox copies of Hunt's pictures
of Field.ing's office should have been forwarded to the investigating
authorities sooner than they were. I do believe that it is important to
point out, however, that following the Watergate break-in on
17 June 1972, this Agency's role was essentially supportive to the
investigative efforts of the FBI. Among the great deal of information
provided in this connection, was our report to the FBI that:
"We developed one roll of film for Mr. Hunt, of which
we have copies showing some unidentifiable place, possibly
Rand Corporation."
This report was written on 28 July 1972, shortly after I learned of the
existence of these photographs. This identical information was also
supplied to the Department of Justice on 24 October 1972 (Tabs B and C).
On 22 December 1972 we were asked about copies of the photographs,
and as soon as I learned of this request, I authorized their delivery to
the Department of Justice (Tab D), which took place on 3 January 1973.
Although no interest in the photographs was indicated by investi-
gating authorities until 22 December 1972, I sought what identification
could be made of the subject of these photographs, and on 5 December 1972
4-
1?76-191c�
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cri`e information in Tab E. That information in no way clarified
frigt-ter, since at that time we were totally unaware of the break-in of
r. Fielding's office or his connection with Dr. Ellsberg.
The other error occurs with respect to our consultation with
Mr. Dean on a report prepared for Mr. Silbert, the U. S. Attorney (also
covered in Tab A). The Commission notes that my memorandum of our
meeting on 15 December 1972 states that "it was agreed that these would
be held up," and the Commission indicates that the material was only
delivered in January. As I have separately testified, five days after
15 December I called Mr. Dean and specifically indicated that it was
necessary to proceed to deliver this material to Mr. Silbert. Mr. Dean
agreed, and the material was delivered to Mr. Silbert on 22 December,
with the text unchanged during the delay. This material did not contain
the xerox copies, and I do not believe Mr. Dean was aware of those copies
until after they were received by the Acting Attorney General on
3 January 1973.
This matter was gone into in some detail during my confirmation
hearing, a copy of which is also attached (Tab F) for your information.
As stated above, I do not take major issue with the criticism made
by the Commission on this point. I merely wish to clarify that we were
more forthcoming in alerting the Assistant Attorney General and the
Acting Director of the FBI of the existence of these photographs in
July 1972 than would be concluded from reading the text of the
Commission's report at Tab A.
Respectfully,
W. E. Colby
Director
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