Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities May 17, 1973 - Testimony of Robert Odle.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities May 17, 1973 - Testimony of Robert Odle.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities May 17, 1973 - Testimony of Robert Odle. United States Senate Caucus Room, Washington, DC
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities May 17, 1973 - Testimony of Robert Odle.
Mr. FRED THOMPSON. - Control or more direct, more of a direct relationship between the division heads when Mr. Mitchell was director, according to the chart. Mr. ODLE. In that sense yes. Mr. THOMPSON. Normally, did all decision memoranda ultimately go to Mr. Mitchell when he was campaign director? Mr. ODLE. Yes. Mr. THOMPSON. I assume that, of course this chart does not reflect any informal relationships that might have been present between members on the committee. Mr. ODLE. No, it's an organizational chart. Mr. THOMPSON. Mr. Liddy here is tinder the finance committee. He was with the, Committee To Re-Elect previous to what, December 10? Mr. ODLE. From sometime in December until approximately April 1, correct. Mr. THOMPSON. Do you know the reasons for his transfer from the Committee To Re-Elect to the finance committee? Mr. ODLE. I think there were two reasons, principally. First, was that the finance, committee found itself a great, deal busier because of this new Federal campaign legislation. The record keeping and the work that had to be done of an administrative nature became very great and Mr. Stans felt a full-time counsel was needed at that point in the finance committee. Mr. Liddy found an office on the second floor and he was down there working and it was Just kind of a natural thing for him to become this new counsel. In addition to that I don't think that he and Mr. Magruder were exactly on the best of terms at that point. Mr. THOMPSON. Was the finance committee physically separated from the Committee To Re-Elect? Mr. ODLE. Initially everyone occupied one suite. Later on the finance committee remained in that suite and everybody else moved to different floors, and so at that, point, in time the finance committee did occupy a separate suite. Mr. THOMPSON. I have no further questions, Mr. Chairman.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities May 17, 1973 - Testimony of Robert Odle.
Senator SAM ERVIN (D - NC) Can you tell me, I think it was stated but I did not quite get it, how many men came from the White House staff to the Committee To Re-Elect the President? Mr. ODLE. Initially, sir? Senator ERVIN. Yes. Mr. ODLE. Initially, in May of 1971 there would have been Mr. Magruder, Mr. Flemming, Mr. Sloan, Mr. Porter, myself and two secretaries. Senator ERVIN. Who subsequently came from the White House staff to the Committee To Re-Elect the President? Mr. ODLE. Well, sir, a number of the people we see on those charts did. I could point, them out, for you if..... Senator ERVIN. Suppose you go to the chart, and identify the ones who subsequently came from the White House staff to the Committee To Re-Elect the President. [pan Odle walks to chart] Mr. ODLE. I probably should use this chart, because it's the larger one. Mr. MacGregar had been council. Mr. DASH. Identify that, chart, for us. [close-ups of charts] Mr. ODLE. I am sorry, this is the July 1 chart. Is that, the chart you would like me to review Senator, the second chart?* Senator ERVIN. Yes, Mr. ODLE. Mr. MacGregor was counsel to the, President for Congressional Relations, Mr. Flemming, I mentioned before, Mr. LaRue had been a consultant, I had been at the White House, Mr. Foust had been at the scheduling office at the White House, Mr. Timmons was still there, he never was a member of the staff but just exercised sort of supervisory responsibility for the convention. Mr. Shumway had come from the White House as we said earlier, Mr. Porter had come from the White House. Mr. Malek had come from the White House, Mr. Chotiner had come from the White House. Senator ERVIN. Where does his name appear on the chart? Mr. ODLE. Pardon? Senator ERVIN. The last person. Mr. ODLE. Mr. Chotiner, he was director of ballot security. Mr. Kaupinen, one of our political regional directors came from the white house. I believe that is all. Senator ERVIN. Is it correct to say that most of the people in positions of authority in the committee to re-elect the president came originally from the white house staff? Mr. ODLE. Well the campaign director and his two deputies certainly did. Most of the people from the finance committee did not. And I would say that uh, among those divisions which reported to the two depute campaign directors that it's about evenly split. Senator ERVIN. Course the head of the committee was a former attorney general John Mitchell who occupied the office of Attorney General about March of 1972, did he not? Mr. ODLE. Yes sir. Senator ERVIN. Then he became the head of the chairman of the committee to re-elect the president. Mr. ODLE. Yes sir. Senator ERVIN. Do you know who actually assumed the supervision of the committee? Mr. ODLE. He I believe resigned on as attorney general on February and came to the committee in March. But he took a long vacation in Florida, and I don't believe is was until around April that he really got directly involved in the campaign. Senator ERVIN. Did he have anything to do with the committee prior to the time of his resignation as attorney general? Mr. ODLE. Major decision memorandums were sent to him for decision. Senator ERVIN. The decision memorandums were subject to his approval? Mr. ODLE. Yes. Senator ERVIN. Before he left attorney generals office? Mr. ODLE. Yes.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities May 17, 1973 - Testimony of Robert Odle.
