PROSECUTORS TAKE A NEW LOOK AT CIA'S WATERGATE ROLE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00901R000700090055-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 18
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 13, 2005
• Sequence Number: 55
• Publication Date: November 28, 1973
• Content Type: NSPR

PRESS
E - 346,090 Approved For Release '2005/07/01 : CIA-RDP91-009
S -~i 81973
By DAN THOMASSON A member of the Senate"''
Scripps-Howard Staff Writer j Armed Services . committee'''
WASHINGTON - Special I which oversees CIA opera-
e Watergate prosecutors have tions, said. today, however,
L--'questioned Richard M. Helms, Martinez has conceded he
former director of the Central made periodic reports to his
Intelligence A g e n c y ! A), CIA control agent in Miami.
about alleged discrepancies in The source said Martinez
p r e v i?o u s testimony on the twice reported he had talked
CIA's role in the Watergate with Hunt, but he was told by
affair and on charges the the agent not to be concerned
agency was using a "double about Hunt because he was on
agent" to keep tabs on the a White House assignment.
'Watergate burglars. This would verify at least
Helms, now U.S. ambassa- part of a .charge made in a
dor to Iran; was quizzed at magazine article by Andrew
length Monday by attorneys. -St. George, a New York writ-
working under special prose-
'cutor Leon Jaworski.
Meanwhile, informed
sources said the Senate Water-
gate committee has developed
evidence it believes shows the
CIA had advance knowledge of
.the planning for the June 17.
1972, break-in of the Demo-
cratic national headquarters
here.
The sources said Eugenio R.
/Martinez, one of the five-man
Watergate break-in team. was
in contact with a CIA official
during the time he and several
other Americans . of Cuban
ancestory were working under
E. Howard Hunt Jr:, a former
CIA agent, on activities fi-
nanced by the Nixon re-elec-
tion committee.
Martinez was on the CIA
payroll at the time of the
break-in, but the CIA has de-
nied categorically the agency
knew he had been recruited by
Hunt for the political espio-
nage operation.
Martinez w a s reportedly
being paid to keep the agency
informed about anti-Castro ac-
tivities in the Cuban refugee
community in Miami. ,
gressional committees and to
the prosecutor's office, then
headed by Archibald Cox.
The thrust of that testimo-
-my, including a public appear-
ance before the Senate Water-
gate committee, was that he
and Walters both r e s i s t e d
White House pressure to warn
the FBI not to look into cer-
tain areas of the Watergate
because it would damage CIA
operations.
Both Helms and Walters tes-
tified they reportedly denied-
to the FBI that their Water-
er, who recently appeared be-
fore' the Senate Armed Serv-
ices Committee CIA subcom-
mittee.
Chairman Stuart Symington,
D-Mo., of the subcommittee
has discredited St. George's
report.
But the source close to the
Watergate committee and an-
other close to Jaworski's of-
fice said there are indications
the CIA was using Martinez in
an effort not only to watch the
activities of I-lunt'and G. Gor-
don Liddy, another convicted
Watergate' figure, but. in an ,
attempt to stay close to activi-
ties of a White House. intelli-
gence operation known as "the
plumbers."
The special prosecutor's of-
fice, according to sources,
questioned Helens c l o s e l y
about ain em orandum in
which he ordered his deputy,
Gen. Vernon A. Walters, to-
ask the FBI to "desist from
expanding this (the Watergate
investigation). . .into other
areas which may eventually
run afoul of our operations."
The memo to Walters ap-
peared to contradict Helms'
earlier testimony to five con
gate inquiries would disturb
CIA activities. t
The June 28, 1972, memo
from Helms to Walters also
supports a disclosure last
summer that the CIA. had
requested that two of its
agents not be interviewed in
connection with the Watergate
matter. .
The request was revealed in
an internal FBI memorandum,
which noted that the-CIA-,had
asked too late to keep one-of
the men . from being': inter-
viewed but that the,bureau
honored the request and never
interviewed the other.
STAT
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-SAN FRANCISCO
EXAMINER
E - 204,749
EXAMINER & CHRONICLE
S - 640,004
NOV 14 1973'
By Patrick J. Slogan
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON - Special
'Prosecutor Leon Jaworski
has decided to cross-examine
former CIA Director Ri-
./chard Helms auout-a memo
that contradicts Helms'
sworn testimony thut he op-
posed White house efforts to
use the CIA to cover up the
Watergate burglary.
It has been learned that
Jaworski' has decided to dis-
patch two staff investigators
to Teheran to question
Helms, who is now U.S. am-
bassador to Iran.
Involved is a Ilelms memo
to Gen. Vernon Walters, dep-
uty CIA director, that was
unco\ered-by'SpecialWater-
gate Prosecutor Archibald
Cox. Co-, said the memo was
at odds with Helms' testi-
mony before Congress and
to the federal Watergate
grand jury.
Cox had decided to send
staffers to cross-examine
helms in Iran for a sworn
deposition shortly before he
was fired by President Nix-
on.
