MRS. ELIZABETH MCINTOSH'S CONTACTS WITH E. HOWARD HUNT (W/ATTACHMENTS)

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 00609301
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: March 8, 2023
• Document Release Date: June 20, 2019
• Case Number: F-2016-02337
• Publication Date: May 25, 1973

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MEMORANDUM FOR:.
SUBJECT:
9
" �
Associate Deputy Director for OperatiOns
Mrs. Elizabeth McIntosh's Contacts
with E. Howard Hunt
1. Attached are two copies of a Memorandum for the
Record prepared by Mrs. Elizabeth McIntosh, EA./China
Operations, detailing her long personal a.ssociation-Vrith
E. Howard Hunt. Mrs. McIntosh informed me that she was
unaware of the requirement to provide such a memorandum until
early in the morning of 25 May, having been working most of
the week at an outside office, not in Headquarters building.
2. I shall also contact and ask him
to prepare a similar memorandum, as it is apparent from
has
paragraph 4 of Mrs. McLntosh's memo that
also had a long history of association with Mr. Hunt.
Attachments: As Stated
DDO/DCEA:
O&I - ADDO
1 - DDO
1 - CEA
1 - DCE.A.
I- DCE.A./CH
Theodore G. Sha_ckley
Chief, East Asia Division
:mjg 25May73
� 3 ONLY
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
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25 May 1973
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: E. Howard Hunt
(b)(3)
1. I have been asked by DCEA/China
to make a statement for the record on my association with E. Ho-
ward Hunt who has been convicted for his part in the Watergate
case.
2. Mr. Hunt and I served together during World War II
in the Office of Strategic Services. After the war I saw
Mr. Hunt socially with my late husband, Richard P. Heppner, who
was his commanding officer. Our meetings were infrequent and
were in New York at places like 21 and other social clubs.
3. My nisi. AueAL Luittact wiih Mr. HunL waL in 1962 whrl
I returned PCS frow Tracy Barnes was setting up the (WO)
Domestic Operations Division and Mr. Hunt was assigned Chief (b)(3)
of the C.A. section. He asked that I become his assistant. I
worked with him until I joined the China Branch at Headquarters,
three years later. During this time I saw Mr. and Mrs. Hunt
and children frequently on social occasions. Mr. Hunt came
down to our farm to train his German short haired pointer and
has mentioned it in his books. I was very fond of Dorothy Hunt,
who was killed in the Chicago airplane crash.
4. I lost contact with the Hunts when they went to Spain
but resumed our friendship when he came back and-Tras Chief,
EUR/CA. When he retired from the Agency I frequently had lunch
with him and two other Agency friends at Blues Alley)Georgetown,
and other places who also once w_orked with (b)(3)
Mr. Hunt in D.O. and usually (b)(3)
accompanied me.
5. Mr. Hunt led me to understand that his work for the
White House was mainly in the public relations field He was
quite covert in discussing his duties and did not at any time
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mention any of the activities which have subsequently come to
light during the trial. During this time, I asked him to do a
favor for me in line with his PR duties at the White House. I
had been working with our legal staff and Mr.. Drury Blair of
the Senate Legal Staff in preparation of a private bill .(S529)
for the of for whom we
�had obtained U.S. citizenship. The bill was signed by Presi-
dent Nixon, and I asked' Mr. Hunt if he could get the ball point
pen the President used .SO I could give it to He. did
this favor for me
6. When news of Mr. Hunt's part in the Watergate case
.broke in the newspapers, �I was on vacation but I wrote him and
Dorothy from Rome reaffirming our friendship and belief in him.
I received a letter from Mr. Hunt saying not to worry, that he
had an excellent lawyer-and that everything woulg be all right.
7. My next contact was at Mrs. Hunt's funeral. I .had
never seen a man so desolate and. in state of shock.- He was
physical].- sustained by his children during the services After
the burial he came over to me with tears streaming down his
cheeks and said that nothing mattered any more that he felt
personally responsible for Dorothy's death and didn't know-how
he would carry on if it weren't for the children, especially
for David, who was only ten years old. �
8. He took the children to Florida over Christmas. His
wife had purchased the tickets for this trip and he thought it
would ease tensions all round to have a change. of scene. . I
understand he obtained special permission from the court to go.
