Official and Confidential (77 page)

Read Official and Confidential Online

Authors: Anthony Summers

BOOK: Official and Confidential
13.17Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

Chapter 32

Dr Edmund Keeney and Dr Robert Choisser were interviewed on H.'s health, Mark Felt and Jack Danahee on Tolson's. J. Edgar Nichols told of his father's role as Nixon adviser, and H. R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, Pete Pitchess, John Connally, and Kenneth Whittaker described H.'s relations with Pres. Nixon. Former Hong Kong Legat Dan Grove was a key source on Marianna Liu. Ehrlichman, Haldeman, Joe Trento, and Jack Anderson, recalled H.'s attempt to smear Nixon aides as homosexuals, and Charles Krebs, Billy Byars, Jr., the late Skitch Hendrix, Roy Parkin, David Rowell, and detective Don Smith provided information on H.'s alleged behavior with young boys. Documents on alleged bugging of Nixon are in John Dean's testimony, WAC, III, 981, staff memo, Jun. 12, 1973, NP; WHT, Sept. 15, 1972, Feb. 16, Feb. 23, Feb. 27, and the transcript of a Nixon/Dean conversation, Mar. 13, 1973, Submission of Recorded Presidential Conversations to House Cttee. on Judiciary; and cf. (Agnew) IC6, pp. 164, 193ff, 483. Nixon and Liu are the subject of Director to SAC San Francisco, Aug. 18, 1976, FBI file 105–40947–8. The INLET coverage is at IC6, pp. 19, 52, 642ff. The homosexual smear of Nixon aides is in DeLoach to T., Jun. 11, 1969, OC119; H. to RN, Sept. 3, 1969, W. Hse. Staff Files, JDE, NP.

Chapter 33

Kenneth Clawson discussed the FBI and Vietnam protests. Former Asst. Director Charles Bates, SAC Richard Held, Jr., Bill Thomas, Larry Heim, and George Moore filled in the details of the smearing of Jean Seberg. Wesley Swearingen and Lynn Atkinson talked of the FBI and the Black Panthers, and Ray Cline, Noel Gayler, and former CIA Director Richard Helms discussed H.'s attitude to the CIA. H.'s comments on Kent State are in H. to Tolson, May 11, 1970, FBI file 44–45339. Good sources on COINTELPRO are
COINTELPRO
, by Nelson Blackstock, and
The COINTELPRO Papers
, by Ward Churchill
and Jim Vander Wall (see
Bibliography)
. Robert Hardy's testimony is in Hearings, House Select Cttee. on Intelligence, 94th Cong., 1st Sess., Pt. 3, pp. 1050ff, 1133. The FBI and the Black Panthers are extensively covered in IC3 and 6. The smear of Jean Seberg is in FBI files 157–13876, 157–3912, 157–13870, and in
Played Out: The Jean Seberg Story
, by David Richards, NY, Berkley, 1983. The Dick Gregory episode is at
WP
, Mar. 10, 1978; H. to SAC Chicago, May 15, 1968, p. 104 of Ward Churchill's book,
supra.;
and H. to SAC Chicago, Apr. 23, 1968, Black Nationalist files, RR; IC3, p. 189. Prof. Herbert Parmet kindly supplied his Nov. 1988 interview of Richard Nixon. Tom Huston's testimony is in IC2, pp. 3ff. Dean's remark that H. had ‘lost his guts' is Dean to N, Apr. 30, 1974, submission of Recorded Presidential Conversations to Hse. Cttee. on Judiciary.

Chapter 34

The raid on H.'s garbage was recalled by Charles Elliott and Jack Anderson. Kenneth Clawson described H.'s ‘jelly fish' comment on former AG Ramsey Clark, and Edmund Muskie and Henry Reuss discussed FBI surveillance. Former Asst. AG Robert Mardian recalled H.'s threat to ‘tell
all.'
Daniel and Patricia Ellsberg, and John Ehrlichman, were interviewed on the Ellsberg affair. Daniel Selznick's interview of Cartha DeLoach provided information on the aging H.'s schedule. Patrick Buchanan's advice to N. of Feb. 12, 1971 is in
From: The President
,
Richard Nixon's Secret Files
, ed. Bruce Oudes, NY, Harper & Row, 1989, p. 217. H.'s view of Women's Liberation as ‘subversive' is at H. to SAC SF, May 7, 1970, FBI file on WL Movement, RR. The assertion that H. proposed the Kissinger taps is in
RN
, I, by Richard Nixon, NY, Grosset & Dunlap, 1978, p. 479, in
Years of Upheaval
, by Henry Kissinger, Boston, Little, Brown, 1982, pp. 120, 1115, and in
White House Years
, by Henry Kissinger, Boston, Little, Brown, 1979, p. 252. Sullivan's assertion that H. was ‘not of sound mind' was in
LAT
, stay 15, 1973. While the description of Sullivan's fall was from many sources, an especially useful source for this final phase was the Mardian Papers, HIW.

