Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, July 10, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, July 10, 1973
[00.49.07-DASH interrogates MITCHELL about the COVERUP of WATERGATE] Mr. DASH. Well, wasn't it the result of your effort or program to keep the lid on? You were interested in the grand jury not getting the full story? Isn't that true? Mr. MITCHELL. Maybe we can get the record straight So You won't have, to ask me after each of These questions; Yes. we wanted to keep the lid on. We were not volunteering anything. Mr. DASH. AS a matter Of fact, would it not be fair to say, Mr. Mitchell. that The most consuming issue that occupied you and Some of those you were meeting with at this time was exactly the question of keeping the lid On during the--- Mr. MITCHELL. NO. I wouldn't say that I that that was correct, Mr. Dash. There Were many other political activities that took place and. of course, I've, probably spent more time in connection with the civil litigation than We did in connection with this particular aspect of it. [00.49.58] Mr. DASH. Well, did you become aware at this; time--in July or August--that payments "were being made to defendants and support payments, for the family? Mr. MITCHELL. I became aware in the fall sometime. and I can't tell YOU 'when it was. Probably It was a time in which one individual stopped making the payments and the other individual took it up, whatever time reference that was. Mr. Mr. DASH. And did you know that Mr. Kalmbach had been involved in that at all ? Mr. MITCHELL. I had learned that. yes. Mr. DASH. Did you also learn That in September, he had decided not to be involved any more and that Mr. LaRue took up the responsibility of landing the funds, making Payoffs? Mr. MITCHELL. Yes, sir. [00.50.44] Mr. DASH. Now, when did you leave your position as the director of the campaign? Mr. MITCHELL. On the 1st of July 1972. Mr. DASH. And when you left, were you not, aware that Mr. Magruder was staying on as deputy director of the campaign. Mr. MITCHELL. Yes, he. stayed on as Mr. MacGregor's deputy. Mr. DASH. And -were you not aware when you were leaving that Mr. Magruder at least faced some serious problem of being indicted on the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters as of July 1? Mr. MITCHELL. As of July 1? 1 think that was a potential, yes. [00.51.29] Mr. DASH. Now, you did meet with the President on June 30, 1972, just before you left. As I understand, you had lunch with the President Mr. MITCHELL. That is correct, sir. Mr. DASH. Did you think it your duty to tell the President at that lunch before you left that the man who was playing such a key role in his campaign, Magruder, had such a problem that he might be indicted for the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters? [00.51.55-MITCHELL acts bored to be asked the same questions again, gives even more vague answers than before] Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Dash, I think you and I have gone over to the point where we have established that the White House horror stories had come out in connection with the problem at that particular time and there wasn't the question of lifting of the tent slightly in order to get with respect to one individual or another; it was a keeping the lid on and no information volunteered. [00.52.27] Mr. DASH. Even if the lid had been kept, on the so-called White House horrors, wouldn't it be very embarrassing to the President of the United States in his effort to be reelected if his deputy campaign director was indicted in the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters? Mr. MITCHELL. I don't think as far as the Watergate was concerned, there was a hell of a lot of difference between the deputy campaign director and the counsel for the finance committee and the security officer. Quite frankly, as far as the Watergate was concerned, that -was already a public issue. It was the parties that were involved. [00.53.07] Mr. DASH. There came a time, did there not, Mr. Mitchell, that the pressures for money by the defendants or by Mr. Hunt increased? Would you tell us what you know about that? Mr. MITCHELL. Well I am not sure, Mr. Dash, that, I can tell you very much about them other than the fact that somewhere along in the fall Mr. Hunt had a telephone conversation with Mr. Colson, which, I think, covered the subject matter and then later on, as I recall, Mr. Dean has got, in the record a letter from Mr. Hunt to Mr. Colson, which I think is quite suggestive of the fact that, he was being abandoned. [00.54.02] Then I heard later on, in March of this year, there were oral communications from either Hunt or his attorney relating to requests for legal fees and so forth, which were communicated to the White House [00.54.21]