James W. McCord Jr.

James Walter McCord Jr. (January 26, 1924 – June 15, 2017)[2] was an American CIA officer, later involved as an electronics expert in the burglaries which precipitated the Watergate scandal.[3]

James McCord
Born
James Walter McCord Jr.

(1924-01-26)January 26, 1924
Waurika, Oklahoma, U.S.
DiedJune 15, 2017(2017-06-15) (aged 93)
Douglassville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Other namesEd Martin[1]
EducationUniversity of Texas, Austin (BBA)
George Washington University (MS)
Occupationformer CIA officer and electronics expert
Known forParticipation in the Watergate Scandal
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Air Force
RankLieutenant Colonel
UnitUnited States Air Force Reserve
Watergate scandal
Events
People
Watergate burglars

Career

McCord was born in Waurika, Oklahoma.[4][5] He served as a bombardier with the rank of second lieutenant in the Army Air Forces during World War II.[6] He briefly attended Baylor University before receiving a B.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1949.[7] In 1965, he received an M.S. in international affairs from George Washington University.[7][8] After beginning his career at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), McCord worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), ultimately ascending to a GS-15 position in the Agency's Office of Security.[9]

For a period of time, he was in charge of physical security at the Agency's Langley headquarters.[10] According to Russ Baker, then-Director of Central Intelligence Allen Dulles once introduced McCord to an Air Force colonel as "the best man we have".[11]

In 1961, under his direction, a counter-intelligence program was launched against the Fair Play for Cuba Committee.[12] He also held the rank of lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve.[13]

Watergate

Shortly after resigning from the CIA, McCord was interviewed and then hired by Jack Caulfield in January 1972 "for strict, solely defensive security work at the Republican National Committee and the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CRP)". He and four other accomplices were arrested during the second break-in to the Democratic National Committee's headquarters at the Watergate complex on June 17, 1972. The arrests led to the Watergate scandal and resignation of President Nixon.

McCord was one of the first men convicted in the Watergate criminal trial; on eight counts of conspiracy, burglary and wiretapping, for which McCord received a sentence of 25 years in federal prison.[4][14] In a later letter, written to U.S. District Judge John Sirica, McCord stated that his plea and testimony, some of which he claimed was perjured, were compelled by pressure from White House counsel John Dean and former Attorney General John N. Mitchell.

The letter implicated senior individuals in the Richard Nixon administration of covering up the conspiracy that led to the burglary. As a result of the letter, McCord flipped and became a cooperating witness and was released for time served. His letter and subsequent cooperation is said to have broken the Watergate case "wide open".[15]

Post-Watergate

After serving four months in prison, McCord set up his own security firm, retiring later to Pennsylvania.[16][17]

McCord died at the age of 93 from pancreatic cancer on June 15, 2017, at his home in Douglassville, Pennsylvania. His death was not reported in local and national news outlets until 2019.[18][6]

See also

References
  1. Dean, John (1976). Blind Ambition: The White House Years. New York, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 90. ISBN 0671224387.
  2. "US Departmetn of Veterans Affairs, Nation Cemetery Administration". Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  3. Gerald Gold, ed. (1973). The Watergate hearings: break-in and cover-up; proceedings. New York: Viking Press. p. 147. ISBN 0-670-75152-9. OCLC 865966.
  4. Dickinson, William B.; Mercer Cross; Barry Polsky (1973). Watergate: chronology of a crisis. 1. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. p. 40. ISBN 0-87187-059-2. OCLC 20974031. This book is volume 1 of a two volume set. Both volumes share the same ISBN and Library of Congress call number, E859 .C62 1973
  5. Dash, Samuel, Mads (1976). Chief counsel: inside the Ervin Committee--the untold story of Watergate. New York: Random House. p. 59. ISBN 0-394-40853-5. OCLC 2388043.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. Langer, Emily; Smith, Harrison; Morgan, Kate (April 18, 2019). "Watergate conspirator James McCord Jr. died two years ago. His death was never announced". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  7. Hearings Before and Special Reports Made by Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives on Subjects Affecting the Naval and Military Establishments. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1975.
  8. The Michigan Journal. University of Michigan-Dearborn. 1974.
  9. Edmund Callis Berkeley (1972). Computers and Automation. Edmund C. Berkeley and Associates.
  10. Stafford T. Thomas (January 1, 1983). The U.S. Intelligence Community. University Press of America. ISBN 978-0-8191-3098-3.
  11. Baker, Russ (June 29, 2017). "Watergate and the Downing of Nixon, Part 3". WhoWhatWhy.
  12. Newman, John. Oswald and the CIA. p. 138.
  13. United States. Congress. House. Government Operations (1972). U.S. Government Information Policies and Practices--problems of Congress in Obtaining Information from the Executive Branch: Hearings Before a Subcommittee. U.S. Government Printing Office.
  14. Linge, Mary Kay (June 16, 2018). "Manafort might never get out of jail: Watergate prosecutor". New York Post.
  15. Dash, Samuel, Mads (1976). Chief counsel: inside the Ervin Committee--the untold story of Watergate. New York: Random House. p. 30. ISBN 0-394-40853-5. OCLC 2388043. When Judge Sirica finished reading the letter, the courtroom exploded with excitement and reporters ran to the rear entrance to phone their newspapers. The bailiff kept banging for silence. It was a stunning development, exactly what I had been waiting for. Perjury at the trial. The involvement of others. It looked as if Watergate was about to break wide open.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. Marble, Steve (April 19, 2019). "The mysterious life of James McCord, Watergate burglar whose death went unnoticed for 2 years". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  17. "BBC Radio 4 - Last Word, Professor Murray Gell-Mann, Nan Winton, James McCord, Gregory Gray". Last Word. BBC Radio 4. 31 May 2019.
  18. McFadden, Robert D. (April 18, 2019). "James W. McCord Jr., Who Led the Watergate Break-In, Is Dead at 93". The New York Times. Retrieved April 19, 2019.

Bibliography
  • Perlstein, Rick (2008). Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America. Simon and Schuster. pp. 655, 666–67, 676–80, 683–84, 722. ISBN 978-0-7432-4302-5.

Further reading

McCord wrote a book about his connection with the Watergate burglary:

  • McCord, James W. (1974). A Piece of Tape: The Watergate Story -- Fact and Fiction. Rockville, Maryland: Washington Media Services. ISBN 0-914286-00-5. OCLC 1031449.
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