Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, July 10, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, July 10, 1973
[00.12.40-DASH interrogates MITCHELL about the state of MITCHELL'S knowledge about NIXON'S knowledge of the Watergate and COVERUP] [00.12. Mr. DASH. But that statement is not made on any information the President told you or you told the President or anybody told you about what the President knows? Mr. MITCHELL. Would you repeat that again? Mr. DASH. I say that statement you have just made, is not based on anything the President told you specifically, anything you fold the President, anything anybody told you that he had told the President? Mr. MITCHELL. I understand the thrust of your question. That is correct. It is based solely on my association with the President and not conversations on the affirmative side of the subject matter. Mr. DASH. I have no further questions. Senator ERVIN. The committee will stand in recess until 2 o'clock. [00.13.20-SENATORS stand to leave, photographers and reporters go into action] [00.13.25-LEHRER in studio] LEHRER states that the latest attempt to determine the PRESIDENT'S knowledge of Watergate has ended. [PBS network ID-title screen "SENATE HEARINGS ON CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES] [00.16.55-LEHRER] LEHRER states that Fred THOMPSON will ask MITCHELL about government intelligence operations] [00.17.07-shot of ERVIN and DASH conferring, ERVIN bangs gavel] AFTERNOON SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 10, 1973 Senator ERVIN. The committee, will come to order. Mr. Thompson. Mr. THOMPSON. Mr. Mitchell, you have testified concerning the so-called 1970 plan or the Huston plan or the Huston project, and then in answering questions from Mr. Dash you went Into talking about -what is known as the Plumbers project in the White House. [00.17.49] Would, You say that the Plumbers in the White House. as you know them to be was a logical extension of this 1970 plan which was evidently rescinded? Mr. MITCHELL. I would not say so. Mr. Thompson. because of the time frame intervening and also the consideration of the Interagency Evaluation Commission--Committee in the meantime. I think that Was Somewhat of a self-starter, later on caused used by events and if I would have to guess, without knowing it was probably generated about the time of the Pentagon Papers. Now, these are opinions I am giving to you, I have no knowledge on it. [00.18.35] Mr. THOMPSON. You mentioned a field for, need Of coordination between the intelligence-gathering agencies, is that correct? Mr. MITCHELL. Yes, sir, I do. Mr. THOMPSON. Was this just in the White House or was this also in the, intelligence community. Mr. MITCHELL. Well. it was In parts Of the intelligence community and it certainly was in the Justice Department. We, as I think I mentioned this morning, found that we were receiving intelligence from headquarters where we might not have expected it in connection with anticipation of violent acts in connection with demonstration and at other times just pure violent acts. I mentioned the Alcoholic Tax and Firearms Bureau which had, I thought, quite a very competent intelligence Capacity, certainly, in connection with some of the problems that we had In the Justice Department. [00.19.30]