Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 6, 1973 Testimony of Hugh Sloan
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 6, 1973 Testimony of Hugh Sloan
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 6, 1973 Testimony of Hugh Sloan
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 6, 1973 Testimony of Hugh Sloan
Hugh Sloan. I had a call from Mr. Magruder during the day on the 5th of July. He said he wanted to get together with me, would I like to do it then or would I like to have a drink with him after work. It was a very busy day since I had just gotten back. I said, well, let's do it after work. We went to the Black Horse Tavern, I believe. He had dinner and I just had a cocktail because I was expected at home. He said, you know we have to resolve this Liddy matter. He said, what we should do is you and I should go down to see the US attorney, Mr. Harold Titus. He said, I will tell Mr. Titus that I authorized the payments to Mr. Liddy and you merely have to confirm the fact that you did make those distributions under my instructions. Then he said, but we have to agree on a figure. This time the figure was even less than the time before, it was $40,000 or $45,000. No resolution was made on that occasion. Samuel Dash, attorney. What, did you say to him? Hugh Sloan. I was a little flabbergasted, I guess, and I just told him I would think about it and let him know the next morning.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 6, 1973 Testimony of Hugh Sloan
Samuel Dash, attorney. Did you meet with him the next morning? Hugh Sloan. Yes, sir. Samuel Dash, attorney. What happened at that time? Hugh Sloan. I told Mr. Magruder when I saw him in his office, I believe I said I had absolutely no objection to going down to see the U.S. attorney. However, you know if I am asked point blank did Mr. Liddy ever receive $45, 000, of course, I will say yes. But I said, I will not stop there if I am asked more than that I will also say yes. If he asks what the total figure is, I will tell him to the best of my knowledge. Samuel Dash, attorney. Did Mr. Magruder say anything, when you told him that? Hugh Sloan. He just sort of said, fine and dropped the subject He never suggested going down to Mr. Titus again. Samuel Dash, attorney. Did Mr. LaRue meet with you shortly after that? Hugh Sloan. Yes, sir. I believe it was practically on the way out of Mr. Magruder's office. He took me by the arm and pulled me into an adjoining conference room and said did you and Jeb get together? I said, well, we had a discussion last night and one just now. He said, did you decide on the figure? I told Mr. LaRue precisely what I told Mr. Magruder and he dropped the subject.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 6, 1973 Testimony of Hugh Sloan
Samuel Dash, attorney. Now, , the next day on July 6, did you have a meeting with Mr. Parkinson and Mr. O'Brien, who were the attorneys for the Committee for the Re-Election of the President? Hugh Sloan. Yes. This would be the evening of the day of the Magruder-LaRue meeting. Samuel Dash, attorney. The same evening? Hugh Sloan. Yes, sir. Samuel Dash, attorney. That would be July the 6th, is that correct? Hugh Sloan. Yes, sir that is correct. Samuel Dash, attorney. What was the purpose of that meeting? Hugh Sloan. A considerable period of time had gone by since the Watergate break in. I was amazed, one that I was not, had never met or been asked any questions by the counsel for the committee that had, in the interim, been hired to handle this problem. Additionally, a civil suit had been filed by this time. The Grand Jury was active. I believe, nine of the people who worked for me had been subpoenaed that day. It was obvious to me that I would be subpoenaed shortly. And I really just wanted to find out what the, score was because no one was saying anything. And I went to Mr. I Parkinson and O'Brien Samuel Dash, attorney. What were their full names? Hugh Sloan. Mr. Kenneth Parkinson and Mr. Paul O'Brien, I believe at the time I sought them out, they were essentially in a de-briefing process of people who had been before the Grand Jury. Mrs. Hoback was there. Samuel Dash, attorney. Who is Mrs. Hoback? Hugh Sloan. She is a bookkeeper of the finance committee that had worked under my supervision.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 6, 1973 Testimony of Hugh Sloan
Samuel Dash, attorney. Did you at that time tell Mr. Parkinson and Mr. O'Brien about the cash distributions? Hugh Sloan. Yes, sir. Mr. Robert Odle was also there. I had asked everyone else to leave the room I wanted to talk to the attorneys alone. I recounted as fully as possible all the facts that I then had with regard to the money, also with regard to the Magruder continued suggestions of agreeing to a different figure. Their reaction was incensed. They were angry. Samuel Dash, attorney. At you? Hugh Sloan. No, sir. Samuel Dash, attorney. At whom were they incensed or angry? Hugh Sloan. They said to me, well, we have been lied to by the people here. We have not even been able to see John Mitchell and we re a month into this thing. They seemed to have extreme frustration about the information I had given them at that point. It was certainly my judgment that from their reactions that they had not heard any of the critical information before from anybody and it had been told to other people within the campaign.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 6, 1973 Testimony of Hugh Sloan
Samuel Dash, attorney. Did they suggest you might take a little trip? Hugh Sloan. Yes, sir. They indicated that they felt under these circumstances this new information that they had available to them, that they needed the time to confront the other officials of the political campaign with the information they then had. Howard Baker (R - Tennessee). Mr. Dash, just it minute. I have lost, track of who "they" are. We have said "they" about three times. Who was there? Hugh Sloan. It was never identified. Howard Baker (R - Tennessee). All right, would you tell us who "they" are? Hugh Sloan. I do not know. This was the comment of the lawyers. They said they had been lied to by other officials. Those officials had never been, they did not identify those officials to me. Howard Baker (R - Tennessee). Do you know who they are now? Hugh Sloan. No, sir. Howard Baker (R - Tennessee). Thank you. Hugh Sloan. They asked if I had any legitimate business I could do. We were working with 50 state committees. And I said there are things you can do in the field. It turned out that Mr. Stans was on a trip at that point on the west coast. They suggested that I might join him and follow through that next week with him until they should contact me. They did say that you know, we are in no position to tell you to go.