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
[00.35.05] Senator ERVIN. That was deposited. How much money was kept in the safe in your office and in the safe in the office if Mr. Stans' secretary? Mr. SLOAN. It is a question of timing Senator. In the, pre-April 7 period, I kept, all the fund-, in a safe that, was in my office, At, some point after April 7, those funds we have discussed here were moved to the safe in Arden Chambers' office. The reason for this being in pulling together all our records for the pre-April 7 period, there was need for access to my safe which held all of these records by a great number of people, so it was purely a mechanical transfer to another safe because it was more secure and not as many people had access to it. Senator ERVIN. Could you give the committee an estimate as to the total amount of cash that was kept in the offices of the Committee, To Re-Elect the President? Mr. SLOAN. Over this entire period, this $1,700,000, I would say best recollection would be that probably never got above $600,000 Or $700,000 at any one point, and I would suspect that would be just, prior to April 7, because of the influx of cash funds at that point. Senator ERVIN. Now, the deposit made on May 25, 1972, how long was that kept in safes or places other than deposits in a bank? Mr. SLOAN. That would have been money that came in, that made Up that deposit, and would be in the safe in Arden Chambers' office. Senator ERVIN. According to your testimony, there were disbursements in cash in excess of $1 million in the safes over there, wasn't there? Mr. SLOAN. Yes, sir, in the earlier periods some of the cash funds were kept in the safe deposit boxes and subsequently moved to a safe in our office. Senator ERVIN. The first disbursements were Made upon orders of John Mitchell while he was still serving as Attorney General of the United States. Mr. SLOAN. He had general control over the authorization of funds, Whether he specifically authorized me to make a cash disbursement, I am not sure because the delegated authority had moved to Magruder by the time Mr. Liddy and Mr. Porter had this blanket right to draw. Senator ERVIN. The first man that had authority to disburse funds was Mr. Kalmbach. Mr. SLOAN. That is right. Senator ERVIN. Then Mr. Mitchell took over, Mr. SLOAN-. Yes, sir, Mr. Kalmbach's instructions to me were that Mr. Mitchell would control all disbursements including checks and cash. Senator ERVIN. Then some question arose so Mr. Mitchell being irritated upon being interrogated by you so often about the outlay of funds, told you to make an arrangement with 'Mr. Magruder. Mr. SLOAN. Yes, sir, that, is correct. Senator ERVIN. And so after that, Mr. Magruder had direct charge of dictating the outlay of funds. Mr. SLOAN. Yes; that is correct. Senator ERVIN. Now did you talk to Stans from time to time about the demands being made upon you by _Mr. Magruder for funds? Mr. SLOAN. Senator, Mr. Stans was kept advised on this. I reviewed it With him when he assumed the chairmanship. I reviewed all of the outlay that had been mad to that point. Senator ERVIN. Did he authorized or at least acquiesce in all of the outlays made by you from these, funds? Mr. SLOAN. He acquiesced in the authority of others to draw on it. He, did not clear the individual items each time somebody came, Senator ERVIN. But it would be true to say all of the outlays of funds you made were made with either the express or the tacit approval of Mr. Stans. Mr. SLOAN. Yes, sir; from the time he assumed the chairmanship. Senator ERVIN. What records were kept at the committee with reference to the disbursements of these cash funds? Mr, SLOAN. Senator, I kept a working book with me in a safe which reflected all of the payments, the receipt of contributions that were cash contributions, the date of receipt, any distribution of those funds, to whom and on what date. [00.39.28--A CLUE!!!!] Senator ERVIN. Do you know what became of the book? Mr. SLOAN. Yes, sir. Senator ERVIN. Where is it? Mr. SLOAN. It has been destroyed, Senator. Senator ERVIN. When was it destroyed? Mr. SLOAN. On June 23. Senator ERVIN By whose order was it destroyed? Mr. SLOAN. Senator, if I could elaborate a little bit on that. This was the occasion in preparing a final record of the pre-April 7 period. Secretary Stans had requested of me a single final copy recording these transactions. The one, difference between this and the cash book for instance, they would be aggregate figures. Mr. Liddy would be listed a total of $199,000 and would not list the individual dates of receipt. He indicated that would be the permanent record of this period of time. In preparing that I was with Mr. Kalmbach to verify the $250,000 figure whatever it was) with him and I asked him what do you think is the appropriate distribution of these records and he asked me what were Secretary Stans' instructions and I said he asked for a single copy, final copy that would be, the permanent, record. He said, fine. He said I am going to destroy the record. I would suggest you do the same and just provide him with the single copy he requested, [00.40.45]