In an interview, Helms
has denied he committed
perjury or lied to the grand
jury. Ile said he could not
recall the memo now in tA then' -acting director of the to hide the source of the
hands of federal Watergate FBI, said he limited his funds.
investigators. agency probe of the break-in The controversial Helms-
va
pr
e
is vu
in uvi.u IJuui the FBI investigation would
testimony, Helms said the
CIA was no way involved in .!jeopardize CIA operations :in
the Watergate break-in on Mexico.
June 17, 1972. And Helms
said he did nothing to limit
the "BI investigation of the
burglary 'of Democratic na-
tional headquarters.
However, L. Patrick Gray,
It was later learned that
the Watergate break-in was
financed in part with money
f r o m Nixon's re-election
campaign that had been
"laundered" in Mexico City
by Cox and now being pur-
sued by Jaworski is dated 11
days after the break-in - on'
June 28, 1972. William Colby, `-~
who produced the memo,
said it was based on a
Helms staff meeting at the
CIA on June 19 - two days
after the break-in.
yes. qu!z o.. j)_~Ly
after Walters warned that
to Walters memo uncovered
i
t
l
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 Approved For Release 2005/6T:NGI4RDP.8it-00901 R000
2 8 NOV 1973
By Oswald Johnston
Star-News Staff Writer
- Former CIA director
-"Richard M. Helms has testi-
fied for a second time be-
-fore the Watergate grand
jury about possible CIA
involvement in the break-in
at Democratic National
Headquarters and* the sub-
sequent coverup.
Ilclnts, now ambassador
to Iran, was recalled from
his diplomatic post for testi-
mony and appeared for
about all hour yesterday
before the grand jury, ac-
cording to sources close to
the investigation.
Watergate special prose-
cutor Leon Jaworski's of-
fice refused any comment
on the Iiclms interrogation.
But it understood staff in-
vestigators, following the
lead of Archibald Cox,
wanted to examine further
a memorandum written by
Helms 11 days after the
June 17, 1972, Watergate
.break-in in which he asked
that FI3BI agents "confine
themselves to the personali-
ties already arrested or di-
rectly under investigation."
TIIIE JUNT..E 28, 1972,
memo surfaced earlier this
month and stirred reports of
renewed interest at the
prosecutor's office in
Helm's original testimony.
In some eyes, the memo
ran directly counter to
sworn testimony by Helms
and other CIA officials that
the agency had no connec-
tion whatsoever with E.
-'Howard Hunt and the other
Onetime intelligence opera-
at: wo a --c7 ..xt. t q K. re p~; ~T '
yet o E ~.~ 1 go
tives who carried out the
June 17 break-in.
This apparent discrepan-
cy was further underlined
earlier this month by an ar-
ticle in Harper's Magazine.
It contended that Eug cuio
;vlartinez, one of the five
conspirators apprehended
inside the Democratic head-
quarters and admittedly a
paid CIA informant at the
tinie of the break-in, had
kept CIA higher-ups fully
informed of the doings of
Hunt and his colleagues.
TIIE- THESIS has been
sharply disputed by all con-
gressional investigators
who have looked into the
matter. The Senate Armed
Services Committee held
two hearings earlier in the
month in an unsuccessful
effort to press the author to
authenticate his claims.
Rep. Lucien Nedzi, D-
Mich., whose CIA oversight
subcommittee of the House
Armed Services Committee,
has probably carried out
the most painstaking study
of the relationship of CIA to
Watergate, has firmly con-
cluded that the agency was
not involved and that the
potentially damaging memo
is really innocent.
v William E. Colby, the
present (:IA director, earli-
er this month prepared at
the invitation of Senate
Armed Services Committee
acting chairman Stuart
Symington, D-Mo., a second
memo to explain what
Helms had in mind.
In it, Colby explained that
the original Helms memo,
RICHARD HELMS
j
cials confirmed yesterday
that Helms returned from
,Tehran over the weekend.
Informed sources reported
that he conferred with Col-
by Monday, and he was
reported to have met V, ith
Nedzi yesterday afternoon.
When questioned, Nedzi
reiterated that the contro-
versial memo could hurt
I-Helms only through misin-
terpretation. "Our record is
complete," he_ said, adding
that he and his subcornlTiit-
'tee had gone through "piles
of memoranda" from classi-
fied CIA files relating to the
Watergate crew, including
Martinez, without finding a
shred of evidence of any
involvement.
addressed to deputy CIA
director Gen. Vernon A.
c- Valters, was aimed at pro-
tecting two undercover
agents in Mexico from ex po-
sure by an F)3I investiga-
tion of what later turned out
to be a Republican Finance
Committee money chain
through a Mexico City
bank:.
"IIE WANTED to dis-
courage a fishing expedition
into CIA operations," Colby
said.
Nedzi has fully accepted
this interpretation, both in a
special subcommittee re-
port on the CIA-Watergate
connection prepared last
month and in private con-
versation thereafter. He
repeated his conviction in
an interview yesterday.
