Special Section: Watergate's Sphinx Speaks

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sudden disappearances, which I labeled on the chart in the original German, Nacht und Nebel (Night and Fog), would strike fear into the hearts of the leftist guerrillas [as would] the team slated to carry out the plan as a "Special Action Group." When John Mitchell asked "What's that?" I knew that Mitchell, a naval officer in World War II, would get the message if I translated the English "Special Action Group" into German. It was a gross exaggeration, but it made my point. "An Einsatzgruppe, General, "I said, inadvertently using a hard g for the word General and turning it too into German. "These men include professional killers who have accounted between them for 22 dead so far, including two hanged from a beam in a garage."

RUBY concerned the infiltration of spies into the camp of Democratic contenders, then [into that of] the successful candidate. COAL was the program to furnish money clandestinely to Shirley Chisholm of New York to finance her as a contender and force Democratic candidates to fight off a black woman, bound to generate ill feeling among blacks and, we hoped, with women. EMERALD would use a chase plane to eavesdrop on the Democratic candidate's aircraft and buses when his entourage used radio telephones. QUARTZ emulated the technique used by the Soviet Union for microwave interception of telephone traffic.

For use in gathering information at the Democratic National Convention at Miami Beach, Hunt and I had an option to lease a large houseboat moored within line of sight of the Fontaineblau. This would enable it to be used as a communications center for CRYSTAL—electronic surveillance. With a lush bedroom featuring a large mirror over the big king-sized bed, the houseboat would double as headquarters for SAPPHIRE because it was from there that our prostitutes were to operate. They were not to work as hookers but as spoiled, rich, beautiful women who were only too susceptible to men who could brag convincingly of the importance of what they were doing at the convention. The bedroom would be wired for sound.

I presented a plan for four black-bag jobs, OPALS I through IV. They were clandestine entries at which microphone surveillances could be placed, as well as TOPAZ: photographs taken of any documents available, including those under lock. One entry would be held in reserve for any target of opportunity Mitchell wished to designate.

Next I presented plans for GARNET: counterdemonstrations by groups that would be perceived by most Americans to be repulsive as they advocated the candidacy of Democratic candidates of our selection.

The largest disruption operation, TURQUOISE, was reserved for the Democratic National Convention itself. We had paid well to acquire the entire blueprints for the convention hall and all its support machinery. The plan called for a commando team of Cubans to slip into the hall and sabotage the air-conditioning units by destroying the compressors and introducing grit into the bearings of the blowers. Even John Mitchell smiled as I asked them to imagine those Democrats when, in the 100° Miami summer weather, all the air conditioning went out and the temperature inside the hall reached 110° or more.

When I had finished, John Mitchell said, "Gordon, a million dollars is a hell of a lot of money. I'd like you to go