Baker Traces CIA's Watergate Links Front

1,10(Post MAR 24 1974 The Washington Merryorialtoinii THE WASHINGTON POST &IMAM March 23, 1974 E51 Baker Traces CIA's Watergate Links front. Baker believes the CIA brated excursion to Denver in a ees, and instructions were is- By Jack Anderson ;kept close tabs on Hunt even af- ludicrous CIA wig to talk to Dita sued to WFO (Washington Field iter he supposedly "retired" Beard. The CIA reportedly was Office) to this effect." For months, Sen. Howard !from the CIA. worried whether we got the fa- However, we later learned Baker (R-Tenn.) has been piec- • While Hunt was working for mous ITT-Dita Beard memo that the White House had asked ing together evidence that the the CIA front company, he from the same source who gave : the CIA to intervene with the Central Intelligence Agency sought out an old Bay of Pigs, ius the ITT Chile memos impli- FBI to limit the Watergate in- somehow was involved in the sidekick, Bernard Barker. The icating the CIA in a plot to block , vestigation. This request was Watergate break-in. senator suspects Hunt may have the inaugural of the late Salva- made by H. R. Haldeman, then Now he is preparing a de- been planning exploits with idore Allende. the powerful White House staff tailed report, backed up with se- Barker on behalf of the CIA. The. • Baker suspects, but cannot chief, who told the CIA "it was cret documents. The report will senator would like to prove, but prove, that Hunt's plan to break ;the President's wish." We ob- depend for explosive effect, cannot, that two of the exploits Unto the safe of Las Vegas pub- i tained and, on May 30, quoted however, more on the questions were the Watergate and Ells- ilisher Hank Greenspun may 'the secret CIA memos about it asks than on the answers it berg psychiatrist' break-ins. :also have had some CIA under- Haldeman's intervention. gives. What Baker can show, however, frones. The safe contained billio- This led us to the conclusion • The report will focus largely is that }hint contacted Barker in naire Howard Hughes' private not that the CIA was implicated on former PIA agent E. Howard April, 1971, months before going papers. Hughes not only was as- in the Watergate break-in but Hunt, who retired from the CIA on the White House payroll. sociated with the Mullen CIA that the White House was trying in 1970, joined a CIA cover or- * After Hunt went to work for front but had also employed to use the CIA to thwart the FBI ganization and then went on the the White House, he got a tip Robert Maheu, another CIA investigation. White House payroll in July, from Robert Bennett, head of front man. Baker now believes the CIA 197L A year later, he helped the Mullen CIA cover company, • After the Watergate break- 'involvement was much greater plan the Watergate break-in. that one of Bennett's ex-employ- in was discovered, Hunt fled to than we had been able to learn. In Baker's study of the CIA ees in New England had some California to a man identified as Our own CIA sources, while re- role in the case, he has made fresh information on the Chap- "Mort Jackson," who has close serving judgment on Baker's re- these tentative findings: ' paquiddick episode.. Hunt could CIA connections, Baker has port until they see. it, agree • Deputy CIA Director Ver- have obtained the information learned. there's more CIA involvement non Walters' repeated claim by making a simple call to the These bits of evidence have in the cover-up than has been that the CIA grew wary of Hunt ex-employee. Instead, Hunt ob- led Baker to suspect that Hunt printed. They concede that nu- and broke contact with him by tained from the CIA's deputy di- may never have broken off his : MerOUS contradictions at least August 31, 1971, is false. The rector a wig, false ID cards, a ties with the CIA, despite state- need to be clarified. CIA now admits its top psychia- voice modulator, a camera, a ments to-the contrary from CIA Official CIA spokesmen, how- trist, Dr. Bernard Malloy, met recorder and a "safe house." officials. ever, gave a "no comment" to secretly with Hunt on the Dan- The trip to New England proved We dug into this story a year our detailed questions, saying iel Ellsberg case as late as Octo- totally fruitless, leading Baker ago. We were able to report on only that they were cooperating ber 27,1971. to suspect it may have been a April 7, • 1973, that the CIA with congressional investiga- • Baker has documents show- cover for some other CIA pur- strangely had ordered its agents tors. Bennett told my associate ing the CIA role in the Water- pose. not to talk to the FBI about the Les Whitten the Mullen com- gate cover-up was far more ex- • Baker has received indica- Watergate case. We published pany severed all its CIA ties in tensive than has been revealed tons that Hunt was reporting in- the proof on May 8, quoting from June 1973. He firmly denied that in public testimony. directly to the CIA even after he a confidential FBI memo which he had acted as a conduit for in- • Baker's documents also in- had moved into the White said: formation from Hunt to the CIA dicate that former CIA Director House. The senator suspects, for "It is recalled we specifically during the 1971-72 Watergate Richard Helms helped place example, that the CIA may have were requested by the CIA not times. Hunt with Mullen and Co., a CIA been involved with Hunt's cele- 'to interview ... two CIA employ- 1974, United Feature Syndicate, Ins. .

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