Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, July 10, 1973 (1/2)
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, July 10, 1973 (1/2)
[00.20.23] Senator GURNEY. Let me, ask you this. Were there, any instances during the campaign, when you were the campaign director, -where Mr. Magruder went over your head, on his own, without your knowledge or without your direction? Mr. MITCHELL. Yes; I think you -will find, and we must, get, the two dates because Senator Talmadge, of course,, has had me in one, spot, at one period Of time and I was officially campaign director for another period of time. I think you will find that, in the dirty tricks department I can give you one example, that I cannot give you the details of, but I know that it happened without my knowledge. That was a riot that they created up here, on the steps of the Capitol that I had no knowledge of and did not know that it was being funded. There, undoubtedly are others. I know that there, were beforehand and I presume that there -were in between. I can answer your question better after this committee gets through with its dirty tricks investigation. [00.21.33] Senator GURNEY. Well, hopefully we Will find out about all those things you know, and I think maybe I have asked this in another way. but I do want to ask it, again-do you know of any other instances -where, Mr. Magruder, or do you know of any instances -where Mr. Magruder may have been carrying out the instructions of anybody else, in. connection -with his duties at the committee? [00.22.05] Mr. MITCHELL. Yes: I believe that, you will probably find that that was the case. in connection with this matter up here. I think that, this was directed out of the White House. I think you will find that, there are, other similar activities, maybe not of the same magnitude or scope. Senator GURNEY. In other words, I think there probably are instances where he was directed by other people? Mr. MITCHELL. I think perhaps "directed" can be The word, or it, may be the point where they were working in Concert On Some of these activities. Senator GURNEY. Let, us go to the, June 18 meeting if we may. You talked about that. But mostly in connection with this business of whether there was discussion 'on destroying the Gemstone files. I am not interested in going over that again, but would you give your explanation of what happened at that meeting? [00.23.09] Mr. MITCHELL. Senator, my recollection of the purpose for the meeting was, the fact that not only I but Mardian and LaRue, who were pretty well up in the campaign by June 17, had been On a Series of events out in California on Saturday and Sunday and that we had Very little contact with what was going on back in Washington. We were on the plane leaving out here at 10:30 and get getting in at sometime around 7:00 or 8:00 at night. What we were concerned of was to find out what was going on in the press, because there, you know, was an inordinate blast from the Democratic side., and, of course, for the next 9 months, all we did was answer charges and countercharges charges with respect to the subject matter. So that to the best of my recollection, the meeting was for the purpose of reviewing what had developed In the case that we did not know about in our transit who had been identified in connection with it, and I do not believe that as of Julie 18, there had been any other identification other than the five that had been arrested In the Watergate: how we were going to respond to the Democratic previously, the security officer of the Committee To Re-Elect the President had been arrested; and where we were going to go from here. [00.24.50] Coming back On the, plane -with Mardian and LaRue. I discussed the concept that we needed an investigation which they should undertake in connection with the committee which they did undertake. Now, there seems to be a difference of opinion as to -whether or not, by the time we had gotten back on the night of June 18, as to whether or not the Democrats had threatened to sue and we were talking about lawyers. To the best of my recollection, that came later, although in trying to reconstruct. what happened at that, there has been some thought that lawyers for the committee were considered at that Meeting. But to my knowledge or recollection it came at a later date. [00.25.40]