Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 13, 1973 (1/2)
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 13, 1973 (1/2)
[00.52.17] Senator INOUYE. The next series of questions I would like to inquire into, Mr. Secretary, may sound a bit naive coming from a politician, but, I think it would be most helpful to the people of the United States if we had some explanations. Many of us who spend much of our lives in Washington have not been unaware of cash contributions. Yesterday, you testified that "naturally, we wanted most of our contributions in by April 7." Mr. STANS. Did I say that, Senator? Senator INOUYE. Yes. Mr. STANS. I would question the record on that, because there was no chance that we could get most of our money in by April 7. Senator INOUYE. Was there not a mad rush to get as much as, you could by then? Mr. BARKER. Senator Inouye, could you refer to the page or something so we could check that if we Senator INOUYE. I am sorry. Let me put it this way: Was there a mad rush to get as much money as you could before April 7? Mr. STANS. Mad rush is not the correct word for it. It is a characterization that is really not very fair. Senator INOUYE. Mr. Sloan has testified that in the last 4 or 5 days, they were just deluged, and I believe he used the word "avalanche." Mr. STANS. There is no question about that. There was an avalanche, of money in the last 5 days before April 7. What I did when I took office on February 15 was to plan an effort to reach as many people as possible among the larger contributors and tell them the option they had of giving their contribution before April 7 and having the right of confidentiality or giving it later. Many people said, "I do -not care, I will give it later." Now, there was an advantage in getting early money. Anyone who has ever run for office knows that the early Money is the hardest to get. I took advantage of that opportunity to visit a number of cities in the country, met with a lot of people, urged those who were working with me in the States to make it clear that there was an option to the individual contributor. Senator INOUYE. Why would it contributor desire, as you say, confidentiality or anonymity? Mr. STANS. Oh, there are a number of reasons, Senator. Senator INOUYE. Why don't we tell the people of the United States? Mr. STANS. I would be very happy to tell the people of the United States, because I think contributors have been very badly maligned in their desire for confidentiality. One is that sometimes it affects relationships with employers, with unions. Sometimes, and this is, I think, the most important point, it, makes them a target, It makes them a target, for a great many other political campaigns. It makes them a target, for charitable drives of all types. And many people want to make their contribution and not be that kind of a target. Senator INOUYE. Aren't we, all targets for charitable drives? [00.55.36--HUMOR] Mr. STANS. Yes, but you are a much better target if it is known that you gave $25,000 to Senator Inouye's campaign than you are--- Senator INOUYE. That will be the day. Mr. STANS [Continuing). That you are if that is not known, Now, there are some people, frankly, who give to both sides, both candidates. There are some like Mr. Dwayne Andreas, who is a close friend of Hubert Humphrey and contributed to his campaign, but was also a friend of the President and wanted to contribute to his campaign. So he wanted anonymity. The greatest disservice that is done to people is to assume that because a man wants anonymity that he has a secret, sinister motive it, doing so. Senator INOUYE. As an accountant, I am certain from your standards that you have applied to yourself, you must have questioned the receipt of cash. I have been told that most accountants would like to have everything clean and proper, that everything should be in writing. Mr. STANS. Well, lot me answer that in two ways. Senator INOUYE. Is cash an important element in political elections? Mr. STANS. I do not think it is an important, element at all. I testified yesterday that the cash receipts that were taken in before I came with the committee and after amounted to about 3 percent of the total receipts of the campaign and that the disbursements in cash amounted to only 2 percent of the total disbursements of the campaign. And that includes the $350,000 that went, to the White House. So cash is not an important element. Let me say this. Contrary to what has been said on one or more occasions, we did not, prefer getting cash. We did not ever solicit anyone to contribute in cash. It was the option of the contributors to give us money in cash. We had no need for it in substantial amounts, and as I said. yesterday, we put in the bank about half of the money that we received in cash. So the choice was that, of the contributor and not of our committee to receive money in cash. [00.58.02]