Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 14, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 14, 1973
[00.08.20] Senator ERVIN. But was there not a complement of fear in the White House with respect to the crime problem. as well as the demonstration problem? Mr. MAGRUDER. Yes, sir, I think the whole, atmosphere, relating to these, events was particularly difficult for many people who worked in the White House and were in day-to-day contact with these problems. Senator ERVIN. Now, Mr. Coffin just came down and demonstrated did he not? Mr. MAGRUDER. I am sorry, Senator, Mr.- Senator ERVIN. You spoke about your former professor- Mr. MAGRUDER. The Reverend Coffin. Yes. Senator ERVIN. He just came down and demonstrated There, were a great many demonstrations, weren't there? Mr. MAGRUDER. He did quite a bit more than demonstrate Senator ERVIN. He, was supposed to try to frustrate the draft. Mr. MAGRUDER. He did and he participated in many activities that were considered illegal. Senator ERVIN. You were disturbed at the demonstrations, were all you, the people at the, White House? Mr. MAGRUDER. Yes, sir; we were, Senator ERVIN. The reason I asked the question, I have had to spend my time fighting such laws and legislative, proposals as no-knock, preventive detention laws, and the claim that there was an inherent right, of the President to bug anybody suspected of domestic subversion, and things of that, kind. And I just, could not understand Why people got so fearful., Now, it. has come out., lately that even in 1970, when you were at the, White Rouse, didn't Mr. Tom Charles Huston come Up with a plan which was based on the fear of dissenting groups, even to a Plan that would involve burglarizing and electronic surveillance and the examination Of people's mail because of this fear? Mr. MAGRUDER. Senator, I have, read what you have read in the papers and I was not, aware of that plan. but that, I assume, is correct, Senator ERVIN. Well, you do know that there was a climate in which many people in the White -House and later many Of the people in the, Committee To Re-Elect the President were absolutely afraid of things. Isn't that so? Mr. MAGRUDER. Yes, Senator, I would say so. Senator ERVIN. Even of the Democratic national headquarters. Mr. MAGRUDER. I would characterize that at least my reaction was stronger after years of working in that atmosphere than it had been strong before'. [00.10.52] Senator ERVIN. I am familiar with that kind of atmosphere. I came up here during the days when Joe 'McCarthy saw a communist hiding under every rose bush and I have been here fighting the no-knock laws and preventive detention laws and indiscriminate bugging by people who've found subversives hiding under every bed. In this Nation, we have had a very unfortunate fear. And this fear went to the extent of deploring the exercise of First Amendment rights for those who wanted to assemble and petition the Government for redress of grievances,. Some of it happened before you got into the White House and I am not blaming you. Because even under a Democratic administration I had an investigation here where they became so afraid of People that they used military intelligence to on civilians whose only offense was that they were dissatisfied with the policies of the Government and assembled and petitioned for relief. Now. I think that all grew out of this complement of fear. did it not. the whole Watergate incident ? Mr. MAGRUDER. I think from in my own personal standpoint, I did lose Some respect for the legal process simply because I did not see it working as I had hoped it would when I came 'me here. But that, I would like to make sure you understand Senator, is my own feeling and I do not, want to attribute that motive to other individuals Senator ERVIN. Well. I have been able to sense it here a long time. I am glad you brought it up. NOW. to summarize this thing very briefly On January 27 and February 4, 1972, John Mitchell was the highest legal officer in the United States. was he not ? Mr. MAGRUDER. That is correct. Senator ERVIN. And on those -2 days, he held meetings in his office with you, John W. Dean III, and Gordon Liddy, in which he planned some spying operations which involved among other things, the spying on the Democratic national Headquarters. Mr. MAGRUDER. That is correct. Senator. [00.13.09]