1973 Watergate Hearings; 1973-06-06; Part 2 of 5

it's been and he said oh yes sir up with a call indicated to me that night i was expressing their him and mr chabon right but i felt that john ehrlichman and bob haldeman should be aware that there was a problem i do not indicate mr chabon i do not know whether i specifically requested a meeting with bob holman i indicated to him the body to have this knowledge and he has a meeting comes in the next day at noon i can call the next day called me at some point and sell for summer's office that john erlichman would like to see me two o'clock that i want to try it again there's been here i do not

precisely know what degree of not sure what conclusions i come to this point i believe that the tone of the conversation was that there was a tremendous problem or something has to be done mr chabon the value of my condition at that point it's been a somewhat overwrought and suggested a vacation which in fact i was finally gone next week it's been planned for a long time and suggested that the important thing is that the president be protected in the army in twenty three which would be i started examining the same problem in the nineteen seventies but the

pain i don't believe it was pointing fingers somebody external the campaign has to look into this because the concern of the reason my mind at that point at the possibility that the entire campaign organization been involved therefore can investigate itself fortunately the morning senior as social issue for the white house but don't tell many details of the us i don't wanna know my position would have to be until after the election and i don't have to take executive now this is long are there to you making a final

report was just there at that time to discuss what should be done about the remains the issue of the police since april seventh of secretary stanton been pressuring very hard on myself for the preparation of records in the final four and that he wanted a mistake permanent record of the creators of that period as a very mammoth task with regard to calling the contributions and so forth that have been received at that point the problem with producing at cash salary was that in the report you want to be sure that every individual

they acknowledged a lot of money on that list as having been received by themselves that there would never be an internal conflict or possibility of somebody saying to me it's god with an aunt so at this time and the reason for the delay it till this late date with regard to this process was that mr herbert comeback in european history this is the first occasion i've had to sit down with him since his return the sensitive about wanting to redeem the figures on that list of receipts each had from its final report yesterday still in the state a deal i could not recollect the final four members of the problem with that technology isn't included eighteen thousand dollars which presumably with about leftover artillery commitment and was another sixty three thousand

dollars to fifty i mentioned before of funds that come in have been received by people on the political side that you would accept contributions on the basis that they would remain anonymous we did not have the information we could accept a number would happen over in six or ten thousand dollar contribution what for the sellers to go to and so these were whether to go back and individuals with a lot of their money back or whether they're willing to be disclosed and gives in how much money yesterday indicated that he was well as leading on vacation my wife to bermuda on sunday he indicated maybe feared a general accounting office on that these were crippled so once it was none of their

business he thought this might occur when i listen and suggested yesterday whether i had a safe at home that i could put the point and i said no i did not know i had no secure place the salon it so you'd better take care for either take that authorities brought in forty thousand dollars i understood that it took forty thousand dollars he says told me that he never took on that same day the model that would be the next to leave it yes sir others are coming to see

it i had trouble finding nemo i believe i went down there and found it was a meeting going on in john nichols offers a little sick terribly recently departed that time after mornings there she went and got him we went from orange yes nice at the end of this morning said we're gonna morning you know and at that point in time i just prepared the permanent record for mr stan so i had a very good sense in my own mind as to what the magnitude of it the distribution of ice i do not know what we went through the entire list at the focus was very much indian libby order of learning that mr libby was staggered by the amount of area said that and then the reader just like john actually told was only forty thousand dollars each

week continued on beyond that point covering the ground the information requests to community and asked him where i under these circumstances with wooden own investigations underway whether i should proceed with my plans to take a vacation i lost my wife was pregnant that point had been long standing if you want to do oh wow yes sir which i did

i'm not sure what his travel schedule was probably the first opportunity probably the next to buy it at mr sansone i have this cool i assumed he was a dancer know that i'd had it was a sense that one's tristan thorne me to do with it and he said yes that's precisely right and that's what i did and mournful oh yes sir if i cannot go back from an interviewer martin meeting before what really at that prodigious particular item i at that economic indicator mr martin the estimable had made the suggestion to me that that might be necessary for myself not indicated mr martin at that point in time take over the investigation

