Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 14, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 14, 1973
[00.59.30] Senator TALMADGE. Yet, Do You also reaffirm to this committee that Mr. Strachan, who was a White House liaison man for Mr., Haldeman, assigned to your committee had knowledge of these affairs and had daily reports' from you to him concerning them ? Mr. MAGRUDER. Yes sir. Not daily reports relating to the Watergate though, Senator. He had daily reports totally on many subjects. Watergate only occurred on periodic bases. Senator TALMADGE. He did have Information concerning the Watergate before and after; is that, correct? Mr. MAGRUDER. Yes, sir. That is correct. Senator TALMADGE. NOW, to what extent was Mr. Haldeman involved in the Watergate affair. either preplanning or subsequent thereto? Mr. MAGRUDER. As I have indicated before, Senator, to my knowledge, my dealings were only with Mr. Strachan at the White House and Mr. Dean. I am not privileged to the conversations or memos that that, went between Mr. Dean and Mr. Strachan and Mr. Haldeman or any ally" other official at the White House, so I Simply do not know, first discussion with Mr. Haldeman relating to this matter was the Sunday after the break-in and. again, I did not have any further discussions with him until January at which time we discussed it in relation to our employment, so it is very difficult for me to directly relate anything other than what I have already testified to, Senator. Senator TALMADGE. You had assumed since Mr. Strachan was Mr. Haldeman's personal representative, liaison 131,111. the memorandums that you prepared for Mr. Strachan were being delivered to Mr. Haldeman? I Mr. MAGRUDER. I think I mentioned this morning--mentioned that before. Mr. Strachan, because I had seen them a number of times, not with reference to Watergate or intelligence gathering, was simply an update report that he Would prepare for Mr. Haldeman and I do not know how often he prepared it and that would, In capsule form, indicate that the campaign committee as an example. had agreed to do a direct mail campaign for the State of New Hampshire in the primary at a cost of a $100,000. He may. might have., attached backup material which might have boon a memo from one of our staff people to 'Mr. Mitchell on that subject or he might not. It -was his discretion but he did not, send the raw reports to Mr. Haldeman. I know that. He always capsulized it in a memo form because I saw that report numerous times during the campaign. Senator TALMADGE. AS I understood it. Hie President had two counselors one was Mr. Colson and the other was Mr. Dean. Mr. MAGRUDER. Mr. Colson. I think. was special counsel to the President. That is not a legal position, Mr. Dean's role was counsel to the President, and was a legal position. Senator TALMADGE. You testified this morning that Mr. Dean was intimately involved in both the planning the execution, and the coverup? Mr. MAGRUDER. Yes, sir, Senator TALMADGE. Now, to what extent was Mr. Colson involved? Mr. MAGRUDER. To my direct knowledge only through the telephone conversations that he had with me and some references to that matter that his assistant, Mr. Howard, had relating particularly to Howard Hunt. We did not discuss the specific Watergate wiretapping directly, I did not, with Mr. Colson, other than his admonition his to me to in effect get On the stick and get the Liddy project approved so we can get the information from Mr. O'Brien, something to that effect, Senator TALMADGE. I believe you testified that he urged immediate execution go forward at an early date. Mr. MAGRUDER. Yes. sir. Senator TALMADGE. Now, to what extent was Mr. Kleindienst then Attorney General, involved ? Mr. MAGRUDER. To my knowledge to no extent. I never had any discussions with Mr. Kleindienst on this matter. Senator TALMADGE. YOU have no personal knowledge of his involvement either by hearsay, memorandum. or otherwise Mr. MAGRUDER. No, Sir. Senator TALMADGE. Now, to what extent was Mr., Stans, involved? Mr. MAGRUDER. To my knowledge, to no extent before April--before June 17. Other than as chairman of the committee being aware of the cash disbursements that were being made to Mr. Liddy. Now, on June 24, 1 think it was, on a Saturday we did meet and discuss the, Watergate problem with him and my best recollection is we didn't 'go into specifies that Mr. Mitchell and I were involved but that simply Mr. Liddy was involved and we thought there would be, problems that would create a situation -where Mr. Stans would probably be--eventually have to terminate, Mr. Liddy, and that there were problems with Mr. 'Sloan as to the amounts of money----- [01.04.14--TAPE OUT]