Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 13, 1973 (1/2)
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 13, 1973 (1/2)
[00.57.46] Senator INOUYE. You can't quite be definite, can you, after you told the committee that you were not, aware of what, the cash disbursements were used for? Mr. STANS. No, that, is right. That is why I say I am not aware of anything Obviously some of it, apparently went, to the role of Mr. McCord and '.Mr. 'McCord has testified that he, got, compensation for quite a period of time after he was discharged. Senator INOUYE. Now, its the events have unfolded have, you as chairman of the Finance Committee To Re-Elect the President, made any attempt to investigate what, uses, these moneys were put to? Mr. STANS. I am not sure, which moneys you are referring to. Senator INOUYE. The cash disbursements Mr. STANS. The cash disbursements. I have, not conducted an independent investigation that could be described in those terms. I have learned a great deal about these items, I have inquired into some of them. and I am conversant with most of them by this time, but, not in terms of having made an investigation Senator INOUYE. How would you respond to my inquiry by the Internal Revenue Service if they became interested in the use, of these funds'? Mr. STANS. Well again it, would be a, matter of which funds. If I look at the chart, and go down the names I would say that, it, would be necessary for each of these people to justify his receipt and use of the funds but I would not be, in a position to know whether they could account for them properly or whether they would be taxable on them. Senator INOUYE. Now that there is it great possibility that some of these funds have been used for unintended purposes, such as the coverup will you as chairman of the finance committee make an effort, to get the fund returned to its proper place? Mr. STANS. Senator. I had not thought of that as a responsibility until now. Senator INOUYE. Whose responsibility would that be, Mr. STANS, I do not, know. I think I should discuss that with counsel and see whether there is a responsibility to recover any of those funds. Senator INOUYE. Do you think there is an obligation to those who contributed? Mr. STANS. I think it is a very valid suggestion and I thank you for -Making it. [Laughter.] Senator INOUYE. Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary. Senator ERVIN. The audience will please refrain from laughter. The, committee has decided to, and I think this is satisfactory to all Members of the committee, that we will hold, if necessary, a session on Monday. Of course we have sessions scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of next week and if it, is satisfactory we Will hold hearings Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, June 25, 26, and 27. That is the last, week before the Fourth of July recess, and if there is no objection to that being done- Mr. STANS. 'Mr. Chairman before you recess, if that is your intention may I have the opportunity under the committee's rules of A closing statement. Senator ERVIN. Yes sir. Mr. STANS. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the committee for your consideration and for the opportunity to me to present my story for the first time. I hope that it creates a picture of a very difficult undertaking, a frenzied activity on my part and on the part of the finance committee in trying to meet the obligation of the campaign. I have done my best to recall from all the records I have everything to answer the committee's questions but I am only human and I can only tell what I know. Now, I do want to say something about three elements: First, I would like to talk about the people in the finance committee. Under the, conditions of separateness, and I won't use the term watertight in view of Senator Baker's comment, this morning, but under the conditions of separateness between the two committees, I am confident that no one in the finance committee., except of course Gordon Liddy, had any knowledge of or participation in the Watergate affair or any other espionage or sabotage activities. When all the testimony is in in the course of your hearings, I am confident that you will find that, everyone connected with the finance committee has cooperated fully, and that all of them are innocent of any involvement. I want to say so particularly with respect to our two treasurers, Hugh Sloan and Paul Barrick. Now much has been made of a few differences in recollection between me and Mr. Sloan. That ignores all of the common ground between our testimony and there is a great deal of it, and above all the differences that have come out between the recollection of Mr. Sloan and me really related to financial reporting rather than to any responsibility for espionage or sabotage, not with regard to the Watergate affair. The second thing I would like to talk about briefly is about the contributors. Among all of our committees, in this campaign there were about a million contributions received for the President and the Republican Party. Some of them came from wealthy people, some of them came from people in the middle strata, and some from poor people. 'We received amounts from $1 or less up to a very large amount of a million or more. I have always urged people in the course of MY travels and solicitation to contribute according to their means, according to their ability to give, just as they pay taxes. So it is true there were some large contributions, some very large contributions. But the idea is being purveyed in some circles------ [01.04.36--TAPE OUT]