9. As the trial developed and it became apparent that
Mr. Hunt would probably go to jail, I became concerned for the
children, especially for David. I telephoned Mr r Hunt sometime
after ChristmFs and went to see him with Mrs._ Goodrich. At
that time he said he had obtained the services of a housekeeper
who had been with the family in Latin America and who knew the
children from their babyhood. Mr. Hunt seemed depressed but
not despondent at this time.. He was making plans to have his
affairs taken over by -William Buckley; he was seeing to neces-
sary repairs around the house and discussed having. David see a
psychiatrist. (The children at David's school had been cruel
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about his father and the boy was beginning to show withdrawal
signs.) Mr. Hunt wanted the children to remain at home, which
would be a haven for them, with all their animals around, and
.reminders of their mother and father in the books, pictures, �
music.
10. I saw Mr. Hunt again on 14 February.. He invited me
and to a Valentine Day luncheon. I felt (b)(3)
at this meeting tftat ne_was in much better control of himself.
He has a caustic tongue and was belittling part. of the televi-
sion program on which he had appeared with Mr. Buckley and a
Cuban. He thought the Cuban had strayed too far from, the main
thrust of the program. He also said, when I asked him about
his writing a book about. the Bay of Pigs and Agency clearances,
that he felt the 'Agency � had "blown his cover". Therefore, he
felt no sense of responsibility. I later' discovered that
Mr. Hunt had asked the Agency to be allowed to reveal his as-
sociation...and had been granted this .request.
from on the Director's staff, when we were (b)(3)
discussing Mr. numr�and I told him that I had been in touch
with him.
11. The last time I saw Mr. Hunt wae in early March.at
his home. We 'discussed a personal matter which has no bearing
nn the tril, or is of Agency interest_ I offered to help in
any way I could with the children and promised him I would keep
in touch with Miss Stella the housekeeper, which I have done.
Mr. Hunt said he had just finished a crash course in trans-
sendental meditation and that it had already helped him face
his future with a certain equanimity. He said he had no finan.-
cial worries, that David would be spending the summer with
Artime,' his godfather; in Latin America, and that his only
sadness was the fact that former friends seemed to.have de-
sserted him. I had the strong feeling, although he 'didn't �
state it, that he had done what he had done becalise he be-
lieved he was right. He is a man of very strong convictions,
although often caustic and bitter.
12. I wrote to Mr. Hunt in jail three times. My letters
attempted to make hit feel that friends had not forgotten him.
I mentioned several who had asked td be remembered. I de- :
scribed spring on the farm and the animals and �tried to inject
humor and a few bits of gossip into the letters, realizing that
they would probably be opened. I sent him an Easter card and.
a little booklet on 1000 facts which I thought might be diverting.
Miss Stella said I couldn't send magazines because they probably
wouldn't reach him.
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13. I received two letters from Mr. Hunt. In one he was
critical of McCord's testimony about Dorothy. . He said he was
a "swine" to. bring her name into the trial. (Any mention of
his dead wife seemed to draw an agonized response.) He also
said he hoped the people at the Agency wouldn't be too angry
at his testimony but said he had 'told it as it was.' Other-
wise, his letters discussed his view from his cell, the food,
reading matter, and histhildren.
14. As you can see from the foregoing account, my friend-
ship with Mr. Hunt is the reason for my continuing to be in
touch with him. I do not believe in deserting friends when
they need help. He has had his whole world crash about him
and has come through with considerable courage. I do not con-
done what he did, and it has only been in recent weeks that I
have learned through the press of the Agency's involvement in
the case. I do not believe anything.I have said to Mr. Hunt,
or him to me, has jeopardized the Agency to which I hold a
deep sense of loyalty. Mr. Hunt is a gentleman and a patriotic
American, albeit a deeply introspective person who perhaps lives
a great deal more than we suspect in the pages of his own books.
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� 17.- UNCLASSIFIED
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�C� ONLY
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SECRET
:ROUTING AND RECORD THE:77.7
SU3JECT: (Oprionoll
FRQM:
C/EA
TO: (Cffic,r ciesignotion, room number, and
buPding)
RICZIV5.0 -i-OZWARDED
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