Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 12, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 12, 1973
[00.24.09] Senator GURNEY. Between whom? Mr. PORTER. Among Mr. LaRue, Mr. Mardian, Mr. Magruder, and then ultimately, Mr. Mitchell. There were several large banquet rooms, empty banquet rooms, in the hotel that were not being used and a lot of these meetings were held in those rooms, off in a corner. I was asked at one occasion to stand some 50 yards away, whatever it was, and kind of be the guard on the door as they had this meeting. Senator GURNEY. Who was present, at that particular meeting? Mr. PORTER. Mr. Mitchell, Mr. 'Mardian, Mr. LaRue, Mr. Magruder, Mr. Clifford Miller from Los Angeles was present, but I am not sure whether he was present, at, that particular meeting. There were several of these conferences going on intermittently during the- Senator GURNEY, How many would you say? Mr. PORTER. Three or four, probably. Senator GURNEY. And would you please name All the, people that You can remember who participated in these conversations? Mr. PORTER. I think I have named them, Senator, those people. Senator GURNEY. Did you overhear any of the conversations? Mr. PORTER. No, sir, not a bit. Senator GURNEY. Did any of these people repeat to you later any part of these conversations? Mr. PORTER. No, sir. Obviously, my curiosity became piqued and I asked, I believe it was Mr. Miller--I think it was Mr. Miller--probably a question like, what's up? He said, I believe, that one of the committee's employees, had been caught inside the Democratic National Committee. I asked him who it was and he said, James McCord. And that was the first time I had learned of that. It was toward noon. Senator GURNEY. How long did you stay in California? Mr. PORTER. I personally, Senator? Senator GURNEY. Yes. Mr. PORTER. Through Tuesday, I believe, the following Tuesday. Senator GURNEY. And what about the rest of the time that you were in California? Do you recall an conversations that took place about Watergate that you have any knowledge of? Mr. PORTER. No, sir. At no time was I ever included in any of those conversations with any of those people. Senator GURNEY. While you were in California, did you make any phone calls back to Washington? Mr. PORTER. I have been asked, I believe, that question by one of the members of your committee. I received a phone call from the same Roger Stone who I mentioned earlier in this about the--in my earlier testimony, And Mr. Stone was taking care of our house while we were gone. I had taken my family out to California for the summer. Senator GURNEY. 'Is this significant? Mr. PORTER. Yes, sir, it is significant. He was, I think it was on Monday night, I guess feeding our dogs and the phone rang and a voice asked for me and he said, he said, is Bart Porter there? Mr. Stone said, no, he was not. He said, who is this? And the voice said, and it sounded like an older man, according to Roger, this is Jim McCord. And Roger said, I do not believe you. And I guess the man pressed him and said, yes it was. He said, where are you? He said, well, I am in jail. I want to talk to Porter. I do not think this is accurate. I think personally it was a hoax or some friend calling. But anyway, Roger called me in California immediately. I was convinced it was a prank because I hardly knew Mr. McCord and he would have no reason to call me. But, because Mr. Magruder--I think I tried to get Mr. Magruder, I am not sure. But I did call Mr. LaRue. I felt somebody should know that I had received that call. So I did tell, I think I called Mr. LaRue and told him that. And he just took the information and said, thank you. And that was the last I heard of it, Senator GURNEY. Now, when you returned to Washington again, did you participate 'in any conferences, phone conversations with anyone about this Watergate break-in? Mr. PORTER. No, sir, not at, all, other than the normal Senator GURNEY. Did you hear anybody discuss it there at the Committee To Re-Elect the President? Mr. PORTER. No, sir. Senator GURNEY. What about destruction of records? What records have you destroyed other than the accounting that you have mentioned? Mr. PORTER. Well, I really did not have any other records, Senator, other than some speech material; and some travel schedules that, were out of date and other things that I had been kind of saving over a period of months that really were not--I would not classify as anything important, but I did have those and I did throw those away, I think. Senator GURNEY. From the time that you were 'in the service of the Committee To Re-Elect the President, until now, have you ever had any discussions about Watergate or bugging or surveillance or sabotage with Mr. Haldeman? Mr. PORTER. Never. Senator GURNEY,. With Mr. Ehrlichman? Mr. PORTER. Never Senator GURNEY. With Mr. Dean? Mr. PORTER. Never. Senator GURNEY. With Mr. Colson? Mr. PORTER. Never. Senator GURNEY. With Mr. Kalmbach? Mr. PORTER. Never. Senator GURNEY. With Mr. Mitchell? Mr. PORTER. -Never.