Chapter 35

Hobert Mardian and John Ehrlichman discussed their Oct. 3, 1971, meeting, and Mardian was most helpful for the chapter as a whole. H. R. Haldeman and former SAC Kenneth Whittaker recalled H. and RN at Key Biscayne. David Young and Gordon Liddy described events prior to Watergate, Larry Cohen passed in Sullivan's comments on H.'s knowledge of Nixonian taping, and Andrew Tully recalled his revealing interview with H. N.'s White House discussion about the transcripts is in WHT, Oct. 3, 1971. The report on H. is Ehrlichman to N., Oct. 23, 1971, WHSF, NP. Nixon's denial of any H. blackmail is in his book,
RN
, II, by Richard Nixon, NY, Grosset & Dunlap, 1978, p. 75, and in a Nixon interview kindly supplied by Prof. Herbert Parmet. Seymour Hersch's book,
The Price of Power
, NY, Summit, 1983, refers to missing transcripts at p. 398, and see Glanzer to Silbert, May 7, 1973, and the statement of Robert Mardian, taken by FBI Inspector Meincke, May 11, 1973, Mardian Papers, HIW. Nixon's fear that H. would ‘pull down the temple' is at WHT, Oct. 25, 1971, p. 3. Liddy's reported claim that he had killed a man is in
An American Life
, by Jeb Magruder, NY, Atheneum, 1974, p. 175.

Chapter 36

Former reporter Mark Frazier was interviewed about his
Harvard Crimson
report, and forensic toxicologist Dr Michael Slade described thiophosphate. Scott Armstrong, Emily Sheketoff, and Nathaniel Akerman confirmed that Watergate investigators were told of operations against H.'s house, and Gordon Liddy, Howard Hunt, H. R. Haldeman, and Felipe DeDiego, were interviewed on the subject. Frank Sturgis' comments were kindly obtained by Dan Christensen. Dr Bell's widow Marilyn recalled H.'s plastic surgery, and Cartha DeLoach spoke of H.'s last days. Jack Anderson described his congressional testimony about FBI snooping, and Jay Robert Nash and Hank Messick said their books were found in H.'s house after his death. James Crawford, Dr Robert Choisser, Dr James Luke, and Dr Richard Welton discussed H.'s death, and Neil Gallagher and Egil Krogh were asked about Krogh's alleged later comment. H. R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, Richard
Kleindienst, and Gordon Liddy were interviewed about Administration reactions to the death, and undertaker Wm. Reburn and neighbors Helen and Anthony Calomaris described events at H.'s house. Former FBI clerk Joe Diamond told of the destruction of documents, and congressional investigators Mark Gittenstein and Robert Fink described the inquiry into the fate of H.'s files. Former
Newsweek
reporter Anthony Marro was interviewed about the FBI's reported removal of documents after Tolson's death. Hunt's reported involvement in assassination plots is in Jim Hougan's book,
Secret Agenda
, NY, Morrow, 1978, p. 5, and in
Life
, Mar. 1990. The numerous burglaries suspected to be linked to the Watergate crew are listed in ‘The Unsolved Break-Ins,' by Robert Fink, in
Rolling Stone
, Oct. 10, 1974. A document on ‘possible burglaries' at H.'s home is in Director FBI to Special Prosecution force, DJ, Nov. 28, 1973, NA. Roy Cohn recalled his last meeting with H. in
Esquire
, Nov. 1972. Jack Anderson's testimony on FBI snooping is in Hearings, Subcttee. of Cttee. on Gov't Operations, 92 Cong., 2nd Sess., May 1, 1972, pp. 2437ff. N.'s reported call to H. on the last night is in notes of a conversation with Helen Gandy by Ladislas Farago, Farago Collection, Mugar Library, Univ. of Boston. H.'s death certificate, no. 72–03405, is at HSF8. Nixon's response to the news was described by John Ehrlichman to the author, but see also, J.
Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets
, by Curt Gentry (see
Bibliography
), p. 28. Haldeman's note on ‘skeletons,' dated 9:15 A.M., May 2, 1972, is in WHSF, NP. Richard Kleindienst's testimony on action after H.'s death was Dec. 1, 1975 in DES, p. 2, and DES – with the draft staff report obtained by the author – is the principle source. Mark Felt's ‘dead horse' remark is cited in the DES staff report.

