Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 5, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 5, 1973
[00.35.55] Senator GURNEY. Did Mr. Magruder ever discuss them with you? Mr. REISNER. No, sir, he, did not. Senator GURNEY. There is one notation here. In the log that is on the page before, the one marked Thursday, March 30 Do you have the log there? Mr. REISNER. I do. Senator GURNEY. Could you turn to that? Mr. REISNER. I am afraid it has gotten out of order. On the 29th of March? Senator GURNEY. Well , it, is, the one prior to March 30 It is not marked any date on mine. Mr. REISNER. Yes. Senator GURNEY. Just has three notations on it. Mr. REISNER. Yes, sir. Senator GURNEY. Up in the left-hand corner there is a notation that cannot decipher. What does that say? REISNER. I think it says Sedam -Muskie piece. Senator GURNEY. What does that mean' Mr. REISNER. Mr. Sedam was the general counsel and he was, therefore, concerned with the election law. To the best Of my knowledge, what he would have been concerned with there would have been an advertisement or something like that or a piece that Senator Muskie may have run that Mr. Sedam would have been concerned with that kind of thing. I remember it being involved with advertising litigation, I do not know whether that is it Or not. Senator GURNEY. But you think it Is an ad that the Muskie campaign was running, is that what you said? Mr.REISNER. Well, I think I do not know, I would would have to ask Mr. Sedam what it was because I do not remember it exactly. The Reason it appears in that column, I would have been responsible for following up whether or not he had done the brief or whatever it was he asked to do. Senator GURNEY. Now. on the date of the log marked Monday, July 19, Would you turn to that one? Mr. REISNER. Yes, sir. Senator GURNEY. There are some names again over on the left-hand side in the upper part. What are those names? Mr. REISNER. It is my impression that those names are Liddy, Dean, Shumway, Strachan, and the fact that there is an arrow next to them I can only guess as to what it means. I think that that would have meant that it was just a continuing activity. Those were people who came in to see Mr. Magruder. That column would have referred to Mr. Magruder's activity and it is my impression that those people came in to see Mr. Magruder, not to get that, Monday morning-- Senator GURNEY. Do you have any idea why they were there? Mr. REISNER. Why they were there? Well, as to Mr. Liddy and Mr. Dean, you know, I can only speculate from what I read in the newspaper recently. As to Mr. Shumway, he was the press person at the committee and, therefore, I think would have been meeting with Mr. Magruder as to what to say to the press. As to Mr. Strachan it was his role to stay in touch with the committee, I guess I do not know. Senator GURNEY. Well, is it your feeling that they came in to discuss the Watergate break-in? Mr. REISNER. I am certain that that is what Mr. Magruder was concerned about that morning. Senator GURNEY. Did they seem agitated, do you recall anything about their appearance, how long they were there? Mr. REISNER. As to whether they seemed agitated, I cannot say that. Senator GURNEY. Do you recall how long that was? Mr. REISNER. No, I don't. It seems to me they came in individually. It probably took most of the morning, judging from the notation. Senator GURNEY. You mentioned the money that you helped Mr. Porter count. testified don't recall that you ever said anything about where it" came from. Do you know where it came from? Mr. REISNER. It was my impression that it was given to Mr. Porter, by Mr. Sloan. Senator GURNEY. On one occasion, several occasions? Mr. REISNER. I don't know. In fact, as I tried to indicate, I don't know whether all the money that Mr. Strachan gave Mr. Porter was accounted for. The accounting was an accurate accounting, to the best of my knowledge. Senator GURNEY. Do you know who had Gemstone files other than of course, Mr. Magruder? Mr. REISNER. No, sir. Senator GURNEY. He never discussed that with you? Mr. REISNER. No, sir. Senator GURNEY. You mentioned that on several occasions when you, I guess, saw the file and also the copies of these photos the apparently came from the Democratic National Committee, it indicated to you that you shouldn't be looking at those. wasn't your testimony? Mr. REISNER. Yes, sir. Senator GURNEY. How was that indicated to you? Mr. REISNER. Well, the reason I say "indicated " is I do not remember Mr. Magruder specifically saying to me, don't look at this. But it seems to me he may have turned them upside down and he may have indicated with his expression that it was none of my business. There were other times during the that I worked for him that he was working on something and I didn't know what It was and he indicated to me that, I was--it was none of my concern. Senator GURNEY. That, was going to be my next question. How many times did this occur? Mr. REISNER. There were a number of times in which things were extremely closely, held. Senator, at the time that the convention was moved, for example, at the, time that new Polling came in with headquarters results with the President and contenders, that Was information which was not given to me and in which it was made extremely specific, that I was not to be involved in it. Senator GURNEY. Well, did YOU get, the impression that, there was, shall we call it surreptitious, activity going on? Mr. REISNER. Yes, sir. Senator GURNEY. [continuing]. That you weren't supposed to know about'? Mr. REISNER. Yes, sir. Senator GURNEY. And this occurred rather frequently is that right? Mr. REISNER. No; I would have, considered that prior to June 17, when it could have had extraordinary impact on the campaign, 1 would have considered it to be very unimportant, that there were other things in the campaign that were--important to the Campaign. [00.41.54]