Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, July 10, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, July 10, 1973
[00.12.35-DASH interrogates MITCHELL about his role in launching the Watergate breakin, authorizing and financing] Mr. DASH. Now, Mr. Mitchell, were you aware that on or about May 27, 1972, there -was in fact a break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate? Mr. MITCHELL. No, sir. Mr. DASH. And did you know of the code name, "Gemstone" or any of the wiretap proof proofs that came from the, break-in? Mr. MITCHELL. Not until a great deal later down the road, Mr. Dash. Mr. DASH. When you say that, how far down the road? Mr. MITCHELL. I am not, quite certain. I believe. it would be substantially down the road. Mr. DASH. Before June 17 or after June 17? Mr. MITCHELL. Oh, much after June 17. Mr. DASH. Were you aware that, Mr. Magruder kept a so-called Mitchell Gemstone file as well as a Haldeman Gemstone file, prior to June 17? Mr. MITCHELL. I have heard testimony here, Mr. Dash, that I believe it was Mr. Reisner, that they kept a Mitchell file, in which documents would be placed for Mr. Magruder to come up and discuss them with. me. Mr. DASH. Yes, I believe Mr. Magruder has also testified about that. [00.13.44] Mr. MITCHELL. Yes, about a file that would have documents, memorandums et cetera. et cetera. I am not aware of anybody testifying to the fact that there was a special Mitchell gemstone file. Mr. DASH. Well. the Mitchell file did include. on that testimony. You will recall, that it included gemstone documents. Mr. MITCHELL. I recall Reisner stating that he had put the documents in there, yes. [00.14.09-MITCHELL tries very hard to act honest] Mr. DASH. But do you recall Mr. Magruder testifying that he had taken these documents and showed them to you? Mr. MITCHELL. I recall it very vividly because A happens to be a palpable, damnable lie. Mr. DASH. What is the lie, Mr. Mitchell? Mr. MITCHELL. Well. let me lay out the scenario for you, because my answer will come in the scenario. I paid particular attention to this because of the fact that Mr. Magruder said that at his regular 8:30 morning meeting, sometime within a week or a week and a half from the time of the initial break-in, that he brought certain documents to my office at the regular 8:30 meeting to display them to me and that I was dissatisfied with them and that I called Gordon Liddy up to my office and raised holy hell with him about the fact that, they were not the type of information that was wanted. [00.15.11] Now. let me go back and pick up the facts with respect to the meeting First of all, I had an 8:15 meeting every day over at the White House in connection with activities that were governmental, but I sat in on, Second. if you have my logs. that are very, very accurate and correct, you will note that there was no meeting in the morning during that period when Mr. Magruder and I were alone during that meeting. Third, I have never seen or talked to Mr. Liddy from the 4th day of February 1972 until the 15th day of June either in person or On the telephone. [00.15.58] Fourth, I would like to point out that Mr. Dean's testimony is that When he first debriefed 'Mr. Liddy on the 19th of June, Mr. Liddy told Mr. Dean that Magruder the one that had pushed him continue the second entry on the 17th of June and I cannot conceive Of anybody, if they had Mitchell as a scapegoat, why they would get down to Magruder and use him as the one that had pushed him. so I am using that dialogue to point out the reasons why this meeting could not and did not take place. [00.16.40] Mr. DASH. Just taking that dialogue, you were aware that there was no love lost between Mr. Liddy and 'Mr. Magruder and he might well have, wanted to, since we are speculating, put the blame on Mr. Magruder. Mr. MITCHELL. As I am stating Mr. Dash, I never saw Mr. Liddy from the 4th of February until the 15th of June and I cannot tell you whether there was love lost or not. I think there is testimony that if they had a controversy, it should be kept away from me and settled at lower echelons. Mr. DASH. Well, if Mr. Liddy did not see you, did Mr. Magruder show you the Gemstone file, as he indicated he did? Mr. MITCHELL. No; he, did not and I just got through denying that fact that he did and I am pointing out the reasons why he did not because of the circumstances and time in which he -is talking about the meetings that are referred to in those logs. a [00.17.31]