Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 13, 1973 Testimony of Maurice Stans
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 13, 1973 Testimony of Maurice Stans
[00.02.00--STANS testifying about meetings he had with principals in the Watergate matter] Mr. STANS......to the extent that they refresh my memory, I have testified to them but I Would have to say that I had many meetings With the people that I considered quite routine. I can only say to you with absolute finality that I did not discuss any espionage or sabotage operations, with anyone prior to June 17 and I really did not learn about them except as', I learned about, them in the Public press. Senator BAKER. That anticipates most of the questions, I could ask on that subject with the exception of one thing. That is with whom did you discuss the Watergate so-called coverup I after June 17 and when did you do it? Mr. STANS. I did not discuss the Watergate coverup with anyone after June 17 and I did not know there a coverup until I read about that in the press. Now, I know of incidents that obviously. in the light of subsequent events, had a relationship to the coverup. for example, the $75,000 that. I gave to Kalmbach, I gave it, to him in good faith, with no knowledge at the time, and I am sure that when Mr. Kalmbach comes before, this committee, he -will testify that, he did not tell me what the purpose of The money was for and would not tell me what the purpose Of the money was for. But except for an incident of that type, I had knowledge of a coverup activity that may have taken place. Senator BAKER. Did you, Mr. Stans, at any time in June 1972, discuss with 'Mr. Mitchell, 'Mr. Sloan, Mr. Magruder, Mr. LaRue, Mr. Ehrlichman, or Mr. Haldeman, what happened on the morning of June 17 at the Democratic national headquarters in any way? Mr. STANS. Some of those people whom you mentioned I had no contact with at all during the year. For example, John Ehrlichman, so far as I can tell from my records, did not, meet with me during the' entire year. As to the others, I had no discussion on the Watergate affair except, the normal curiosity of discussion about news stories. Now, let, we put that in another perspective, To the extent that the finance committee was involved in the news stories, it related to the Dahlberg, check, the Andreas contribution the Mexican check-s and the names of our contributors and matters of that type. These are, the things that occupied my mind and Mr. Sloan's mind, the activities of the finance committee insofar as they related to public affairs during that, period. We were not, involved, I made it, very plain to the campaign people, the finance committee people were not involved in the Watergate affair, and there were no discussions about, who did what, or why, or when, that I can recall at any time, Senator BAKER. At any time? Mr. STANS. At any time, until the events were reported in the press. Senator BAKER. Well, after the events were reported in the press. I do not want, to keep knocking down the limitations that you seem to be placing on this, but at any time after June 17, 1972, regardless of when, at any time until this moment had Mr. Sloan, Mr. Magruder, Mr. LaRue, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Haldeman, Mr. Ehrlichman attempted to tell you what happened vis-a-vis the Watergate break-in on June 17? Or the President? Mr. STANS. Not at all. The issue of culpability, which I think is what you are getting at, was never discussed with me by anyone. Senator BAKER. No; I am not really trying to get at culpability, I am trying to get at communication. I guess another way to put it, Mr. Stans, is did you gain all of your information about the facts, and circumstances that, related to Watergate from newspaper accounts or did one of those gentlemen that, I have identified and I will identify again--Mr. Sloan, Mr. Magruder, Mr. LaRue, Mr. Ehrlichman, Mr. Haldeman, Mr. Mitchell--did any of them at any time until this moment tell you what happened at Watergate? Or Mr. Liddy or the President? Mr. STANS. My answer to that is "No." [00.07.17]