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MORI DocID: 1451843

8 June 1972

Houston said that he will be attending a meeting called by
DOD General Counsel Buzhardt, who is recommending that Justice drop
the case against Daniel Ellsberg.

19 June 1972

The Director noted the 17 June arrest of James W. McCord and
four others who were apprehended at the Democratic National Committee
headquarters at the Watergate. With the Director of Security present
to provide biographic details, the Director made it perfectly clear
that responses to any inquiry with respect to McCord or Howard Hunt,
who may be implicated, are to be limited to a statement that they
are former employees who retired in Miami August and April 1970
respectively. The Director asked that this guidance be disseminated
via staff meetings. The Director asked that any inquiry from other
elements of the government be referred to the Director of Security
who is to be the focal point. Inquiries from the press are to be
referred to Mr. Ituumb who may say that McCord worked in the Office
of Security. The Director noted that we have no responsibility
with respect to an investigation except to be responsive to the
MM FBI's request for name traces. It was noted that Howard Hunt
may have done some work since retirement in connection with the
preparation of supporting material for some awards. The Executive
Director was asked to review this topic and report to the Director.

20 June 1972

In response to the Director's request, the Director of Security
highlighted developments over the past twenty-four hours with
respect to the McCord/Hunt, et al., situation. He noted that the
late edition of the New York Times carries a different story by a
Szule than that which appeared in the edition received here
(attached). The Director of Security anticipates some inquiries on
Bernard L. Barker's situation, and it was noted that Mr. Barker
was hired by the Agency in 1960 and terminated in 1966. The Director
complimented Ituumb on his handling of inquiries and asked that future
inquiries he met with a response confined to the fact that, now that
we have acknowledged that both McCord and Hunt are former Agency
employees, we know nothing more about the case and the caller should
be referred to the FBI as appropriate.

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