thank you mr mitchell's resignation was announced mr libby's resignation but i'm not my reaction to that announcement in the vigils was that thank you i have been today on the fifth of july the city and then they're like a director not work very busy days it's i just got back and i said well let's do about the war went to the white horse tavern i believe he had dinner undecided cocktails as expected home that he suggested they said you know we have to resolve this latino and he said that what we should do is you and i go dancing us attorney

it authorized the payment and you know i have to confirm the fact you did make those distributions and my instructions and he said but we have to be i think at this time the figure was even less than that time before as forty or forty five no resolution just a lot more research and what i told the students on those officers that leave us about other innovation and as a us attorney however if you know if i'm asking pointedly and receive forty five thousand are still of course i'd say at present i will not stop their finances more night i would also say as and it's yes

i know he's assessed a fine and drop the subject of never he never suggested going down certainly there was no way out to rely on the formula to join a conference room he said today you and i get together and essentially a discussion last night one has now decided to design and figure and i was tall muscular and he drops out now the committee yes yes

it's been insane i was in i was not no questions the grand jury was actually nine it was obvious religious right and restrictions i believe at the time i sort them out they were essential in a deep grieving

process of people had been before the grand jury that was there she was a bookkeeper in the finance committee and worked and what are the big issues mr amr was also there i'd ask anyone else to believe in what went off the trees along only part of the money and also with regard to the mcgregor continued suggestions of green to a different think their reaction was it's a database of wine the people here we've not been able to see john mitchell more a month on this and they seem to have very extreme frustration about the information i give him at that point it's

certainly my judgment abate from their reactions that they had not heard any of that critical information before nine eleven and then told other people in the campaign as sir david indicated that they fell out of the circumstances as new information available to you but they did the time to confronting the other officials the political campaign information they then happen he was luminous this is the moment of the lawyers to me said they'd been largely what other official eyes those officials have never been or that they did not identify those officials to make it

they asked if i had any legitimate business i could do we were working with fifty state basis of there's always things you can do in the field turns out into mr stefan trip at that point on the west coast they suggested that i might join him and follow prudent next week with him until they should contact up there's no position to tell you to go the news events of yesterday is they said we will take this matter up with individuals of the political side of the campaign and you will get a call from someone in the local organization and california yes sir i don't recall precisely what impressed me on the urgency of departure to the extent of suggesting that i i had a reservation on the six o'clock am flight out of

dollars here or try to take a room and be a dallas marathon evening in to leave my home to get out yes sir did you have any conversations about what do you want twenty sixteen and he did at lunch and literally we

begin a review of the entire situation i said i i think even what he was doing is reviewing the options that might be open to meet you i think that's wrong that he raps about taking the fifth amendment barring any testimony might be forthcoming and i've been thinking about this whole subject for one on the strength and that's a problem through this community of there is a climate of suggestions and i can not related to specific conversations you're welcome take two isn't just any racism

i feel ashamed and i said i think it's in the interest of everybody under those circumstances for me to resign i said i can see no way for instance and i can accept the advice of counsel of a committee that has a response irresponsibility represented organization they cannot represent my personal interest down the road and to make it was an obvious conflict of interest at all you said it did not quite innocent because it well it might be in the best interest of everybody i would check with the political side a campaign and they want to chat with morris dance the next morning it stands at night i set on how this lunch with for the ruins under the circumstances i think that

to consider resigning and he said know and i don't you know it's not discusses on the phone so ha ha ha if it's in the office and don't comment because i have a meeting with a third of their investigation you out of my office i went in the next morning so mr spanton was advised that time that he had already informed the federal bureau investigation that i hadn't factored signed you know sir i have every intention i want my office and more of a pro forma resignation letter which stipulated personal reasons and left a comedian yes sir

yes sir yes sir the protests yesterday i believe a week the first time i met together with mr stone with mr silber mr kale mr pinter was probably like what mr tony soprano yes sir yes

honey and the desserts a half my grand jury testimony related to be the coaches today and so the former treasurer for the nixon reelection committee has detail how vast amounts of cash were collected and dispersed almost two million dollars worth and has raised new questions about attempts at keeping him silent about payments to g gordon liddy in a moment use long will answer more questions about the financial machinery of the committee to re elected president we want to take a minute or two to thank you that viewers for taking the troubled writers and express your opinions about this kind of coverage when i received seventy thousand letters the way they're running at the moment ninety nine percent of them are in favor of this kind of devil devil coverage comments generally avoid partisanship

