RENEE MONTAGNE, host: A man whose name became synonymous with the Watergate scandal has died. E. Howard Hunt was a CIA officer who helped plan a Guatemalan coup and the Bay of Pigs invasion before he became a key organizer of the Watergate burglary. Hunt told the Senate committee investigating the break-in that he regretted his role.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, host: He called the affair, quote, an unfortunate use of executive power and said he was sorry he did not have the wisdom to withdraw.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, host: Mr. E. HOWARD HUNT (Former CIA Officer): I want to emphasize that at the time of the Watergate operation, I considered my participation as a duty to my country. I thought it was an unwise operation but I viewed it as lawful.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, host: Hunt pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges, and he served nearly three years in prison. He died yesterday in Miami of complications from pneumonia. E. Howard Hunt was 88.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, host: It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News.
E. Howard Hunt, mastermind of the Watergate break-in, has died at 88. Bitter over his treatment, E. Howard Hunt lived his final years in a modest home in Miami. A memoir is due out next month.