Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 6, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 6, 1973
[00.31.16] Senator GURNEY. Weren't you rather surprised that it came back that short? Mr. SLOAN. Yes, sir; that is a pretty large fee. Senator GURNEY. I judge, of course , from what we have learned in the testimony here, that the money was used for the Watergate operation, Mr. SLOAN. Evidently. What happened here, Senator, I think is that I did receive back $112,000 that, went into this safe where the funds were commingled and what I suspect probably happened was that some of those same physical $100 bills were paid out again to Mr. Liddy in either that $63,000, but probably in the later two $12,000's. Senator GURNEY. That was going to be my question. Where do' you think he got the money to return to you? Do you think he got it out of some of those first, payments out his $250,000 budget? Mr. SLOAN. Yes, sir. I think time-wise, I think it must, have been part of the two $12,000 disbursements or distributions I made to him in late May or even early June. Senator GURNEY. By the way, on this fifth amendment advice of Mr. Dean's did you tell the committee about that before? Mr. SLOAN. This committee? Senator GURNEY. Yes. Mr. SLOAN. We told the staff investigators, yes, sir. Senator GURNEY. As a little bit of background, it is my under standing that you worked in the White House before you went to the Committee To Re-Elect the President? Mr. SLOAN. Yes sir that is correct. Senator GURNEY. For whom did you work? Mr. SLOAN. Dwight Chapin. Senator GURNEY. How long? Mr. SLOAN. Two and a half years. Senator GURNEY. And did you know in the White House Haldeman, Mr. Ehrlichman and Mr. Dean? Mr. SLOAN. Yes, sir, I knew all of them quite well. Senator GURNEY. You knew them. quite well? Mr. SLOAN. Yes, sir. Senator GURNEY. You used to see a, good deal of them? Mr. SLOAN. I would not say I saw them regularly. I was at a different staff level than they were. Most of the work went through somebody else, but I was certainly on a friendly, working-type relationship with them. Senator GURNEY. On the $20,000 payment to Mr. 'Magruder did you seek Mr. Stans' approval on that? Mr, SLOAN. I really do not precisely recall. I think that I accepted that on his own authority, since he was in a position to give blanket authority to other individuals within the campaign. Senator GURNEY. Do you know what he used it for? Mr. SLOAN. I have no direct knowledge. I just by rumor heard that it went to pay for a book by Mr. Victor Laskey. The, reason I am aware of that, is that I was talking to Mr. Vance Shumway, who was a press spokesman for the Committee for the Re-Election of the President. At the time, he had a press inquiry to the effect, that Mr. Laskey had identified the Committee for the Re-Election of the President as the source of money for a book he had written. Mr. Vance Shumway asked me whether that was the $20,000 I had given to Mr. Magruder. I said I did not factually know. Senator GURNEY. What was the book? Mr. SLOAN. I have forgotten the title. Senator GURNEY. Was it used in the campaign? Mr. SLOAN. I think it, was. Senator GURNEY. We have gone over this before, but I am curious. How many people advised you to leave town from time to time? I am just interested in the number and who they are. Mr. SLOAN. I think the only occasion where, I was specifically requested to consider a trip was the occasion of going to California. This was a request by Mr. Parkinson and Mr. 0 O'Brien. Although they said they obviously could not essentially ask me to do it, they said would I consider it. The reason they gave me at, that time was that that they felt they had been lied to by other officials and the Information I was giving them for the first time---- Senator GURNEY. I recall that. I am just, again, interested in names now, not, what has been testified before as to why they told you to leave town. Did others sort of make that suggestion now? Mr. SLOAN. I think only the telephone conversations with Mr. LaRue that night, he emphasized the urgency of my departing. Senator GURNEY. Going back to the $350,000 to the White House through Mr. Strachan, weren't you curious about that, sum of money and what it was going to be used for? Mr. SLOAN, Senator, after having been through essentially 2 years in this Campaign, where there was a very clear separation of a decision as to What money is use for resting with the political campaign, I think my curiosity had really run out by that point, in time. So much money had, in a similar way, been distributed by me without, knowledge was beyond the point of really asking questions. Senator GURNEY. Did you ever hear Mr. Stans, Mr. Magruder, or anybody give any reason for this large disbursement" Mr. SLOAN. No, sir. Senator GURNEY. You testified that you talked to John Dean on many occasions. Mr. SLOAN. Yes, sir. Senator GURNEY. Why was that? He was counsel for the President, he did not have anything to do with the Committee To Re-Elect. did he? Mr. SLOAN. This was essentially after I had left the committee. I am not sure precisely the time--it was at a time-- [00.36.50]