Watergate evidence ‘hearsay’ so far

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33189, 31 March 1973, Page 15

Watergate evidence ‘hearsay ’ so far

<N Z P.A Reuter—Copyright I WASHINGTON, March 30. The former C.I.A. agent, James Mc(a>rd. one of the seven men found guilty of bugging the Democratic Party headquarters last year in the so-called Watergate \ftair. today meets the judge who tried him and says he will name the people behind the plot.

Judge John Sirica has vowed to get to the bottom of the notorious bugging case, despite the possible embarrassment it might cause to the White House, and has postponed sentencing McCord until after the meeting today.

He has also held out thej prospect of light prison sentences to five others convicted in the case if they now agree to tell all they know. A former Nixon campaign worker, Gordon Libby, described by the prosecution in court as the ring-leader of the bugging plot last week was sentenced to serve up to 20 years in prison. McCord, security chief of

President Nixon’s campaign committee during the 1972! election, was one of five men I caught with bugging equip | ment inside the Democratic! Party headquarters in Wash ington in June. DENIAL BY MITCHELL He was reported to have given sworn testimony to! Senate investigators this week which implicated the former Attorney-General, Mr John Mitchell — President Nixon’s closest political confidant—in the case. Mr Mitchell has issued a statement denying alle-l igations that he approved the ;plan to bug the Democratic headquarters, j Informed sources also said that Mr McCord had so far given no direct evidence [linking senior Administration I officials with the plot to spy jon their Democratic rivals land that his disclosures had only consisted of hearsay, I which is not acceptable in a court of law. But he has said that he will “name names” of others involved in the plot when he meets Judge Sirica today. Walter Rugaber, of the New York Times News SerIvice, reports that McCord I has testified under oath that his fellow conspirators gave |him the impression that they had cleared their clandestine (operations with ranking (officials in the Nixon Adjministration. McCord told the Senate I select committee in secret (session yesterday that his ‘confederates often invoked ‘ the names of prominent 1 officials who, he said, were ; behind the plot. . FIVE INCRIMINATED I According to reliable ! sources, McCord cited heari say among his co-conspira-i tors as the basis for the i following serious assertions • John Mitchell, who left his post as Attorney-General ■ to serve as Nixon’s camf! paign director, approved i the espionage activity ! and served as “over-all I boss” of the team that mounted it. J John Dean, counsel to the President, sat in on a j planning meeting with two men ultimately con- ; victed as conspirators. '. heard their plans and /' later reported that the operation had been j approved. McCord ap- . parently did not say who gave the approval. t H. R. Haldeman, the White r House Chief of Staff ■)( “knew what was going f| on” at the Committee b I for the Re-election of the e| President. One source e said that McCord had ! not elaborated on this :- ] assertion. e 'Robert Mardian, former e , Assistant Attorneyi General, in charge of the Interna] Security Division, had been in contact with McCord, whc )fl invoked the Fifth h Amendment’s protect'or against self-incriminatior - r ! when asked the circum in stances. - Charles Colson, forme special counsel to thi

President, was thought by McCord to have received a detailed plan for the Watergate operation from Howard Hunt, who pleaded guilty in the conspiracy. “GODDAMNED LIE” McCord was said to have told the select committee that he was "unclear" as to what role Mr Colson had nlayed. but he added that the former White House adviser, who recommended Hunt as a part-time White House •consultant, had been "knowledgeable" about the Watergate plot. Mr Colson, like the other officials named by McCord, has denied allegations that he was involved in the conspiracy. He denounced the report today as a "goddamned lie.” “It’s simply untrue." he said in an interview. “That’s my response. I’ve testified under oath three times that jl had no knowledge of it. i&nd that is my answer again."