most of them expressing appreciation for a chance to see these hearings without interruption giving viewers a chance to make up their own minds about them we've heard from state legislators and resident of the watergate apartments a man who said he recognized the nih barker is a man he'd been in a prisoner of war camp with in world war two thousand samples of opinions we received i'm ari shapiro in upscale new york your coverage of the watergate hearings is giving us a visual portrayal of history in the making and catherine mclaurin columbus ohio i learned more in these magical six hours last night they're not been able to gain from your reading thank you for the shattering absorbing exhausting and ultimately encourage inexperienced in american government from richard burton madison wisconsin its public education in the highest the most critical sense of a television concert no greater role and to bring these evening replays of testimony and every culmination course not everyone likes it but the mayor was born only about one

percent negative one critic was no robertson hensley arkansas and she wrote i deeply object of this massive watergate taking up good programs and our tv stations we're not interested in this ridiculous thing i think the whole thing is a bunch of was trying to make the democrats money were extremely grateful to those of you who've taken the time and trouble to write us if you still want to express an opinion public television station the station you're watching right now i'm sure they appreciate your opinion and just like to remind you that each of those stations depends on you the viewer for support and to keep and business public television's coverage of the senate watergate hearings will continue after this pause for station identification on a bridge to coverage of these hearings is provided as a public service of the member stations of pbs the public broadcasting service the

pay its well terry and pike continues its

coverage of hearings by the senate select committee on presidential campaign activities here again correspondent robert mcneil as we return to the hearings fuse long leaf former treasurer to the finance committee to re elect president nixon was about to be questioned by the monarchy counsel fred thompson fb to pay yes there is with attachment and family with other funds would be one obvious exception of the operating budget of the finance committee itself its own expenditures were controlled many of the people who will be

giving money for years mrs bush mm hmm peanuts peanuts whatever the project

senators this week in nineteen seventy five essentially i mean in this situation if i kept pushing secretary stand and presented him with a promise of there there is no parliament because i read the law the law clearly states funds do not have to be in a bank account and even possible or he said i will tell you

too late it was because for the first time so that would be a clue precise accounting before and we didn't want to

i was very disappointed and i believe in and not be dependent poor came after a person reported where reporter were the year i figured to be part of history and i considered the balance of the ones that had not been transferred the table something that were essentially internal committed prepayments to the end of it in bach just as we examine the cashier him that we made a political decision that on april seventh with liquidating assets create the senate committees or raise money

for a crime we want to reduce massive be carried forward essentially the obvious fundraising problem of security you haven't really decided that our analysis to prevent we need your actions he's got money but this was justified for people

i don't think that question came up quite that way i think in most cases of contributions that came in africa seven they physically left the hands of the donor or although they were delayed in france there's no money sixty three thousand dollars creates a determination of whether or not these funds actually were committed before april so isis is operating a lot of its operating instructions secretary stanton what was being cared for their fourth about i don't know

and why not the discussion about this really quite instructive well it's far avoided any given morning i was simply told its creators and was not discussed in those terms i present a vast understatement testimony was turned over to me i think before because the prison is

what functional was in the nineteen sixty campaign to chew it was this is the finance director that was a carrier pretty much gen xers figures so concerning his contributions or location and low sixty presidential campaign with determination a comparison between the two campaigns are hard edge on you the team's been through la money with libyan form of a situation it was in the budget that would be ok

with the hands on you so much forget foreigners so yes and for a career what we don't know you need a minute the show was about how this

could have a really structural changes in position to prevent this or dozens of people i think in turn teachers want to change the campaign i think that probably created two views of transition and it never going to be the thousands of the present even wanting to solve the whole question in three dimensions he went on to raise it in a way in terms of there's not a political advantage to have to make that decision with the new law there's no question but

i think as far as individuals carrying cash in campaigns and i don't know not individuals for doing that listen if you want to fb it was i have a

question it's because big three thank you that attempt to get your producer yes all through the present council and you there was

