Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee Hearings on Presidential Campaign Activities, May 24, 1973 - Testimony of Bernard L. Barker
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee Hearings on Presidential Campaign Activities, May 24, 1973 - Testimony of Bernard L. Barker
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee Hearings on Presidential Campaign Activities, May 24, 1973 - Testimony of Bernard L. Barker United States Senate Caucus Room, Washington DC
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee Hearings on Presidential Campaign Activities, May 24, 1973 - Testimony of Bernard L. Barker
Senator MONTOYA. All right. Now, let us go into Mr. Hunt's employment at the White House. Mr. BARKER. Yes, sir. Senator MONTOYA. What led you to believe that because Mr. Hunt was working at the White House that this was a covert operation under CIA? Mr. BARKER. This is stating that I thought this was a covert operation for CIA. I have never stated that this was a covert CIA operation. I have stated, sir, that it could or could not be a CIA operation since it was a national security matter. And the reason that I believe that Mr. Hunt had authority was first by association, my previous association, with him as the highest government representative in the Bay of Pigs, and the fact that he was at this time a member of the staff at the White House. I had no reason to think anything else in this matter.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee Hearings on Presidential Campaign Activities, May 24, 1973 - Testimony of Bernard L. Barker
Senator MONTOYA. Well, were you ever told by Mr. Hunt that the CIA would provide technical equipment for the operation? Mr. BARKER. Mr. Hunt during this operation used equipment that was quite evident the same type used by the CIA. The documents that he had, the certain type of the equipment he informed me at the time that was obtained from CIA sources. But this did not mean that he was a CIA man. This was explained in the fact that the national security organization was above CIA and FBI. To the best of my knowledge, I am not saying that this is true or not, I am just saying as to what my thinking was in regard to the things that were said to me.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee Hearings on Presidential Campaign Activities, May 24, 1973 - Testimony of Bernard L. Barker
Senator MONTOYA. When you had a meeting with Mr. Hunt at the Hamilton Manger Hotel in Washington, D.C., preliminary to going over to the Watergate operation, did you at any time mention the McGovern headquarters and Democratic National Committee or ask him any specific questions as to what the entry into these two places would have-what relevancy it would have, with internal security? Mr. BARKER. No, I never asked those questions. Senator MONTOYA. Did you think about it? Did you speculate in your own mind about it? Mr. BARKER. At that time and place I had no reason to speculate on these matters and I see no reason to change this at this time. I have tried to explain to the best of my ability, Senator, how we conducted these operations. In my concept they were as paramilitary operations as any previous operations I had been involved in, and that is not customary in a hierarchy to question your superiors. You either do it or you don't. Senator MONTOYA. How can going into a political party office be construed as a paramilitary operation? By what stretch of the imagination do you reach that conclusion? Mr. BARKER. The paramilitary operations is the procedure that was used.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee Hearings on Presidential Campaign Activities, May 24, 1973 - Testimony of Bernard L. Barker
Senator ERVIN. Senator, we have another witness we have to put on today because we had to get him excused from testifying in a court in Connecticut so he can get here and we want to try to finish. Senator MONTOYA. I have just one final question, Mr. Chairman. Is it still your opinion that what you did was in the interests of national security? Mr. BARKER. Today I am confused by all the information but I see no reason to condemn the nature of the assignment as was given to me at that time. Senator MONTOYA. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.