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
[00.40.45] Senator ERVIN. In other words, Mr. Kalmbach in effect told you he was going to destroy such records as he had and advised you to do the same thing with the records you had. Mr. SLOAN. With the exception, Senator, I do not know whether he had another copy of the record. In the case of the figures I had, I did not feel I was destroying tiny original information because I was handing a report that contained that information to Secretary Stans Senator ERVIN. You had made a compilation in aggregate form of what your original record showed. Mr. SLOAN. That is right and it would include all contributors. Senator ERVIN. Did anyone else beside Mr. Kalmbach talk to you about destroying your original record? Mr. SLOAN. No, sir. Senator ERVIN. They were destroyed on the 23d of June, a few days after the break-in. Mr. SLOAN. Yes, sir. Senator ERVIN. Do you know if there were any records kept or now in existence of what became of the $250,000, approximately, given out of these funds to Mr. Kalmbach? Mr. SLOAN. No , sir; 1 have no knowledge of what he would have used those funds for. I would think if there is a record he would have to be a source of it, [00.41.49] Senator ERVIN. Now, where did Mr. Strachan work at this time? Mr. SLOAN. He, was in the White House working as a political aide, liaison with Mr, Bob Haldeman. Senator ERVIN. In other words, he was political liaison between Mr. Haldeman and the committee, was he not? Mr. SLOAN. Yes sir, that is correct, Senator ERVIN, And you got the instructions to put $350,000 in the briefcase to be carried to the White House? Mr. SLOAN. Yes, Sir. Senator ERVIN. And that, was taken to the White House in cash? Mr. SLOAN. My understanding is it went to the White House. I did not--- Senator ERVIN. Who transmitted the message that that money was to be sent to the White House? Mr. SLOAN. Mr. Kalmbach. Senator ERVIN. Where, did Mr. Porter work? Mr. SLOAN. He worked at the Committee for the, Re-Election of the President. Senator ERVIN. Do you have any knowledge of whether any record Was Made, or whether any record "has been preserved, in respect not only to the $250,000 given to Mr. Kalmbach and $350,000 carried out of the committee to the White House by Mr. Strachan, In respect to the, $100,000 given to Mr. Porter, the $199,000 given to Mr. Liddy, the, $20,000 given to Mr. Magruder, the $10,000 given to Mr. Nofsiger, the, $15,000 given to Mr. Stone; and the other $8,000 exclusive of the $50,000 given to Mr. Lankler and Mr. Hitt. Is there any record in existence that shows what became of that, money? Mr. SLOAN. Senator, I do not, know if they are in existence, but in the process of preparing this final report-, Secretary Stans had instructed me to sit down with each one of these individuals where there had been multiple distributions to verify the figure that, I had in my records with what they had in theirs. Senator ERVIN. Did you? [00.43.54] Mr. SLOAN. SO presumably at that point, in time, there were records in existence in the hands of these individuals which would indicate, what happened to that money if it, had been spent. Senator ERVIN. But there were no records kept, there, no records that you know of now in existence in the committee offices, which would disclose what had become of these funds? Mr. SLOAN. No, sir, not to my knowledge. Senator ERVIN, You became much concerned about, the disbursement of some of these funds, didn't you, particularly those to Mr. Liddy? Mr. SLOAN. Yes Sir, Senator ERVIN. So when you got. orders to continue these disbursements to Mr. Liddy, which you mentioned were $199,000, you expressed your concern to Mr. Stans? Mr. SLOAN. Yes sir, that, is correct. Senator ERVIN. And Mr. Stans told you to go ahead and continue to disburse them. Mr. SLOAN. Yes sir, he Said he would check with Mr. Mitchell and came back and told me to continue Senator ERVIN. And you told Mr. Stans in the course of your conversations with him that you had misgivings about giving so much money to Mr. Liddy without knowing what the money was to be used for? [00.44.56] Mr. SLOAN. The $83,000 was really the trigger. I am not sure I restricted it in my conversation with Secretary Stans to Mr. Liddy. I said, here we have a tremendous sum of money that this committee has no control over or accountability for. I did express that. general concern at that time. Senator ERVIN. That was when you were authorized and directed to give $83,000 in cash at one time to Mr. Liddy? Mr. SLOAN. Yes sir. Senator ERVIN. And when you made the statement to Mr. Stans about your misgivings about, the disbursing of money without knowing what it was being used for, Mr- Stans said, I do not Want to know what the money is used for and you do not want to know? [key QUOTE starts@ 00.45.15] Mr. SLOAN. As I recall, sir, it was when he returned from seeing Mr. Mitchell and he said, I do not want to know and you do not, want to know, yes sir. That is correct. Senator ERVIN. As a matter of fact, was not a deliberate effort, made at the committee not only not to report receipt of funds, but to hide the source of those funds? Mr. SLOAN. Senator, I know of no deliberate effort, in that regard. With regard to these funds, I have never had it, suggested to me--- Senator ERVIN. Well, what about the $89,000 in Mexican checks and the Dahlberg check? Mr. SLOAN. They were considered to have, been pre-April 7 funds and were considered not to be covered under the new legislation, [00.46.20]