Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities - Testimony of James McCord.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities - Testimony of James McCord.
Master 10363 Part 2 Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee Hearings on Presidential Campaign Activities, May 18, 1973 - Testimony of James McCord (Jim McCord) Caucus Room, Russell Senate Office Building, Washington DC
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities - Testimony of James McCord.
Senator Joseph MONTOYA. Now, who was involved with electronic surveillance? Mr. James McCORD. I was. Senator MONTOYA. Alright, did you employ anyone to help you in this endeavor? Mr. McCORD. Mr. Baldwin only at that point in time. Senator MONTOYA. Now, who employed the cubans? Mr. McCORD. Mr. Hunt to my understanding. Senator MONTOYA. Now, do you know if Mr. Hunt recruited them in Florida? Mr. McCORD. I do not know sir. Senator MONTOYA. How were the cubans recruited? Mr. McCORD. That I don't know sir. Senator MONTOYA. Now, did you also have something to do with working out the arrangements for the security of the Attorney General and Mrs. Mitchell at their home? Mr. McCORD. Yes sir. Senator MONTOYA. What specifically did you do in that respect? Mr. McCORD. My job was to secure at Mr. Mitchell s request a security officer for Mrs. Mitchell beginning in March, April of 1972 and to generally oversee the security of their apartment at the Watergate Hotel, Watergate Apartments. And to insure that there was security protection for their daughter who was attending school, a young daughter, teenager in Washington and specific in particular to see that there was a security officer accompanying her when she traveled. Senator MONTOYA. How many times did you visit the apartment? Mr. McCORD. Numerous times. Senator MONTOYA. Did you converse with Mrs. Mitchell or the attorney general during those visits? Mr. McCORD. Yes sir. Senator MONTOYA. What did you converse about? Mr. McCORD. Mainly matters relating to those functions, the security functions and in particular a security officer to travel with her and the security of their apartment. Senator MONTOYA. So you were very well acquainted with Mr. Mitchell? Mr. McCORD. Yes sir. Senator MONTOYA. Now, were you aware of what happened to Mrs. Mitchell in California? Mr. McCORD. No sir. Senator MONTOYA. Did you manifest any concern in view of the fact that you'd had hired these people to guard her? Mr. McCORD. In connection with the California matter, you're referring to? Senator MONTOYA. Yeah. Mr. McCORD. I was in jail at the time. Senator MONTOYA. You were concerned about yourself only. Mr. McCORD. No sir. Senator MONTOYA. Now you wrote a letter Mr. McCord to Judge Sirica in which you indicated a belief that retaliatory measures would be taken against you, your family and your friends if you should disclose facts relating to the affair. And you stated in your letter such retaliation could destroy careers, income, reputations of persons who are innocent of any guilt whatsoever. Now, can you give us the basis or the foundation for this particular belief which you communicated to Judge Sirica? Mr. McCORD. I believe I've testified previously that it was primarily family concerns that were expressed to my wife that such could happen, physically if I decided to talk, they were not concerned as trying to detour me, but simply a natural family concern for myself and for my family in which he in turned conveyed to me .... Senator MONTOYA. Were any of these communications made by known individuals or were they just relayed to your wife more or less second hand? Mr. McCORD. They were relayed to me second handed, I think the other half of the answer is has to do with the statement I read this morning. I don't think it concerned me greatly, but they know that it had some effect upon my wife. Senator MONTOYA. Now when Mr. Liddy unfolded this plan to you, did he indicate to you how you would be taken care of in case anything happened? Mr. McCORD. No sir. Senator MONTOYA. Did you have any concern that something could happen and then what would they do in that case? Mr. McCORD. Perhaps I don't understand the question sir.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities - Testimony of James McCord.
