Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 14, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 14, 1973
[00.47.51] Senator MONTOYA. Can you elaborate or amplify on their significance ? Mr. MAGRUDER. I did not, pay any attention to the names at all. It did not interest me. Senator MONTOYA. Did you have anything--- Mr. 'MAGRUDER. But I remember the names. Senator MONTOYA. Did you have anything in your files with respect to these. names? Mr. MAGRUDER. Well, -when the documents came in those. names were in the, documents, and I just cannot recall in what context they were in the documents. My recollection was that I thought that they were the positioning that would identify where that bug was, that is what I thought. I would not, I could not verify that. I think that is my recollection of what, Ruby 1, Ruby 2, and Crystal meant. Senator MONTOYA. DO' you mean to tell me you did not read the documents that, -went into the Gemstone file? Mr. -MAGRUDER. I did not say that, sir. I said I read the documents but the jargon, the jargon that Mr. Liddy used was not, of any interest to me. Actually, Senator, I only read the documents once, found them to be useless and did not read them again, Senator MONTOYA. What -about. Sedan Chair. No 2? Mr. MAGRUDER. Sedan Chair. 2, to my recollection, -was an individual who was in the Humphrey campaign, who had been set up before Mr. Liddy came on board, although that could be, incorrect, it, may have been after, and was simply a, as I understood it, I think a disgruntled employee -who was passing information to us. I just do not, know who Sedan Chair. 2 -was. He wrote. one extensive report that I think Porter alluded to Humphrey's campaign in Philadelphia. Senator MONTOYA. Now, you indicated also in testimony heretofore given that, you always assumed that, when Mr. Dean acted that he, had authority either from Mr. Haldeman or Mr. Ehrlichman, did you not? Mr. MAGRUDER. I think, Senator, I said that, his normal reporting relationship -was either between Mr. Haldeman and Mr. Ehrlichman I do not know specifically in every case, whether he was acting in their behalf. Senator MONTOYA. But you were under the belief that, because was employed at the White House under these two gentleman that he was acting for and in their behalf, Is that what you indicated before Mr. MAGRUDER. Senator, in a general context, yes, sir. Senator MONTOYA. What particular part, did Mr. Dean have in forging the plan for the coverup? Now. give me the different stages of the plan, give me the variations from the initial plan, and how it evolved finally. Mr. MAGRUDER. I think for the coverup story now, there, are two parts to the coverup, one, is taking care, of the defendants. My knowledge of that is very limited. it is only that I, in asking were they going to be, taken care of, Mr. Dean and Mr. Mitchell indicated they were. Mr. LaRue has indicated he had involvement in that area, so I don't, I can't speak too Specifically about the money. -Now, as far as the coverup story is concerned, I developed a coverup story myself Senator MONTOYA. All right. When was this developed and who was present in the Initial meeting? Mr. MAGRUDER. Well, we started to meet and realized that we had to come up with the reason why we could have spent $250,000 for- legal activities for Mr. Liddy , so I, in effect. had the responsibility since he had worked for, me to try to figure out how we, could develop a study that would sound legitimate that would cover this $250,000. Senator MONTOYA. Mr. Magruder, if you will pardon me, let us digress from that and let, us go back to what exactly was done by you or others under the Committee To Re-Elect the President with respect to getting these defendants together culminating in their pleading guilty or being tried. Was anything positive done with respect to these defendants? Mr. MAGRUDER. Senator, on the defendants, I am unaware Of the specific activities that were engaged in by other individuals. All I was aware of Was that they were being taken care of and that Mr. Dean, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. LaRue were aware of that. After the break-in it is important, I think. to know I was asked and told to go back and run the, committee and not, worry about, the Watergate case other than how I could assist specifically in the coverup. So I did not involve myself in any of the details of making sure that the defendants were kept in line, so I don't know the details. Senator MONTOYA. If you have no personal connection with that kind of involvement. do you have any knowledge as to who was the engineer for getting these defendants to go along and keeping them together? Mr. MAGRUDER. Senator, to the best Of my knowledge there Was Mr. Dean's and Mr.---I think it is inappropriate for me to say whose it was specifically. I know that Mr. Dean. -Mr. Mitchell. LaRue specifically were working on this problem, each of them having different, roles. I don't think Mr. Mitchell played any operational role. I know LaRue did handle funds and I don't know specifically how much Dean directly involved himself with the defendants and their, lawyers. I simply do not know the details of that.