Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities May 17, 1973 - Testimony of Robert Odle.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities May 17, 1973 - Testimony of Robert Odle.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities May 17, 1973 - Testimony of Robert Odle. United States Senate Caucus Room, Washington, DC
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities May 17, 1973 - Testimony of Robert Odle.
Senator Ed GURNEY (R-Florida). Thank you Mr. Chairman. Mr. Odle pursuing the line of questioning that Senator Talmadge was engaged in, Do you know whether at any time the committee to re-elect ever received any instructions from Robert Dole the chairman of the Republican National committee? Mr. ODLE. Well um, Senator Dole was actively involved of course in the campaign and I know he worked very closely with Mr. Mitchell and with Mr. MacGregor. I don't know that Mr. Dole, Senator Dole would instruct Mr. Mitchell or Mr. Mitchell would instruct Senator Dole sir, but they worked together. Senator GURNEY. But he was not actively involved in the committee to re-elect the president? Mr. ODLE. No sir, he was the chairman of the Republican National Committee. Senator GURNEY. Do you know whether any Republican National Committee people were brought over to the committee to re-elect the president? Mr. ODLE. Yes sir, there were people from the national committee working at the committee in later stages. Senator GURNEY. Do you recall how many? Mr. ODLE. Uh, I don't think a great number, I'd say less than 10. Senator GURNEY. Do you recall what positions they had? Mr. ODLE. Um, to the best of my knowledge they were working in the political division. Senator GURNEY. Do you recall whether any people who were key people in the committee to re-election the president ever been in republican office holders before? Mr. ODLE. Mr. MacGregor of course was. He was a congressman from Minnesota. Senator GURNEY. Beside from him. Mr. ODLE. Mr. Flemming was I think the first Republican ever elected to the Alexandria Council. Mr. Mardian has been active in Arizona and California politics, I don't know that he's been elected. Let me look at a copy of the chart here.... I don't see any other names I recognize, no sir. Senator GURNEY. Was the committee to re-elect the president involved in any other political campaigns in 1972, the re-election of the Republicans other than the campaign to re-elect the president? Mr. ODLE. Uh, It certainly did what it could, I believe to be of assistance. Senator GURNEY. Well, could you amplify on that, actually (Mr. ODLE speaks over question) to involve itself in any other republican campaigns? Mr. ODLE. Well I know that when Mr. Flemming became special assistant to the campaign director after July, that he, he actively worked with the Senate and the House campaign committees, I believe and in support of other congressman, republican candidates for, for high office. Senator GURNEY. What did he do? Mr. ODLE. I'm not familiar sir with the specifications. Senator Gurney. Were any uh, can you describe the policy meetings at the committee to re-elect the president where decisions were made about what to do in the campaign and discussions were had about the progress of the campaign? Mr. ODLE. Sir, there was a strategy board, I did not attend those meetings. Senator GURNEY. Who served on the strategy board? Mr. ODLE. Um, well there was Mr. Magruder, there was I believe Mr. Clifford Miller from California. Um, Mr. Dailey our advertising director. I didn't go to the meetings and I can't remember all the people who did. Senator GURNEY. What uh, wasn't Mr. Mitchell involved in a policy meeting? Mr. ODLE. I don't believe he went to those sessions. I believe that those were brought to him in the forms of memoranda. Senator GURNEY. These are the only people that you know who engaged in any policy meetings? Mr. ODLE. Well, those are the ones I can remember right now off the tip of my tongue who went to those, I think they were Monday evening strategy meetings. Senator GURNEY. How was strategy disseminated from this policy committee, meeting? Mr. ODLE. Sir, that was just not my area. I'm sorry, I really can not answer that. Senator GURNEY. Did you ever receive any instructions from anybody in the White House during your service on the Committee to Re-Elect? Mr. ODLE. Um, I talked from time to time with Mr. (Straun) who was a White House Liaison, he made suggestions and ideas. I remember one time he said that the switchboard at our committee headquarters was overloaded and over burdened and he had a hard time getting in, and would I please hire another telephone operator. That's the only instruction I remember. Senator GURNEY. What other? Mr. ODLE. There may have been others. Senator GURNEY. What were the nature of your discussions with him other than the switchboard? Mr. ODLE. Well, just general things relating to my own activities. I was in charge of personnel, and I was in charge of volunteers, things like that.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities May 17, 1973 - Testimony of Robert Odle.
