Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 13, 1973 (2/2)
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 13, 1973 (2/2)
[01.22.04] Senator BAKER. What about the Liddy meeting on June 18 at 4 in the afternoon? Mr. STANS. Well I can give you one clue from my notations. I cannot give you any precise recollection of the sequence of discussion. But on June 14 in our staff meeting, it says "Liddy is to report to staff every 3 day-, on the McGaw matter"---- Senator BAKER. On the what? Mr. STANS. McGaw, M-c-G-a-w. He is the contributor who had the legal problems in contributing in the form of stock. And there were a number of other items that were charged to Liddy that day. "Liddy is to talk to Yeutter re problem in Kansas. "Liddy is to follow up filing requirements of 'Maryland gala and D.C. dinner. "Liddy is to follow up filing of 4804 forms by State"--that is the Treasury form. Senator BAKER. Are these all notations from a, meeting on the 14th or 16th. Mr. STANS. These are all notations from a meeting on the 14th. They are subjects that I would assume were discussed with 'Mr. Liddy on the 16th and possibly others but certainly definitely, positively not, Watergate. Senator BAKER. Did you see anything unusual about 'Mr. Liddy's attitude or conduct at the 4 o'clock meeting on the 16th of June? Mr. STANS. No, I did not. As it matter of fact, Senator, Mr. Liddy was in the, office for another day after the, 17th. He attended staff meetings. I had similar meetings with him from time to time and he covered up his concerns extremely well, I had no idea that he involved. Senator BAKER. You have already described for the committee, under inquiry from other Senators or the staff, about how you learned of the Watergate break- in and the events immediately succeeding that,. The next item after June 17, the day of the Watergate entry, is June, 19, Mr. Kleindienst, is that former Attorney General Kleindienst? Mr. STANS. Yes, it is. Senator BAKER. Can you tell us about that meeting? Mr. STANS. Yes, sir. In the preceding week, I had called Mr. Kleindienst and asked for an appointment because we were having difficulties with some Personalities in Arizona in setting up it fundraising program. I asked for an opportunity to see him and talk to him about those people. Senator BAKER. You did not talk to him about the Watergate? Mr. STANS. No. Let me go further, Senator. We never had the Ox meeting He called me on the morning of the 19th and said he was too busy that day. He canceled the meeting and I solved my problem in other We never rescheduled it and I never did talk to Mr. Kleindienst Senator BAKER. June 23 at 4 o'clock. Mr. Liddy: and June 28 at 5 o'clock, Mr. Liddy. I Mr. STANS. The earlier of those two meetings so far as I know, was entirely routine, related to his legal matters. The meeting on the 28th tit 5 o'clock was when _Mr. Liddy stopped in the office to say goodbye- He had been discharged He was preparing to leave the office, came in and said he was very sorry to go and I said, I am very sorry to see you go," and that was the substance of the conversation. Senator BAKER. Did he protest his innocence at the time'! Mr. STANS. No, he did not. Senator BAKER. There are a number of other entries, but there is one that I do not see on your diary, and that is the meeting with Mr. Mitchell, I believe on the 23d or '24th of June. Did that, meeting occur and if so, where, When, and at what time? Mr. STANS. There was a meeting with Mr. Mitchell on the. 23d at 1:30 on my diary. It says "Lunch, Mitchell. NOON-, Now, since Mr. Mitchell never came to my office in the course of the whole campaign it must have been in his office, because I do not; recall that we ever went out to lunch. Senator BAKER. Mr. Stans, I was reading to you from a summary which did not show the Mitchell appointment. I am now looking at copies of the appointment book on Friday, June 23, 1972, at 12 o'clock through 1 :30, it would appear. There is a notation of lunch with "Mr. Mitchell, I am sorry I misinterpreted that. It is important that we inquire into that situation, I believe, Mr. Stans, because here we are, a few days after the Watergate break-in, after you have learned from newspaper accounts or from whatever source of the involvement of people employed by your committee or by the Committee To Re-Elect the President or otherwise. Is it my understanding that you set up the meeting with Mr. Mitchell? Mr. STANS. I do not think you should have that understanding. I do not know how the meeting was set up. Senator BAKER. All right, sir. Who was present at the meeting? Mr. STANS. There is no indication in my records that anyone else was present and I have no recollection on that point. Let me say to you, Senator, this is the day- in which I got my first information that the Watergate affair involved transactions with the finance committee. It was at 9 o'clock, as you see on the schedule that day, that Fred LaRue came to my office to talk about the Dahlberg check that had shown up in the records of the bank of Barker in Florida. It was at 3 o'clock in the afternoon that Dahlberg came to Washington, and at 5 o'clock that I had several meetings With Mardian and LaRue. I am sure that the substance of discussion that day in these meetings was very largely related to that check and possibly to the Mexican checks , although I cannot recall whether that happened on the same day as the Dahlberg check. [01.28.31]