MEMO FOR RECORD FROM VERNON A. WALTERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75B00380R000100070039-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 1, 2006
• Sequence Number: 39
• Publication Date: June 28, 1972
• Content Type: MFR

MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD 1.~
28 June 1972
sai.a a coma tali' freely: to
mmediately after hanging up, I called Ehrlichman to find out if
On 26 June at .about 10:00 a. m. I received a phone call from
Mr. John Dean at the White House. He said he wished to see me
about the matter that John Ehrlichman and Bob Haldeman had
discussed with me on the 23rd of June. I could check this out
with them if I wished. I agreed to call on him in his office in
Room 106 at.the Executive Office Building at1145: that morning.
;.T
r .ti ,wnicn,was. investigating the matter was working on three theories:
awkward, there were lots of leads to important people and that the
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At 1145 I called at Dean's office and saw him alone. He said
!that the investigation'of the Watergate "bugging" case was extremely
.It was ;organized by the Republican National r. om itt
STATI NTL
ee
was organized by the CIA.
It was organized by some other party.
h said that.T had discussed this with Director Helms and I -vas
quite sure that the Agency was not in any way involved an T ,.r ._.
matter. Dean then asked whether I was sure that the Agency was not
tnaC tlie..Uirector: wished to distance himself and the Agency from the
involved. He believed that Barker had been involved in a
e suspects had been on the Agency payroll for the last two years.
I said that I was sure that none of
Dean then said that some of th accused were gettin scared a
n
l
.
d
wohblin ". I said that even' so they could not implicate the Aga cy.
Dean then asked v/hetlier there ti=has not some way that the Agency
could pay bail for them. (they had been enable to raise bail). He
added that it %vas not jusL bail, tiiat i,-these men =rent to prison,
could. we (C,IA) find some w . to pay their salaries while. they were
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25X1
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I said that I must be quite clear. I was the Deputy Director
and a such had only authority specifically clele;ated to rue by the
Director and was not in the chain of command but that the great
strength of the Agency and its value to the President of the nation
lay in the fact that it was apolitical and had never gotten itself,
involved in political disputes. Despite the fact that I had only
been with the Agency a short time, I knew that the Director felt
strongly about this.
I said t:14a'i, in a.drlition, the Agency would be completely
,,at the "highest level" and that those who were not touched by the
I then said that big as the troubles might be with the Watergate
Affair, if the Agency were to provide bail and pay salaries, this
would become known sooner or later in the current "leaking"
atmosphere of Washington and at that point the scandal would be
ten times greater as such action could only be clone upon direction
matter now would certainly be 'so.
present affair would he small potatoes compared to what would
great risk that would have to be weighed. I repeated that the
impressed by this argument and said that it Was certainly a very
Dean seemed at first taken aback and then very much
happen i:E we did what he wante&l and it leaked. He nodded gravely.
vellue to the Proslden;; and the Administration. Again lie nodded
d,i icrt.dltcd with the public and, tt1'~' Congress all'i 'WOUId lose all
gr~~ vely.
He lhen c. ~H ti( hi could Uninh of ahy Amy we (CIA) co-uJ6 'lie [p.
1 said I (:;ou(d. not tlihrll' of any !. ..'Cutd I,is uss the m
I vi an fl l.lir Cry `, 17_i; at1!: of die Uirecto ' fecliti s in this matter.
the Director and would 1),e in tULLC;ti ':~1.'?i1. 1111'1. hot; ver, I ;,hat:
l_bC.' "til?.1'l~;e!i mn.c 2.nd I left.
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