Watergate Hearings - James McCord
1973 - Watergate Hearings - James McCord
Senate hearing room. Chief Counsel Samuel Dash: "....with your reading of the statement, Mr. McCord." U.S. Senator Sam Ervin (D-NC) interject: "what Mr. McCord says Caulfield told him is admissible to show what Caulfield did and said to induce the witness to take action or reframe to take an action. It's not relevant to prove any...it's not relevant to prove any connection with the White House or the President." James McCord, former Security Director for the Nixon Re-election Committee, is given permission to proceed reading his statement.
1973 - Watergate Hearings - James McCord
James McCord, former Security Director for the Nixon Re-election Committee, reads from a statement: "The sentence which follows the last sentence, which I read from the memorandum, reads The dates of the telephone call set forth below are the current dates, and that word is mistyped. It should be correct dates to the best of my recollection. The second paragraph is: on the afternoon of January 8th, 1973, the first first day of the Watergate trial, Gerald Alch, my attorney, told me that William O. Bittman, attorney for E. Howard Hunt, wanted to meet me at Bittman's office that afternoon. When I asked why, Alch stated that Bittman wanted to talk with me about 'Whose word I would trust regarding a White House offer of executive clemency.' Alch added that Bittman wanted to talk with both Bernard Barker and me that afternoon. I had no intention of accepting executive clemency, but I did want to find out what was going on and by whom and exactly what the White House was doing now."
1973 - Watergate Hearings - James McCord
Video disruptions. James McCord continues reading his statement: "Now, a few days before the White House had tried to lay on C.I.A., and now it was clear that I was going to have to find out what was up now. To do so involves some risks. To fail to do so was, in my opinion, to work in a vacuum regarding White House intentions and plans, which involved even greater risks, I felt. Around 4:30 p.m. that afternoon, January 8th, while waiting for a taxi after the court session, Bernard Barker asked my attorneys and me if he could ride in the cab with us to Burton's office, which we agreed to. There, he got out of the cab and went up towards [Walter O.] Bittman's office. I had been under the impression during the cab ride that Bittman was going to talk to both Barker and me jointly, and became angered that, what seemed to me...." McCord states what follows is opinion, and can finish here if opinion isn't wanted. He is given permission to proceed. Video repeats portion of testimony.
1973 - Watergate Hearings - James McCord
U.S. Senator Howard Baker (R-TN) interjects: "I think it's fine, Mr. McCord, for you to go ahead and read the statement. But once again, to the extent that you can, would you identify as you go along those things attributed to other people that you do not know first hand? I have no objection, of course, to stating what went through your mind. Your state of mind is significant in terms of your conduct, not necessarily in terms of the facts themselves, but it is relevant to this committee's inquiry as it relates to your conduct at one point or the other. The question I made a few moments ago was that while some of your testimony will be hearsay in the strict sense, simply identified those parts; that information, which you give us in this statement, which you received secondhand." James McCord understands, but clarifies the portion he is reading now is first hand.
1973 - Watergate Hearings - James McCord
James McCord continues his statement, rereading a portion regarding his anger "at what seemed to me to be the arrogance and audacity of another man's lawyer calling in two other lawyer's clients and pitching them for the White House. [Gerald] Alch saw my anger and took me aside for about a half hour after the cab arrived in front of [Walter] Bittman's office and let Barker go up alone. About 5 p.m., we went to Bittman's office. There, Alch disappeared with Bittman, and I sat alone in Bittman's office for a period of time, became irritated, and went next door over Bernard Shankman and Austin Mittler, attorneys for me and Hunt, respectively, were talking about legitimate legal matters. I might add...I have no knowledge that either Bernard Shankman or Austin Mittler had any knowledge of the events which I'm discussing in this memorandum. Alch finally came back, took me aside, and said that Bittman told him I would be called that same night by a friend I had known from the White House."
1973 - Watergate Hearings - James McCord
Camera points at Chief Counsel, Samuel Dash, while U.S. Senator Howard Baker (R-TN) says: "At that point. I take it that that is second hand information." U.S. Senator Sam Ervin (D-NC): "That is, that is testimony he says that his lawyer told him that [William] Bittman has said. Of course, as far as Bittman is concerned and the White House is concerned, it's hearsay, but his own lawyer acknowledges. It's admissible." Sen. Baker: "I entirely agree, Mr. Chairman. The point I'm making is I want to separate the wheat from the chaff. And what his lawyer told him clearly is primary evidence. But his lawyer told him that someone else told him, is clearly hearsay evidence. And once again, while I'm not trying to exclude it, I wish simply to identify it as we go along." James McCord: "I believe I stated it, sir, as it occurred, which was this was a statement of Mr. [Gerald] Alch. My statement was that Mr. Alch finally came back, took me aside, and said that Mr. Bittman..." Video disruption.
1973 - Watergate Hearings - James McCord
James McCord continues his statement: "Sometime in July 1972, shortly after I got out of jail --- which was in June 1972 --- about midday, there was a note in my mailbox at my residence, and when I opened the letter, which had not been stamped nor sent through the mails, it was a note from Jack Caulfield, signed 'Jack', which said, 'Go to the phone booth on Route 355 near your home.' And he gave three alternate times at which I could appear at the phone booth for a telephone call from him. To the best of my recollection, one of those times was very shortly thereafter, an hour or two later, and another time was the next day, and it seems to me that the third time was the following evening. I went to that telephone booth on Route 355 that afternoon, the same afternoon as I best recall, and I heard the voice that I have referred to in this memorandum of today."
1973 - Watergate Hearings - James McCord
James McCord continuing his statement: "I do not know the individual's identity. He had an accent that I would refer to as a New York accent. He said that he had formerly worked with Jack Caulfield. He said that 'I'm a friend of Jack's. I formerly work with him. Jack will want to talk with you, shortly. He will be in touch with your son.' I received a call, subsequently, from Mr. Caulfield. To the best of my recollection, it came to my home first and it said, 'Go to the same phone booth on Route 355,' which I did. And there Mr. Caulfield told me that he was going overseas in a few days. He said, 'If you have any problems, if you have any problems, call my home, and leave word, and I will call you back from overseas to your residence.'"
1973 - Watergate Hearings - James McCord
James McCord continuing his statement: "He said, 'When you call my home, ask for Mr. Watson [spells out Watson]'. He said, 'Also, after I return, if you ever need to call me at my office.' He gave a number, the office number, and he said, 'Simply, leave word that Mr. Watson is calling.' So it was a name that both of us were to use, my name and his name. I did not contact him during the next thirty days, and I next heard from him, to the best of my recollection, sometime in September 1972, on a Sunday afternoon."