Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 14, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 14, 1973
[00.31.02] Senator WEICKER. I just want to make sure that neither I nor you miss them. Now, during the first 2 weeks of June, you must have contacted Mr. Strachan relative to the Gemstone material. is that correct? Mr. MAGRUDER. Yes, sir. [00.31.23] Senator WEICKER. And in this particular instance, obviously, it must have been considered important to the extent that nothing was sent to the White House. but rather you requested that Mr. Strachan come down to the, Committee To Re-Elect the President. Is that correct? Mr. MAGRUDER. Yes. sir. Senator WEICKER. Would you mind telling me as to why you felt that, was the best, way to do things in this instance? Mr. MAGRUDER. These were in effect logs of wiretap conversations and I did not think it was appropriate to Send them over to the White House by messenger. Senator WEICKER. So really., the inhibition was by messenger. You knew they were. going back over to the White House? Mr. MAGRUDER. I am sorry. Most all Of the documents-- in fact. all of the documents in the entire Campaign except the Gemstone file, were automatically sent over by messenger to Mr. Strachan for Mr. Haldeman this was the only document I can recall. these two sets of documents the Gemstone documents that I did not send over by messenger because I thought they -were of a sensitive nature---- Senator WIECKER. Too sensitive. Mr. MAGRUDER. Too sensitive to send over by messenger. Senator WEICKER. SO your transmission of this material was a mental transmission rather than a physical transmission, is that correct I Mr. MAGRUDER. Yes, I called him and I told him I had the documents there for his perusal but I would keep them there in my office. Senator WEICKER. I understand . Did he come over? Mr. MAGRUDER. Yes, sir. Senator WEICKER. Did he look, at them? Mr. MAGRUDER. Yes. sir. Senator WEICKER. And I think we can assume that he returned to the White House ? Mr. MAGRUDER. Yes, sir. Senator WEICKER. Now, we are at June 17. I just want to ask once again as to whether or not there are any other contacts between you and Gordon Strachan prior to the break-in that you feel this committee should know about, Mr. MAGRUDER. I would not recall anything specific. I think probably after the time, Mr. Mitchell indicated to Mr. Liddy HIS dissatisfaction I think I would have normally as a matter of course indicated to Gordon that we had hoped that Mr. Liddy would do a better job on his next go-around, something to that effect. But I do not recollect that. Senator WEICKER. Would you say that Mr. Strachan, on the evening of June 16, was as well briefed on the intelligence operation in the Committee To Re-Elect the President as- anybody within the campaign? Mr. MAGRUDER. Yes, sir. Senator WEICKER. Now, on June 17, did you call Gordon Strachan? Mr. MAGRUDER. Yes, I called him Saturday afternoon at some point. Senator WEICKER. And what was the nature of that, conversation? Mr. MAGRUDER. Simply to alert him to the break-in, give. him the, details of what we were doing in Los Angeles and particularly Mr. Mitchell's statement nothing more than a discussion of what happened. Senator WEICKER. When you say give him the, details, what details were you giving him? You were in Los Angeles? Mr. MAGRUDER. Well, we had heard, and I do not think it had been reported by that time through Mr. Odle, that Mr. McCord had been arrested. That is the point that I called Mr. Strachan. We had heard Mr. McCord had been arrested earlier through Mr. Liddy and it became, more official, and any efforts to release him had not, been successful; So we knew that, he would be in jail for a period of time. it Was at that point that at I called him. There was a high degree of concern on our part and 1 imparted that concern, as there was on his part, of course. Senator WEICKER. During that conversation with Mr. Strachan, did you discuss the money in possession of the defendants? Mr. MAGRUDER. As I recall, it, came out in the, evening news that some $5,300 had been found in the defendants possession. We had hoped that it was Democratic money, not our money. But at that time, it was not known as to whose money it was. It was not until Monday when I talked to Mr. Sloan that I knew it was our money. [00.36.06] Senator WEICKER. And on June 18, you received a call from Mr. Haldeman. Is that correct,? Mr. MAGRUDER. Yes, sin Senator WEICKER. And during that, telephone conversation Mr. Haldeman asked, "What happened?'" Mr. MAGRUDER. Yes, sir. Senator WEICKER. Well, now, how did you take that question? Did you think he, was referring, to what happened as it related to the particular events of the arrest or did you feel that this -was a "what happened" relative to the, whole operation? Were you surprised that Mr. Haldeman should ask the question, what, happened? Mr. MAGRUDER. NO sir, Senator WEICKER. You were not surprised ? Or yoi were surprised? Mr. MAGRUDER. NO; I was not surprised. Senator WEICKER. In other words, you felt, in this telephone, conversation where he called you, that he truly was trying to find out from scratch as to what occurred ? Mr. MAGRUDER. No, I didn't say that. I was not surprised that he called. [00.37.24]