Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 12, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 12, 1973
[00.02.00--NPACT letters on black screen--image of page bearing Senate Resolution 60--Robert MacNEILL v.o. reads text of resolution--title screen 'SENATE HEARINGS ON CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES'--MacNEILL in studio] ***SEE RESTRICTIONS FIELD IN RIGHTS SECTION*** [00.02.57--MacNEILL in studio] MacNEILL states that the ERVIN committee that day fended off several high-level attempts to to get it to delay its activities. When told by a witness (Maurice STANS) that his testimony to the committee would prejudice his case in a criminal indictment, the committee voted to compel his testimony. Further, Watergate judge John SIRICA denied an attempt by SPECIAL PROSECUTOR Archibald COX to black out the TV coverage of the hearings, which will allow the airing of the testimony of the two most potentially dramatic witnesses, Jeb MAGRUDER and John DEAN. SIRICA granted both men immunity to appear before the committee, with MAGRUDER potentially appearing the next day and DEAN next week. MacNEILL states that both REPUBLICAN and DEMOCRAT committee members dismissed the charge by VP AGNEW that the hearings were "a gross perversion of justice". [00.04.00-Jim LEHRER] LEHRER states that the decision of Judge Sirica [shown on screen, b/w headshot] climaxed a delay of several weeks to get immunity for MAGRUDER and DEAN, and also ordered DEAN to testify before a federal grand jury, which DEAN did, taking the FIFTH amendment. [MacNEILL] MacNEILL states that the two chief counsels for the committee were absent, Sam DASH and Fred THOMPSON, to prepare MAGRUDER to testify. LEHRER introduces guest commentator William GREENHALGH, Georgetown University Law professor. LEHRER said that STANS' lawyer posed the first legal hassle for the committee. GREENHALGH agrees, saying that BARKER, STANS' attorney, read a lenthy statement that objected to the committee calling STANS, on the grounds that it would prejudice a jury in New York, where STANS faces criminal indictment. LEHRER states that Senator ERVIN heard the statement and denied the request. Introduces other guest commentator Alan BARTH, a Washington journalist. MacNEILL states that no one actually mentioned the VESCO case,[STANS' indictment], except to assure one another that they weren't going to talk about it. Instead, talk centered on the payment of large sums of cash, including payment of $75,000 to Herb KALMBACH, NIXON's personal lawyer, without explanation of its purpose [00.05.52--STANS testifying] STANS talks about making that payment, after a phone call from KALMBACH, with no explanation except "I am here on a White House project, a special mission, and I need all the cash I can get." KALMBACH insisted on cash and cited "high authority" to receive the funds, and refused to name the authority. [00.07.00--MacNEILL in studio]