Senator GURNEY. Were your conversations in the nature of a report to him. Mr. ODLE. No, not really. We provided on some occasions reports and copies of memorandums to Mr. Straun so he would know what was going on. Senator GURNEY. Did you ever see in the course of your duties White House personnel in the Committee to Re-elect office? Mr. ODLE. Oh yes. Senator GURNEY. Who were they? Mr. ODLE. Well, various people from the White House would come over to the committee from time to time during, the committee was there for two years. The President came over one day, and shook hands. There were a number of White House officials that came through the committee from time to time. Senator GURNEY. Who made frequent visits? Mr. ODLE. (pauses) Uh, there was a convention strategy group that was looking at the convention, that met at the committee. Senator GURNEY. Who were they? Mr. ODLE. It was made up of representatives of the Republican National committee. Senator GURNEY. I'm talking about the White House people. Mr. ODLE. The White House people, that's what I was going to get. Mr. Timmons came over from time to time. Senator GURNEY. Anybody else in connection with the convention? Mr. ODLE. Mr. Caruthers, Mr. Good. Senator GURNEY. What other people came over from time to time? Mr. ODLE. I just can't remember right now Senator exactly who it was that came to the committee from the White House, it was a very busy time. Senator GURNEY. Well, did you ever see Mr. Haldeman in the office to re-elect at all? Mr. ODLE. Only once, only once and that was when the President came to shake hands with the staff members. Senator GURNEY. And what about Mr. (Ehrlich) ? Mr. ODLE. I never, I saw him there once. Senator GURNEY. Do you know what his mission was at that time, or did you just see him come in? Mr. ODLE. Yes sir, I just saw him. Senator GURNEY. Mr. Dean, did you ever see him there? Mr. ODLE. Yes, I saw Mr. Dean a couple of times. Senator GURNEY. Do you know what his purposes were when he visited? Mr. ODLE. No I do not. Senator GURNEY. Do you know anything about the surveillance operations that may have been conducted by the committee to re-elect the president? Mr. ODLE. Absolutely not. Senator GURNEY. Do you know anything about any of the sabotage operations that may have been conducted by the committee to re-elect the president? Mr. ODLE. Only what I have read in the newspapers. Senator GURNEY. I have no further questions.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities May 17, 1973 - Testimony of Robert Odle.
Senator Daniel INOUYE (D-Hawaii). Mr. Odle, this mornings Washington Post suggests that Mr. Charles Colson organized at least 30 groups of supporters of President Nixon to quote "attack" end quote, network news correspondents through write in, telephone and telegram campaigns to their local stations. I know that one of your committee charts lists an E. Fayler and shows that his area of responsibilities designated as quote " attack" end quote. Now who is Mr. E. Failor (Faylor, Fallor, Phayler ?) and what were his duties? Mr. ODLE. Mr. Edward Failor was basically, as the name suggests in charge of the attack operation. The idea there was, as I understand it, and I was not close to it. The idea was to see what the opposition candidate was saying that day, or that week. To get an idea what his line was, what his pitch was that day. And then to mobilize some of the other campaign activities against that, to criticize him in effect to say no your wrong senator, it ought to be this way. That was the basic idea. For example he would maybe talk to a couple of the surrogates who were members of the cabinet and others who were speaking up for the president around the country, and he would say look maybe we ought to use this line this week in attacking Senator MacGovern. Or, and then he might um go to the press office and say maybe we should to put out a press release doing this and so.....that generally is my idea of what he was involved in. Senator INOUYE. And he was not involved in the attack of news correspondents? Mr. ODLE. Well, not to my knowledge. Senator INOUYE. Mr. Odle press reports have indicated that you participated in the destruction of committee records following the June 17th break-in at the Democratic Headquarters. What was your part if any, in the destruction of these records? Mr. ODLE. I'm glad you brought that up Senator, because I appreciate the chance to respond to that. There was a story in the newspapers that I shredded documents the Sunday after the Watergate. Point in fact I was not even in the District of Columbia the Sunday after the Watergate. Um, how that story got there, I don't know. But I did not even enter Washington D.C. that day. Now there was another report later on, and that report said that I made a file search, and then shredded documents. Again, in point of fact, as the administrative officer of the re-election committee the agents from the FBI would come to me from time to time and they would ask me for various documents. Initially they wanted Mr. McCord s (James McCord) W-4 forms and all sorts of documents that the committee had. And I did search files in response to those legitimate requests from the U.S. Attorney and the FBI. And I then handed over those documents to the uh, uh, uh to the uh FBI. I did not shred one document in relation to this, this, this, (stutters) this camp, in relation to any of these things. Senator INOUYE. Did you have a shredding machine in your office? Mr. ODLE. No sir. Senator INOUYE. Where was the shredding machine? Mr. ODLE. There were shredding machines located on most of the floors at a convenient point (courtroom laughs). Senator INOUYE. And as the Administrative officer you were not involved in any shredding? Mr. ODLE. I did not shred, no sir I was not. I did not go around after the Watergate break-in and participate in what was termed a "house cleaning" I did not do that.