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]

For other people named James or Jim McCord, see James McCord (disambiguation).
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
Watergate complex
Events
List
People
Watergate burglars
Groups
CRP
White House
Judiciary
Journalists
Intelligence community
Congress
Related

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. On March 21, 1973, 3 days before sentencing, McCord, after speaking to a probation officer and thus surmising that he might be facing a very lengthy jail sentence, submitted a letter to the judge in the case, Judge Sirica, in which he claimed that he and the other defendants had committed perjury in their trial and that there was pressure from higher up for them to have done so.[14] On March 23, the day of the sentencing, Judge Sirica sentenced the other defendants provisionally, citing a statute that allowed for maximum sentences of several decades as a means to "research" more information needed for the final sentencing. This was a means to pressure the defendants into revealing more information about the burglary.[15] McCord's sentencing was postponed until June and then postponed again. Finally, in November 1973, McCord was sentenced to from 1 to 5 years [16] and began serving his sentence in March 1975, but was released after only 4 months because of his cooperation in the Watergate investigation.[17][18]

Post-Watergate

After serving four months in prison, McCord set up his own security firm, retiring later to Pennsylvania.[19][20]

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.[21][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 Department 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. Sirica, John (1979). To Set the Record Straight. Norton. pp. 93–97. ISBN 0-393-01234-4.
  15. Sirica, John (1979). To Set the Record Straight. Norton. p. 90. ISBN 0-393-01234-4.
  16. Sirica, John (1979). To Set the Record Straight. Norton. p. 120. ISBN 0-393-01234-4.
  17. Popovici, Alice. "Watergate: Where are they now?". History.com. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  18. "McCord surrenders at prison to begin Watergate sentence". The New York Times. Associated Press. March 22, 1975. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  19. 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.
  20. "BBC Radio 4 - Last Word, Professor Murray Gell-Mann, Nan Winton, James McCord, Gregory Gray". Last Word. BBC Radio 4. 31 May 2019.
  21. 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

Further reading

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

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