Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 13, 1973 (1/2)
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 13, 1973 (1/2)
[00.35.38] Senator GURNEY. Did you ever discuss it with John Mitchell at any time near this point in time? That is June 17. Mr. STANS. Well, I would be sure that I discussed this with John Mitchell on a number of occasions and my -records show that the first, time I talked to John Mitchell after the, 17th was, on the 23d when we had lunch in his office. I am not sure what the conversation was about. Whenever I met with Mitchell I usually had a list of five or six things to talk about, I would not, presume that we didn't talk about the Watergate I am sure it was a subject of interest but certainly not about who and when and why. Senator GURNEY. Did LaRue come to you in January 1973, this year, and ask you for the names of some of the larger contributors to the campaign? Mr. STANS. Yes;' I reported that to the staff of the committee. he asked me for the names of some contributors to whom Tie might go for money for a White House project. Senator GURNEY, What was the project" Mr. STANS. He didn't tell me. Senator GURNEY. Did you ask him? Mr. STANS. No; I did not Mr. LaRue again was a man of high standing in the campaign. He had been assistant to John Mitchell. There were no revelations at, that time involving him In anything and I had total confidence in anything Mr. LaRue told me. Senator GURNEY. Have you ever conferred -with John Mitchell, Magruder, Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Dean or anybody else on the cover-up of Watergate? Mr. STANS. I have no recollection of any discussion with an anyone about the coverup of the Watergate until after the disclosures that have occurred within the last 2 months. Senator GURNEY, Have you ever discussed this Watergate affair or any aspect of it with the President of the United States? Mr. STANS. Only in the sense that the President and I met once during the campaign and I had one telephone call from him, both in August. Senator GURNEY. Both when? Mr. STANS. In August of last year, in which he said that he was aware of the fact that I was receiving considerable punishment in the press for not answering their questions at the time. He said that he appreciated the sacrifice I was making in that respect but the matter would be over eventually, and he hoped that I could continue to take it. It was a pep talk, in other words, and that was the substance of the discussion over the telephone. Now, in the subsequent meeting about 10 days later in his office in the Executive Office Building I talked about some of the problems on fundraising with him, the pending nationwide dinner which was going to take place in September at which he was going to participate, and matters of that type but there was -no discussion of the Watergate, of coverup or any subject of that type with the President. Senator GURNEY. Do you know from any information from anybody else whether the President of the United States had any knowledge of Watergate or the coverup? Mr. STANS. 1 have absolutely no such information. Senator GURNEY. Thank you, Mr. Stans. That is all, Mr. Chairman. Senator ERVIN. Senator Inouye. Senator INOUYE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Secretary, a few moments ago you testified that you had met with Mr. Mitchell on June 23 and yesterday you suggested that it was possible you met with Mr. Mitchell on June 24. The break-in was on the 17th of June. On the 18th I believe all of the major papers in the United States had banner headlines about the Watergate break-in and you learned about that for the first time. Then, on the 23d of June you testified you received a call from Mr. LaRue., I believe. Then, there were other banner headlines about moneys being traced through a bank and hundred dollar bills all over the place and the security chief of the Committee To Re-Elect the President being arrested as one of those found in the Watergate complex. Last week one of your associates, Mr. Sloan, testified that he was quite apprehensive about an $81,000 cash disbursement to Mr. Liddy and he testified that he conferred with you on this matter and wanted some indication from you that Mr. Magruder was authorized to make these cash payments. So you indicated that you would look into this, and on June 24 you had a meeting with Mr. Mitchell, the Attorney General. [00.41.16]