Epilogue

Former Asst. Directors Cartha DeLoach and Mark Felt, Neil Welch, race official Bill Koras, Dr Edward Elson, nephew Fred Robinette, goddaughter Marianita Mattusch, neighbor Anthony Calomaris, cemetery staff Ethel Robertson, Lee Jenney and Audrey Jones discussed H.'s burial and events following his death. Godson J. Edgar Nichols described visits to the grave, and niece Dorothy Davy recalled Annie Hoover's social aspirations.
Psychiatrist Dr Harold Lief and psychologists Dr John Money and Capt. Gaye Humphreys offered opinions on H.'s personality. Documents used included
J. Edgar Hoover Memorial Tributes in the Congress
, Washington, DC, US Govt. Printing Office, 1974, and the Masons'
Tribute of Admiration and Affection
,
Oct. 1
, 1972, Scottish Rite Temple. The Dean-Nixon exchange is in
Blind Ambition
, by John Dean, NY, Simon & Schuster, 1976, p. 265, citing Watergate tapes, Mar. 13, 1973, but (for variant) cf. submission of Recorded Presidential Conversations to Hse. Judiciary Cttee., Mar. 13, 1973, p. 122. Doubt about Tolson's ‘mental competency' is in a report by investigator Philip Haire, Jul. 9, 1973, WAC, NA. Medical texts used were ‘Some Aspects of the Development of Authority,'
Journal of Analytic Psychology
, Jul. 1977 and (on Himmler)
The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness
, by Erich Fromm, London, Pelican, 1987, pp. 398ff. H.'s comments on pornography were in
This Week
,
Aug
. 25, 1957 (reprinted for circulation by FBI), H. testimony Hse. Appropriations Subcttee., Jan. 30, 1957, p. 203,
American Legion
magazine, May 1961, and
Inside the FBI
, by Norman Ollestad (see
Bibliography)
, p.
62
. The closing quote by Walter Mondale is from IC6, p. 64.

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED IN NOTES

BI
Bureau of Investigation document
CP
Cummings Papers
CR
Congressional Record
D
The Director
, by Ovid Demaris, New York, Harper's Magazine Press, 1975
DES
Inquiry into the Destruction of Former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover's Files and FBI Recordkeeping, Hearings, House Government Information and Individual Rights Subcommittee, 1975
DJ
Department of Justice
EL
Dwight D. Eisenhower Library
EPUA
Morris Ernst Papers, University of Texas at Austin
ER
Eleanor Roosevelt
F
From the Secret Files of I. Edgar Hoover
, edited by Athan Theoharis, Chicago, Ivan Dee, 1991
FBI
FBI document number
FDRL
Franklin D. Roosevelt Library
GC
Bearing the Cross
, by David Garrow, New York, William Morrow, 1986
GF
The FBI and Martin Luther King, Jr
., by David Garrow, New York, Norton, 1981
H
J. Edgar Hoover
HC
Hoover Collection (J. Edgar Hoover Foundation), Temple of the Supreme Council, Thirty-third Degree, Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Washington, D. C.
HH
Herbert Hoover Papers
HHL
Herbert Hoover Library
HIW
Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace
HSCA
Hearings and Appendices of the House Committee on Assassinations, 1979
HSF
Hoover Staff File
HSTL
Harry S. Truman Library
HT
Harry Truman
IC
Hearings before the Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities of United States Senate, 94th Congress, 1st Session, 1976
INTPERF
Summary Report, The Investigation of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: Performance of the Intelligence Agencies, Final Report of the Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities
, U.S. Senate, Book V, 1976
JFK
John F. Kennedy
JFKL
John F. Kennedy Library
LAT
Los Angeles Times
LBJ
Lyndon Baines Johnson
LBJL
Lyndon Baines Johnson Library
LC
Library of Congress
MLK
Martin Luther King, Jr.
NA
National Archives
N
Richard Nixon
NP
Nixon Papers
NYP
New York Post
NYT
The New York Times
OC
Official and Confidential Files (OC 1, for example, refers to OC vol. 1)
POF
President's Official Files, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library
PC
Private Collection (Lou Nichols' papers)
RFK
Robert F. Kennedy
RG65NA
Record Group 65, Civil Reference Division of the National Archives (mostly scrapbooks containing Hoover news clippings)
RR
FBI Reading Room
SRIA
Supplementary Detailed Staff Reports on Intelligence Activities and the Rights of Americans, Book III, Final Report of Select Committee to Study Governmental Activities, U.S. Senate, 1976
T
Clyde Tolson
TSF
Tolson Staff File
TWF
Tolson Will File, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Plaintiff Hillory A. Tolson vs. John P. Mohr, Administration No: 868–75
WAC
Hearings, Senate Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, 93rd Congress, 1st Session, 1973–74 (Watergate and Related Activities)
WES
Washington Evening Star
WH
Washington Herald
WHSF
White House Special Files, Nixon Papers
WHT
White House Tape transcripts, Watergate Special Prosecution Force File segment, Record Group 460, National Archives
WMP
Wayne Morse Papers, University of Oregon
WP
The Washington Post
WR
Report volume of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, 1964 (WC + number denotes a Warren Commission Volume of Hearings or Exhibits)
WS
Washington Star
WT
The Washington Times

Other books

Hot Valley by Lear, James
Neptune's Massif by Ben Winston
By Night in Chile by Roberto Bolaño
Despite the Falling Snow by Shamim Sarif
The Considerate Killer by Lene Kaaberbøl, Agnete Friis
Apache Heart by Miller, Amy J
The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning by Taylor Larimore, Richard A. Ferri, Mel Lindauer, Laura F. Dogu, John C. Bogle
Animal's People by Indra Sinha
The Cowboy's Sweetheart by Brenda Minton