Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 13, 1973 (1/2)
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 13, 1973 (1/2)
[00.29.13] Senator GURNEY. So in November 1972, from your discussion with him, it would be your impression that the $350,000 was there at that, time'? Mr. STANS. That was my impression until he told me that another $22,000 had actually been spent. Senator GURNEY. Did he say when? Mr. STANS. I do not--no. I am sure he did not. Senator GURNEY. Did he say what for? Mr. STANS. Well, I have to hedge on this, because I do not know. I just assumed since it a polling fund, that it had been spent for polling. But recently, I have learned, reading one of the depositions, that it may have been spent for advertising. Senator GURNEY. Another thing that puzzles me. My understanding of this $350,000 is that it went to Haldeman. We have no direct evidence on that, but we do know that Mr. Strachan--- Haldeman's aide-picked it up. Was it not your understanding that it went to Haldeman? Mr. STANS. I had no understanding on that, Senator. The transaction was really handled by Mr. Kalmbach and my knowledge about it was entirely peripheral . At the beginning, I heard, as I testified yesterday, that the White House wanted some money for polling purposes to have to use in its discretion, and subsequently, found out that the money had been paid to the White House. But I really played no part in that transaction, and I believe Mr. Kalmbach will take the full responsibility for it. [00.30.45-- cut to LEHRER in studio] [there are a series of cuts here, I think that it indicates that the speech by NIXON was excised from the tape] [00.31.09--LEHRER reintroduces the questioning of STANS about a $350,000 cash fund being kept at the White House] [00.31.31--Sen. GURNEY] Senator GURNEY. You never heard at any time that Mr. Dean received this money or had any part in the supervision of it, handling of it, or disbursing of it? Mr. STANS. No. I never understood that Mr. Dean was handling the money. Senator GURNEY. Did you ever ask Mr. Dean at this time, or when he asked for the $22,000, why he was handling the money? Apparently, at that time, he must have had something to do with it. Mr. STANS. I didn't ask him why he was making the request. We had discussed the $350,000 on several occasions before--first, when he asked me to pay the polling bills, and second, when we considered the possibility of returning it to the committee. And I assumed that he was in these discussions because of his position as counsel in the White House. Senator GURNEY. Did you check with either Haldeman or Ehrlichman on this $22,000? Mr. STANS. No, I did not. [00.32.35] Senator GURNEY, Why didn't Dean go to the treasurer? The treasurer is the man who I understand, from the testimony, was making almost all of the disbursements with the exception of a few cash ones we have talked about here. Why should he come to you? Why shouldn't he go to the treasurer? Mr. STANS. Well, again, Senator, I can only presume. We had a new treasurer after Mr. Sloan left, Dean had very little contact with him and I doubt that he even knew him. I think that is the reason he called me. Senator GURNEY, You testified that you learned about the Watergate break-in, as I recall, in the newspapers? Is that correct? Mr. STANS. That is correct. Senator GURNEY. Now, of course, as you, as we all know, there was great consternation when this happened and a flurry of conferences and phone calls between the key people who were running the Committee To Re-Elect the President. Did you have any conferences or phone calls on June 17 or 18 regarding Watergate with anyone? Mr. STANS. I don't recall any conferences on the 17th) and I was not in the office on the 18th. so my answer would be other than the possibility that I may have said to somebody, that is a silly thing to do, based on the newspaper headlines, I had no conferences about the transaction. Senator GURNEY. Did you have any phone calls? Mr. STANS. None that my records show. Senator GURNEY. Do you recall any? Mr. STANS. I do not recall any. Senator GURNEY. At some point in time, of course, you learned as we all have, about Watergate, the people who were the key people in it, and to the best of your recollection when did you learn about Watergate and who were the key people in it and from whom? Mr. STANS. The first thing I learned about Watergate, to the best of my recollection was on June 23 when I received a call from Fred LaRue, as I testified yesterday and he said: "Do you know Kenneth Dahlberg?" And I said: "Yes. I know Kenneth Dahlberg very well." He said: "Well, did you know that his contribution ended up in the bank account of one Of the fellows who was arrested in the, Watergate?" And I said: "To the best of my knowledge Mr. Dahlberg didn't make a contribution, particularly in that amount of money that you mentioned. He said: "Well , we had better talk about it." So he came down to my office and we reviewed the situation. I recalled, of course, the, circumstances under which Dahlberg had given us the Check, and we culled Dahlberg on the phone and got him to come to Washington to review the whole matter, That is my first knowledge of the Watergate situation