Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 6, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 6, 1973
[00.58.36] Mr. DASH. You did go downtown; and were you getting interviewed at that time by FBI agents? Mr. SLOAN. Yes, sir. Mr. DASH. And after you were interviewed by the FBI agents, did you again see Mr. LaRue that day? Mr. SLOAN. With regard to that interview, the FBI concern at that point in time was merely the question of identity of Mr. Alfred Baldwin and none of the questions which were bothering me at that point in time came up in the questioning. I believe Mr. LaRue came down to my Office following that interview essentially to find out what I said and what matters came up. At that point he indicated to me that, and I do not have the precise words, the sense of the meaning as it came across to me, there was very brief reference something to the effect that the Liddy money is the problem, it is very political sensitive, we can just, not come out with a high figure, we are going to have, to come out with a different figure. And I said, as I recall, I said if there is a problem, I cannot see that it makes any difference -whether it is $200 or $200,000, at which point he dropped the conversation. Mr. DASH. Well, now, Mr. Sloan apparently, you were becoming concerned. I take it that you were concerned about your own involvement in this matter? Mr. SLOAN. Yes, sir. Mr. DASH. What did you do about it thereafter? Mr. SLOAN. I believe some of these events I am describing today, or a, moment ago, the Magruder--Mitchell-- meetings probably happened on that Thursday, the 22d, because there was a party that evening on a boat on the Potomac, with Col. Verne Coffey, who had been the Army aide to the President-and I remember my wife picking me up that, day, I think it was probably the Magruder comment to me which by that point in the day had me, to put it mildly, rather agitated the more I thought about it, I went to this cocktail party on this boat. I guess my mood would be essentially anger. I sought out at that party a number of people. I talked to Ken Cole, Mr. Ehrlichman's assistant on the Domestic Council, 'Mr. Chapin, the President's appointments secretary, and Pat Buchanan, who was a speech writer for the President. I really do not remember the depth with which I expressed my concern with the problem, but I believe I was generally expressing a concern that there was something very wrong at the campaign committee, Mr. DASH. As a result, Of that concern, did you in fact have any meetings with Mr. Ehrlichman or Mr. Chapin? Mr. SLOAN. Yes, sir; Mr. Cole indicated to me that night that I was expressing to him and to Mr. Chapin that I felt that John Ehrlichman and Bob Haldeman should be aware that there was a, problem. I do not--in the case of 'Mr, Chapin--I do not, know whether I specifically requested a meeting with Bob Haldeman. I indicated to him that Bob should have this knowledge He asked me, to come see him the next day at noon. Ken Cole, the next, day, called me at some point--I do not know whether he called me himself or somebody in his office, but that, John Ehrlichman would like to see me at 2 o'clock that, afternoon. I went to the Chapin meeting. I again--there has been a year here. I do not precisely know what degree of knowledge or what conclusions 1 had come to at this point. But I believe probably the tone of the conversation was that there is a tremendous problem there, something has to be done. Mr. Chapin evaluated my condition at that point as being somewhat overwrought and suggested a vacation, which in fact, I was planning to leave on the next week. It had been planned for a long time. he suggested that the important thing is that the President be protected. In the Ehrlichman meeting--- Mr. DASH. When did that occur? Mr. SLOAN. That happened around--I believe it was a 12 o'clock meeting on the 23d. The Ehrlichman meeting-it would have been a Friday. In the Ehrlichman meeting at, 2--I started into generally the same discussion of problems. Mr. DASH. Mr. Sloan, when you say problems, did that include any statements by you about -cash disbursements that had been made to Mr. Liddy? Mr. SLOAN. I do not believe --- [01.04.03--TAPE OUT]