State Department offi-
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LOS ANGELES TTMRS
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BY RICHARD RZESTON
Times Staff Writer
WASh INGTON -- Rich-
Virc1 AI. helms, former di-
rector of the Central Intcl-
ligence Agency, will rc-
turn to the United States
soon to answer questions
before Watergate prosecu-
tors about atlparcnt con-
flicts between his testimo-
ny and a CIA menioran-
dum,
llclnts, now U.S. ambas-
sador to Iran, will be
asked about discrepancies
between the memorandum
he wrote and his congres-
sional testimony, informed
sources said Friday. What
is in dispute is whether
the (',IA moved to shut off
an FBI inquiry into Nixon
reelection funds drawn on
a Alexican bank and
linked to the Watergate
case.
The memorandum in
question, from Ilclins to
his deputy, Gen. Vernon
L ' \7alters, was. dated June
28, 1972. It was turned
over early this month by
CIA Dircefor William E.
~.- Colby to Sen. Stuart
Sy- mington (D-Mo.), acting
chairman of the Senate
Armed Services Commit-
tee.
Colby was attempting to
clarify t h e controversy
Surrounding the document
and helms' testimony be-
fore congressional conl-
mittccs.
The key sentence in the
memorandum is: "In addi-
tion, we (the CIA) still
here to the requo t that
they (the ]11l) confine
themselves to the pers?on-
alilic:: ahrad arrested of
directly inkier suspicion
and that they desist from
expanding this investiga-.
Lion into other areas
which may well, eventual-
ly, run afoul of our opera-
tions."
White I-Iou.se officials
expressed concern in the
early stages of the Water
gate scandal that an FBI
investigation in Alexico
might enc.lan` cr CIA oper-
ations in that country.
Both Helills and Walters
testified publicly of their
repeated assurances to the
White House that no CIA
operations in ICI c x i-c o
would be threatened by an
FBI inquiry.
Early this month Archi-
bald Cox, the special-
Watergate prosecutor
fired by President Nix-
on Oct. 20,.. said to had
evidence that a key wit
ness in the Watergate in-
vestirgtion h a cl contra-
dicted his testinl.onv in an
internal g o v e r n nl e n t
memorandum. Cox did not,
name the person in an ap-
'Iiearance before the Sen-
ate Judiciary Con11;1ittee.
It was learned, however,
that his reference was to
Helms and the mcmoran-
durn nom, in question.
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 WASHINGTON POST
Approved For Release 2005/0 /01N931PLR~P91'-00901R00
Hehils Faces 'New 0,i-at
y Watergate Probers
By Laurence Stern
Former Central Intelli-
gence Agency Director Rich-
vard M. Helms is returning to
Washington soon from his
post in Iran for another
round of testimony on the
agency's role in the Water-
gate scandal.
helms' return visit has
"no connection" with State
Department business, ac-
cording to State Department
officials. But the Watergate
special prosecutor's office is
understood to want to inter-
view the former CIA direc-
tor about seeming discre-
pancies in various appear-
ancies when he gave testi.
mony.
The interest of the special
prosecutor's office is under-
stood to focus on a June 23,
1972, memorandum from
Helms to his deputy, Geh.
,L-? Vernon Walters, asking that
t`-he FBI be.requested to con-
fine its Watergate inquiries
in Mexico to "personalities
already arrested or directly
under suspicion."
The Helms memorandum
also requested that the FBI
"desist from expandinC this
glary team and the Nixes
re-election committee within
a week after the break-in.
Sen. Howard Baker (R-
Tenn.), vice chairman of the
Senate Watergate commit-
tee, said yesterday he has no
intention of interviewing
Helms at this time. Baker
did acknowledge, however,
that he is looking into pub-
lished allegations that the
CIA infiltrated the White
House "plumbers" team and
the Watergate conspirators.
Such allegations have
been recently made by for-
mer CIA official Miles
Copeland in the Nationalz-.
Review and free-lance
writer Andrew St. George
in Harper's magazine.
St. George was questioned
in executive session by the
Senate Armed Services
Committee yesterday for the
second time in a week. Af-
terward, acting chairman
Stuart Symington (D-Mo,)
said that, th-~ writer refused .
to divulge the source for
allegations in his Harper's
article that the CIA''had in-
investigation into other filtrated the Watergate bur
areas which may well, even- glary team.
tually, run afoul of our op- "The authenticity of
orations." quotes in the article relating
Previous testimony by to the forrtt-r Central Intel-
Iielms. Walters and other ligence Agency director, Air.
CIA officials was that the -Richard M. Helms, now am-
agency never sought to limit bassndor to Iran. is still un-
FBI inquiries into the certain, unproven and uns-
W_atergate scandal's .llexi? upported, except perhaps by
can connection. This facet of sources which ,l l-. St.
the case established a link George will not identify,"
between the Watergate bur- Symington said.
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T
T A
~vorski, has taken over in in
i
vestigation in which there no connection to tine Water ceved in advat)c,e docu- that promises of exccuttvc.
havebeen public alts