Reel

Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, July 10, 1973

Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, July 10, 1973
Clip: 489267_1_1
Year Shot: 1973 (Actual Year)
Audio: Yes
Video: Color
Tape Master: 10434
Original Film: 117002
HD: N/A
Location: Caucus Room, Russell Senate Office Building
Timecode: -

[00.54.21-DASH continues interrogating MITCHELL about efforts to pay off the DEFENDANTS-for a man at the center of the alleged activities, MITCHELL professes to know very little...] Mr. DASH. How did you hear about the March request? Mr. MITCHELL. The March request? I think I probably heard about it through Mr. LaRue, if my memory serves me right. Mr. DASH. Do you know how much money was tactually being requested at that time? Mr. MITCHELL. I can't really, tell you about the moneys across this period of time. It seems to me that the March request had some amount in the, area of $75,000 which Mr. LaRue described to me that was being requested by counsel for their legal fees in connection with the representation of Mr. Hunt. Mr. DASH. Did Mr. LaRue ask you what your opinion was or whether he should pay that amount of money to Mr. Hunt or his counsel? [00.55.14] Mr. MITCHELL. 'Mr. LaRue, to the best, of my recollection. Put it this context; I have got this request, I have talked to John Dean over at the White House, they are not In the money business any more, what, would you do if you were in my shoes and knowing that he made Prior payments? I said, if I were you. I would continue and I would make the payment. Mr. DASH. And in that advice to Mr. LaRue. I take it, was the consideration that unless that payment was made, Mr. Hunt might in fact, might uncover the so-called White House horror stories, [00.55.48-MITCHELL again tries to play dumb] Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Dash, I don't know how you can move from the fact, that Mr. LaRue told me that it was for legal fees to the point Where we are uncovering the White House horror stories. It may be there. I don't know. Mr. DASH. Didn't that enter your mind, the pressure from Mr. Hunt, the fact that, you indicated there were requests and former pressures for money, to the----- Mr. MITCHELL. I don't think, Mr. Dash, that in March of 1973. those things Were entering my mind, because I think as you are well aware from other testimony, I had refused to even consider raising money for these purposes a long time before that. Mr. DASH. But YOU are aware that there Was a sum of money available for that at the White House, were you not? Mr. MITCHELL. I was aware that there had been one at one time. but I didn't know how far they had gotten into that particular fund. Mr. DASH. Was this the $350,000 had come over from the Committee for the Re-Election of the President to the White House---- Mr. MITCHELL. That is the only fund I was aware of, yes. [00.56.55] Mr. DASH. Why Mr. Mitchell, did you refuse around that time to raise any money for the payment of these fees? Mr. MITCHELL. Well. not only around that, time, but all other times I have, never raised any money for anything and I was not about to start for that particular purpose. Mr. DASH. Did you ever make any suggestions that the money that should be used for that purpose was the $350,000? Mr. MITCHELL. -No, to the best Of my recollection, I had -a conversation With Mr. LaRue, I am sure at his instance, not mine, In which he Pointed out that the funds, whatever source they were, that he had for the support of and the, payment of lawyers' fees of these, individuals, had run out, did I know whether there was any other money? And I suggested that maybe you ought to call over to the White House and see if the $350,000 that had had been sitting over there since April was available for the purpose. I understand that he did so. [00.57.56] Mr. DASH. Do you recall attending a meeting in with Mr. Kalmbach and Mr. Dean in which you asked Kalmbach to help raise money for these legal fees and support of families? That occurred in January 1973. Mr. MITCHELL. In January 1973. Since, our conversation of yesterday Mr. Dash, I have continued to rack my brain and I have no recollection of that. I know that there Was a meeting on that day, January 19, a foundation meeting over here in Blair House, in which both Mr. Kalmbach and Mr. Dean were there. But I have no recollection of any meeting beyond that. [00.58.41] Mr. DASH. -NOW, did you become also aware of Mr. McCord's demands and were you in touch -with Mr. Dean concerning Mr. Caulfield's approach to Mr. McCord? Mr. MITCHELL. Somewhere through the middle, of it, because I -was in Florida for sometime, I think the 20th of December through the 8th or 9th of January, while a lot of this Was occurring. Mr. DASH. What role did you play? What did you learn?, Mr. MITCHELL. I learned that Mr. Dean had Mr. Caulfield contacting Mr. McCord and talking to Mr. McCord. Mr. DASH. About what? Do you know about what? Mr. MITCHELL. About what, Mr. McCord's attitude -was concerning the predicament that he was in and what he was going to do. [00.59.29]