Senator ERVIN. Now what relationship, if any did Mr. Bob Haldeman have with the committee to re-elect the president? Mr. ODLE. No official relationship, of course. But Mr. Haldeman was the assistant to the president and I know was interested in what the committee was doing, what it's programs were, and how it was helping in the re-election of the president. Senator ERVIN. Did he ever give instructions to anybody in the committee, that you know of? Mr. ODLE. Well, he did not become involved directly in it. He had an assistant who worked for him who from time to time was in touch with members of the committee about things, yes. Senator ERVIN. Who was the assistant? Mr. ODLE. Mr. Gordon Strachan. Senator ERVIN. You knew John W. Dean III ? Mr. ODLE. Yes sir. Senator ERVIN. Did he have contacts with the committee from time to time? Mr. ODLE. I believe that he did. Senator ERVIN. Now who would have the authority to direct the expenditure of money on the committee to re-elect the president? Mr. ODLE. Um, basically of course the budget committee, and then various divisional managers could within the confines of that which had been approved by the budget committee authorize things. I authorized for most of the staff members re-imbursement for travel expenses and that sort of thing. Ultimately, it would have been the deputy campaign director, the campaign director and the finance chairman. Senator ERVIN. Now as I understand it from your testimony, Mr. Kalmback was on the finance committee to re-elect the president prior to the formation of the committee to re-elect the president? Mr. ODLE. Uh, sir there were two finance committees. When Mr. Stans first came to the, when Mr. Stans resigned as secretary of commerce and came to the committee, there was a finance committee for the re-election of the president. Mr. Kalmback was associate chairman of that committee. Then, as the April 7 deadline approached the time in which the legislation went into effect, Mr. Stans I believe was anxious that a new committee began with a fresh start. And I don't believe that Mr. Kalmback served as an officer of that new committee, which was known as the finance committee to re-elect the president. Senator ERVIN. Now there was no association between the committee to re-elect the president and the Republican National committee, was there? Mr. ODLE. Well uh, technically, legally no. In advance of the convention, but most everybody at the Republican National Committee was anxious that the president be re-elected and obviously there was a great deal of work back and forth. Senator ERVIN. But they were in fact separate organizations? Mr. ODLE. Oh yes sir. Senator ERVIN. Yes. Now did Mr. Magruder have any authority to direct anyone to disperse funds? Mr. ODLE. Yes. Senator ERVIN. Can you tell me which members of the committee to re-elect the president had such authority? Mr. ODLE. Well you'd have the uh, let me start explaining it this way. Anyone of the directors of these various divisions had the responsibility to initiate requests for expenditures of funds, and they would pass up through the deputies and up to the campaign director. Senator ERVIN. And uh, the actual authorization for the expenditure did not come from the heads of the divisions, however, they merely made requests though, recommendations. Mr. ODLE. Uh, I would say Senator a little of each, quite honestly. Let us say for example that oh the director of one of these various divisions wanted to purchase 100 brief cases for his 50 state chairman and vice chairman to put materials in to for their program. He would theoretically fill out a check request form and that would go to his divisional head, and then possibly to me if I was involved, and then to the treasures office and a check would be written.