Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, July 10, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, July 10, 1973
[00.24.54-THOMPSON questions MITCHELL about MITCHELL'S awareness of LIDDY'S background in intelligence and other clandestine activities. MITCHELL claims that he was not aware of such, which fits in with the "Blame it all on DEAN" strategy] Mr. THOMPSON. I believe you testified that you did not know at the time of your meeting on November 24 what -Mr. Liddy had done at the White House, any involvement he had with the Plumbers group In the White House or anything of this sort; is that correct,? Mr. MITCHELL. That is correct. It was 6 months later before I learned of the so-called Plumbers activities. Mr. THOMPSON. Were you even aware that he worked at the White House at that time? Mr. MITCHELL. Yes, because he was brought over with Mr. Krogh--- Mr. THOMPSON. I am talking about November 24? Mr. MITCHELL. Yes. I was aware he was at the White House because it was so represented at that meeting. Mr. THOMPSON. Whose office did you understand that he was working in? Mr. MITCHELL. He was Working, under Mr. Krogh's aegis in connection with the drug program over them Mr. THOMPSON. All right. Did you know of' any other activities that Mr. Liddy had at that time? Mr. MITCHELL. he Was very much involved in the White House relationship with the District of Columbia here. In fact, he was their prime contact. But as far as his activities in the area which has since been developed and become common knowledge I had no such ideas. [00.26.00] Mr. THOMPSON. I see. When you met with Liddy and Krogh in December did you inquire of Mr. Krogh then or did you have my discussion as to the nature of Liddy's -work at the White House involving any Of the Plumbers? Mr. MITCHELL. None whatsoever. We discussed entirely the DALE program. to the best of my recollection. Mr. THOMPSON. That seems like Mr. Krogh knew what he was doing and it seems like you were being placed in a potentially embarrassing position by even allowing Mr. Liddy to he presented to you, considering the nature of his prior activities. Did not anyone, who know Mr. Liddy's prior activities Mention the fact to you that you were, about to take a man in an important position of the campaign who had engaged in some of these---- [00.26.45] Mr. MITCHELL. None whatsoever As a matter of fact, Mr. Liddy Was quite actively involved in the establishment of this DALE program which. as you probably know, relates to law enforcement through the use of the courts, grand juries, and so forth and. as I understood that at the time that was one of the reasons that Liddy was brought into the Krogh operation and the Ambrose operation and helped setting that up was because he had been a former assistant prosecutor who did have knowledge with respect to the functioning of grand juries. [00.27.21] Mr. THOMPSON. I believe you made the decision there on November 24 that if it was all right with Magruder that it was all right with you for---- Mr. MITCHELL. I think that is the general tenor in which it was represented. THOMPSON. Whose representations were you relying on, you didn't know the man before, you just met him; Mr. Dean's? Mr. MITCHELL. I was relying on the representations that wore made to me with respect in the background of the individual involved. Mr. THOMPSON. Who made those representations? Mr. MITCHELL. I am sure they were made by Mr. Dean and by Mr. Liddy with respect to what his background was then. Mr. THOMPSON. -Neither of then, mentioned anything having to do with his previous Plumbers activities. Mr. MITCHELL. No, sir, I can assure you of that. [00.28.00] Mr. THOMPSON. All right. Mr. Mitchell, you mentioned in your testimony this morning or implied I believe would be a fair way to state it that, perhaps someone prevailed upon -Mr. Magruder to supersede your orders. I believe you have made public statements that you would like to know who sent Mr. Magruder back again and again 'with this thing that you didn't want to come about. I know you don't like to engage in speculation with regard to other people but, these are things that you volunteered. I was wondering if you could enlighten us a little bit more based upon your prior experience in your relationship with the people in the White House, and things that have occurred since the break-in as to this being a case-of course, Mr. Magruder was a young man, an individual who was a team player evidently--can you shed any light on who it might have been who was doing this? [00.29.02-MITCHELL doesn't want to name the names (Colson) in the White House who he thought pushed MAGRUDER to get the LIDDY plan in operation] Mr. MITCHELL. Well, Mr. Thompson, this would be purely an opinion and would involve people's reputations. I think if you go back to the testimony of Mr. Dean relating conversations that he had both with Mr. Magruder and otherwise I think that that probably is a better answer to the question than my hypothecation or guesstimate at this particular time. Mr. THOMPSON. What part of Mr. Dean's testimony are you referring to? Mr. MITCHELL. Well, there are quite a number of areas and I cannot give you the page numbers, but, they have in two areas. No. 1, what Mr. Magruder told Mr. Dean personally and -what Mr. O'Brien told Mr. Dean that Magruder had told him. And then, of course, there, are, the statements that Magruder himself made about the telephone, calls from Mr. Colson, Mr. Howard, et cetera, I think that those areas of: testimony would probably be a, great, a better source, of information than my conjecture. [00.30.17]