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James W. McCord Jr.
Former CIA Security Chief and Watergate Burglar Whose Letter Broke the Cover-Up
Former CIA security officer and CRP security coordinator who was one of the five burglars arrested at Watergate, and whose letter to Judge Sirica broke open the cover-up
Overview
James Walter McCord Jr. (1924-2017) was a retired CIA security officer who served as security coordinator for the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CRP) and was one of the five men arrested inside the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex on June 17, 1972. McCord's decision to write a letter to Judge John Sirica alleging that the defendants had been pressured to plead guilty and remain silent was one of the most consequential single acts in the Watergate scandal, breaking open the cover-up that the Nixon White House had maintained for nine months. McCord served in the CIA for nineteen years, rising to become chief of the agency's Office of Security before retiring in 1970. He was hired as security coordinator for CRP, where he reported to G. Gordon Liddy. McCord was responsible for the technical aspects of the Watergate operation, including the installation of listening devices on the phones of DNC chairman Larry O'Brien. The first break-in on May 28, 1972, succeeded in placing bugs, but when one malfunctioned, McCord returned with the team on June 17 for the second entry, where they were caught. McCord was the most experienced and highest-ranking member of the break-in team. Unlike the Cuban exile members, he had deep professional intelligence community credentials and understood the institutional implications of the operation. After the arrests, the White House pressured all five burglars plus Hunt and Liddy to plead guilty and remain silent, promising executive clemency and financial support. However, on March 19, 1973, McCord wrote a letter to Judge Sirica stating that political pressure had been applied to the defendants to plead guilty and remain silent, that perjury had been committed during the trial, and that others besides those convicted were involved in the Watergate operation. This letter, read aloud in court on March 23, 1973, shattered the cover-up and led directly to the expansion of the investigation that ultimately brought down the Nixon presidency. McCord was convicted of conspiracy, burglary, and wiretapping and sentenced to one to five years. His sentence was later reduced, and he served approximately four months. He died in 2017.
Key Affiliations
Controversies & Concerns
One of five burglars arrested inside the DNC headquarters at the Watergate complex on June 17, 1972
As a retired CIA security chief, was the most credentialed intelligence professional on the break-in team
Installed wiretapping devices on DNC phones during the first Watergate break-in on May 28, 1972
Wrote the March 19, 1973 letter to Judge Sirica that broke open the Watergate cover-up, alleging perjury, political pressure, and involvement of others not yet charged
His letter, read in court on March 23, 1973, was one of the single most consequential acts in the entire Watergate affair
Convicted of conspiracy, burglary, and wiretapping; served approximately four months
Related Investigations (1)
Criminal Charges & Violations
1 documented violations
convictedConspiracy, burglary, and wiretapping(1973-01-30)
Known Associates & Connections
G. Gordon Liddy
CRP general counsel who directed McCord in the Watergate operation
E. Howard Hunt
Fellow Watergate conspirator and former CIA officer who helped organize the break-in
Bernard Barker
Fellow Watergate burglar; Cuban exile who led the entry team
John Mitchell
CRP chairman who approved the Watergate operation at meetings McCord attended
Sources & Documentation
4 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports
Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, All the President's Men (Simon & Schuster, 1974)(1974)
Stanley Kutler, The Wars of Watergate (Alfred A. Knopf, 1990)(1990)
James McCord, A Piece of Tape: The Watergate Story: Fact and Fiction (Washington Media Services, 1974)(1974)
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities (Ervin Committee) Final Report (1974)(1974)
Personal Information
- Born
- January 26, 1924
Education
- •University of Texas, BA
- •George Washington University, MS
Key Timeline
January 26, 1924
Born
1951
Joins the CIA
1951-1970
19-year CIA career culminating as chief of physical security in the Office of Security
1970
Retires from the CIA
1972
Hired as security coordinator for the Committee to Re-Elect the President
May 28, 1972
First Watergate break-in succeeds; McCord installs wiretapping devices on DNC phones
June 17, 1972
Second Watergate break-in; McCord arrested with four others inside the DNC headquarters
January 30, 1973
Convicted at trial of conspiracy, burglary, and wiretapping
March 19, 1973
Writes letter to Judge Sirica alleging perjury, political pressure on defendants, and involvement of others
March 23, 1973
Sirica reads McCord's letter in court; the Watergate cover-up begins to unravel
1973-1974
Cooperates with investigators; testifies before the Senate Watergate Committee
June 15, 2017
Dies at age 93