Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 29, 1974 (2/2)
Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 29, 1974 (2/2)
[01.26.27] Mr. MAYNE. Now, this was a highly dangerous situation. The President who was responsible for the national security, had a clear duty to act. He had to do something. He elected to set up this special investigations unit in the White House. Now, I do not happen to agree with the way which he acted. think it would have been much wiser for him to rely upon the, Federal Bureau of Investigation, which was the established agency with the experience and knowledge in national defense security investigations, but it is very easy for me and it is very easy for critics of the President, with the benefit of hindsight, to say that he should have gone the other way. But who is to say -when a man charged with that awesome responsibility has to make, a decision to protect the security of the United States if he does not make precisely the correct decision? Act he must and act he did. Now, another very current instance Of national security leak occurred shortly thereafter while the special investigations unit was still being implemented, and that occurred on July 23, 1971, in connection with the SALT talks, the Strategic Arms Limitation Agreement discussions in Helsinki. Here we were trying to negotiate the numbers of ground-based and submarine-based missiles and antiballistic missiles which were to be constructed by us and the Soviet Union. There could be nothing more, vital to the defense of the, United States and to the interests of the United States than our ability to defend ourselves against nuclear attack. Yet, in advance of-we had leaked by some official or officials in our Government our fallback position. Now, everyone knows that in negotiations you do not reveal -your final position. You try to get the best agreement for your side that you can, and this is certainly true more in the national defense than anything else. But in this article which appeared in the Times, they did clearly reveal that the Americans were prepared to ask something less if their full American bargaining package was not offered. Now, this--- The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman has consumed 5 minutes. The Chair will recess, since there is a rollcall vote. and recess until the vote has been cast, and return immediately after the vote has been cast. [01.32.04-- cut to Chairman RODINO after recess]