a prosecution witness what was the atmosphere in the us for the conversation plus a conversation with mr ritter about the situation was an atmosphere where during the trial when you were being used as the witnesses to prove it mr david it was boredom there really was no conversation with custody prosecutors are on a further discussion about that they got into a situation where it's one man's word against another no one else was

president obama you know you have acknowledged you know my parents mr mourning that the committee had requested at that point in time information that's what i told the grand jury precisely with regard to the group the report

it's beautiful you got it yes yes there's a specific question

mr roosevelt as marnie no i cannot two years than the traditional

conflict though as i think this was really not all he was reviewing the status of the campaign he's twenty five thousand dollars yeah i try and that way and it said on the radio and it was nervous are you there's no

question something to do with the special wanted to understand according to have been made for the one or the world have been delivered and is not sure there's been some discussion that this was negotiated over a period of time simply <unk> by myself do you sense that we're taking money that have been given to the president's campaign committee congressional race and the havoc on the present when you can nominate the nineteen seventy two campaign with the law it's an honor i want it to be packed whenever i

would suspect it was a few days or a week before thank you thank you this song and i get the impression it through a forthright and the man dances on the questions we've been asking this morning exactly what were your duties finance committee it varied somewhat over different periods of time in a very low in organizational signing up will allow it does

anytime soon carrie thanks very much seriously there's only two fully familiar with campaign disclosure act one and that lets you know at that time all income and it's perfect you're welcome

because a billion dollars you had known and i believe about nine hundred and ten thousand dollars in two days birds in case you want to act but how much of that money if there is a subsequent do you not think number two why

are essentially committed and prevents up to individuals within the same guidelines as the final half a million dollars in a prevention for the jester he played and lived with their business partners i approach to reward now if you understand it at midnight on april seventh nineteen hundred and seventy two and all tended to that and the report even be patient and said the law states is on my understanding was these monies a decision and then they certainly are considering expanding you don't do then that

it was on am someone have told me that they've been many libyans are law yet at all you've already ha ha hearty not making decisions long haul will pass and i may have had a responsibility i do not believe that in all sizes and why understandable understanding what officials in the committee for the reelection president the finance committee for the reelection president know these caches response to many officials at the session continuously so solomon i understand the total disappearance

of vision i'm someone who live in various times and we to visitors one of his pieces government and only way to a new explicit detail the

sheraton's dances around in this three hundred and fifty thousand dollars may twenty fifth nineteen seventy two hello and anyone who has a say one this morning the money that was a victory for those cash on or to be prior to the end of that first recording so that all staples of the funds what might or be sure that within that first record invite her so on probably maybe the same word on twenty fourteen he asked what is the cat house three

hundred and fifty thousand dollars to be immediately reluctance this is the first occasion we're rather than as a reason for this was that this was the only candidate that had enough to receive that amount of money under the three million dollars the all the words the first carrier the reason for that well

right postal service question he's on your arm do you have any knowledge of the day oh i think i saw this twenty five years ago and it didn't make a list of michoacan shannon breaking and

fun i'm always a little louder it was really what was going on libya's body and lee says that's the

point georgia democrat harman town ages just completed his examination of years long and the committee is now taking a lunch break when the years resound florida republican edward kennedy will be asking the questions williams sloan in greater detail for the handling of funds before and after the april seven nineteen seventy two campaign finance reporting deadlines public television's coverage of the watergate hearings will continue after station identification on a bridge to coverage of these hearings is provided as a public service by the member stations of pbs the public broadcasting service well yes and fact continues its coverage of hearings by the

senate select committee on presidential campaign activities you again correspondent jim lehrer at this boy and german earrings resume after launch was senator baker beginning his questioning of former campaign treasurer hugh sloan here so open and forthcoming in your testimony and were grateful that i have the impression that from your description of description of others your cooperation of the summer holiday with those who have undertaken investigation now the effect and i believe that's michael porter would you tell me

and many inquiries into the watergate situation our have produced the interview our inquiry to recall situations the us attorney's office interviewed lively mr will ruin others for the committee to reelect president intervenes the staff of this committee on more than one occasion is there anyone else who has interviewed years in other band probably three or four occasions with a job but generally in terms of refrigerator rumors that decision to the various civil cases latest are going off campus under the time on a number of occasions that much i don't mean to the