E Howard Hunt, the former CIA agent who helped plan the Watergate break-in that led to the downfall of US President Richard Nixon, has died aged 88.
Mr Hunt left a two-decade career with the CIA to work for Mr Nixon when he became president. He was listed as a consultant to the president but in reality ran a secret unit with Gordon Liddy which performed surreptitious and sometimes illegal activities.
The man who called himself 'the conspirator' in the greatest scandal in US political history had recruited the burglars who were to steal information from the Democratic National Committee at Watergate.
Mr Hunt, who went on to write spy novels, served 33 months in jail while Mr Nixon was allowed to resign over the scandal.
In a statement, his son Austin confirmed that his father's death occurred after 'a lengthy bout of pneumonia'.