Senator MONTOYA. Did you at that time when the plan unfolded before your very eyes by Mr. Liddy, did you feel any concern what might happen and who would take care of the situation if it did happen? Mr. McCORD. Yes. Senator MONTOYA. Now, what kind of concern did you have? Mr. McCORD. Concerns that what did happen, might happen. Senator MONTOYA. Well, now when you were arrested at the watergate and taken to jail two attorneys apparently appeared there the next morning. Who were those attorneys? Mr. McCORD. A Mr. Rafferty and a Mr. Douglas Caddy. Senator MONTOYA. Who sent them there? Mr. McCORD. I did not know at the time, I've since understood the Mr. Hunt had a part in arranging for their appearance. Senator MONTOYA. Was anything said to you by these attorneys to keep quiet or not divulge anything or even the source of your employment? Mr. McCORD. There was a brief discussion with all of the defendants at that first meeting, if that is what you're referring to at the place we were arrested. Senator MONTOYA. Where was this discussion? Mr. McCORD. In the second district precinct in Washington, police precinct. Senator MONTOYA. Now, you also indicated that you visited other places. Now during your employment with the committee, what places did you visit throughout the country other than New York by which Mr. Odle testified yesterday. Mr. McCORD. Chicago. Senator MONTOYA. I believe he testified about Chicago, now what other places did you visit? Mr. McCORD. Miami, Florida. Senator MONTOYA. How long did you stay there? Mr. McCORD. Two or three days. Senator MONTOYA. What was your mission there? Mr. McCORD. It was along with about half a dozen White House personnel to review the overall planning for the use of the Doral Hotel which was to be used in August 1972 as for both offices and residences for the committee for the re-election of the president staff and for the white house staff, both. My task there was to look over the security needs and to recommend measures to appropriate to those needs. Senator MONTOYA. And who went to Miami to plan the security for the Democratic National Committee? Mr. McCORD. The democratic national committee. Senator MONTOYA. And the convention. You indicated that you had an interest in that. Mr. McCORD. I did not, I don't know sir, I did not. Senator MONTOYA. Now, didn't you state that there would be some effort made to carry on a surveillance program at the Democratic National committee? Mr. McCORD. Yes sir. Senator MONTOYA. Who was assigned to that task, if you know? Mr. McCORD. I knew that Mr. Hunt had some activity in that regard. Senator MONTOYA. Did he hire other people to your knowledge? Mr. McCORD. I believe he utilized some of the other men that were in the watergate operation. I'd understood that from him, I was not certain as to the exact nature. Senator MONTOYA. Now, you were on two payrolls apparently when Mr. Liddy hired you for this clandestine operation, you were on Mr. Odle's payroll as well as Mr. Liddy's, is that correct? Mr. McCORD. That's correct sir. Senator MONTOYA. And you were receiving how much from Mr. Odle and how much from Mr. Liddy on a monthly basis? Mr. McCORD. Approximately, um one twelfth of the twenty thousand dollars a year salary from Mr. Odle, two thousand from Mr. Liddy. Senator MONTOYA. And did your attorney at any time communicate to you that there had been some offers of clemency, that is your attorney Mr. Alch? Mr. McCORD. Yes sir. Senator MONTOYA. Would you state what you received by way of information in that respect? Mr. McCORD. Yes sir. Senator MONTOYA. Please do so. Mr. McCORD. My recollection was that the date was in late September or early October 1972, when Mr. Alch who was in town came from a meeting he said with Mr. Bitman and stated that executive clemency and financial support and rehabilitation would be made available to the defendants in the case, including me. Senator MONTOYA. That's all Mr. Chairman, thank you.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities - Testimony of James McCord.
Senator Sam ERVIN. Senator Baker will ask you one question, and then we'll adjourn ..... Oh, before you go if you can turn over to the committee a list of expenditures that Senator Gurney asked for, then we can them xerox and then return them to you Tuesday. Senator Howard BAKER. Mr. McCord, it's four o'clock and we're going to adjourn shortly, and my question doesn't require an answer today, we can take it up when you return on Tuesday. What I'm about to say in no way disparages your testimony because you've been meticulously careful, I believe in your testimony. You've been very exact in the answers you've given to council and members of the committee. I must say I'm impressed with the thoroughness with which you've prepared memorandum today, and previously in your testimony before this committee and executive session. All of those things are commendable and we thank you for it. I practiced law for almost nineteen years before I came to the United States Senate, and I had a lot of witnesses at one time or the other. And I came to recognize a syndrome that I think may be present today. And that is sometimes I had a witness on the stand who would tell me the answer to the question I asked exactly, and sometimes if I didn't know what question to ask, I wouldn't get an answer. Now, the judicial system in the United States, is a marvelous thing and it's made up really of an adversary conflict between a defendant and a plaintiff or between the state and the defendant. But, this committee is not engaged in an adversary conflict, we're engaged in a fact finding mission to get all of the information we can. And I think you and Mr. Finsterwald, your very fine attorney know the principal matters that we're trying to establish, and you've covered with very exact answers many items that deal with the subject of this inquiry. My question to you is this, based on your references to other motivations, based on your reference twice I believe to a trip I believe to Las Vegas, based on your reference to other people from time to time, based on the fact that part of the information that you might seek to obtain was national security and part was political, based on a sketchy description of some of the threats that were passed on to you by the internal security division and the like .... I'm lead to wonder if we don't have that situation where the committee doesn't know what to ask you, and really we want to know. So, would it be possible Mr. McCord for you and your attorney to return on Tuesday and supply us any information you think relevant to the scope of this inquiry, whether we got enough sense to ask you or not. Would you be willing to try to do that by Tuesday? Mr. McCORD. (looks over to his attorney) Certainly. Senator BAKER. Thank you very much. Senator ERVIN. We'll stand in recess till ten o'clock Tuesday. (Senator Ervin talking to Senator Baker and Senator Gurney)