Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 13, 1973 (1/2)
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 13, 1973 (1/2)
[00.58.02] Senator INOUYE. I notice that other Presidential candidates voluntarily disclosed all of their contributions which were made prior to April 7. Was there any reason foil refusing to do so on your parts sir? Mr. STANS. I think, Senator, there were some of the other candidates for the Presidency who did not disclose the source of their contributions I do not believe that Senator Jackson made that disclosure and I do not believe that Wilbur Mills made that disclosure and there, may have been one or more others that did not, disclose. We viewed the disclosure of contributions by some of the candidates who had not, received much money anyway as a political ploy in an effort to try to force us to disclose. I have said yesterday that our committee had no concern about disclosure except insofar as it affected the rights of the individuals under the law and we, didn't think we had the right to waive the privilege for them. So as a matter of policy, and I was joined in this by representatives of the campaign committee and the White House, the conclusion was reached that we would not make that disclosure. Now, that matter is still the subject of litigation and we have not yet disclosed the names of our contributors before April 7 except as to one group of names amounting to about $6 million that we disclosed just before the election. Senator INOUYE. As one who, has been described as the most successful political fundraiser in the history of the United States, would you recommend to this committee that legislation be drafted to prohibit the receipt and disbursement of cash in political campaigns? Mr. STAINS. Well, I am a bit ambivalent, on that. I am not quite sure. I think any finance chairman would welcome that kind of legislation, because 'it eliminates one potential series of questions as to where the cash came from and where it went. But I think you have got to be very careful in drafting it to make sure that you don't destroy some of the means by which elections are carried on, because there are times when you have to pay certain expenses in cash on the spot. You have to have petty cash funds with which to pay small bills, and so forth. Carefully drafted, I would, as a, finance chairman, say, that it would Make life a little bit easier because, we wouldn't have so many questions to answer later on, Senator INOUYE. Yesterday and this morning, you have testified that you had no reason to question the integrity or the reliability of such associates as Mr. LaRue--you have described him as a good person--Mr. Mitchell, or -Mr. Kalmbach. When did you begin suspecting that something was wrong? Mr. STANS. I didn't have any Suspicions about any of these people until after the disclosures in the press following, I believe it was March *****SECTION OF TRANSCRIPT MISSING*** [Sen. INOUYE continues to question STANS. STANS states that it was March 23 when McCORD's letter to Judge SIRICA began to involve more names in the scandal. He has no firsthand knowledge of the activities alleged, and got most of his information from TV. Sen. INOUYE asks whether before McCORD'S letter, if STANS recalled seeing reports in the Washington POST naming CHAPIN, Donald SEGRETTI, and other powerful figures in the aftermath of WATERGATE, and if those reports made him suspicious. STANS. states that he doesn't believe everything he reads in the POST. the SEGRETTI matter was not described as being connected to WATERGATE, and he did not know of SEGRETTI or his SABOTAGE of opposing candidates. He had no reason to believe that anyone besides the original Watergate BURGLARS were involved at that time. INOUYE. asks if it is STANS' testimony that he had no reason to suspect, prior to March 23, 1972, that KALMBACH, MITCHELL, HALDEMAN, EHRLICHMAN, were possibly involved in WATERGATE. STANS confirms this. INOUYE expressed disbelief that in STANS' position as finance chairman and cochair of the CRP budget committee, that he heard no discussion of these matters.