Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 12, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 12, 1973
[00.23.06] Mr. PORTER. I guess, Mr. Dorsen, that would really have to go, to answer that question fully I would have to go back to Senator Baker's rather searching questions on Thursday. No matter how much a person prepares he thinks he is prepared to answer a question like that and it turns out when he is faced with it he fumbles a bit and I have done a lot of reflecting on those questions and why I did what I did and why I am here doing what I am doing now. That many of the reasons that the, the normal reasons that you read about in the newspaper and you hear about that people do things like that were not present in my case. I did not do it for money, I did not take a bribe, I did not do it for power, I did not do it for position, I did not do it to hide anything I had done because I did not think I had done anything. And yet, on the other hand, there were three or four factors that probably weighed and I cannot put any percentage on them of which weighed more and which toppled me over onto the other side. My vanity was appealed to when was told my name had come up in high counsels, and I was an honest man and I made a good appearance and that sort of thing. My loyalty was appealed to, to the President. It was the heat of the campaign a campaign as I am sure everyone of you Senators know was an abnormal situation, you react, you act and react, you spend most of your time reacting, and I was, I think all of those things coupled with what I have found out to be a weakness in my character quite frankly, to succumb to that pressure, all added up to my tipping over to that side. Having discovered that weakness, and having determined that the, context in which what I did has been put, the first thing I told MY attorney, I said I want to go down and I want to tell the truth and I do not want to, you know, hide behind a darned thing and I have not tried to make any deals with anybody and, as I say, I have not come to this committee to do so. Senator Baker used the word atonement the other day, perhaps that is what I am doing, I do not, know. I will let others judge that but that is the way I feel and that is what I am doing. DORSEN. I have no further questions at this time. Senator GURNEY. Mr. Chairman, could I have one question would like to put, to the witness? Senator ERVIN, Yes. Senator GURNEY. From time to time these people that you employed in the prank or sabotage department made reports, to you, did they not? Mr. PORTER. On a couple of occasions? I believe they wrote letters and explained what it was they had done; yes, sir. Senator GURNEY. I am not interested in the substance of the reports. Did they make reports to you by phone conversations? Mr. PORTER. The first gentleman, Mr. Greaves, talked to me a couple of times on the telephone, yes sir, and--but he, as I say, he. was only on board, so to speak, for a very short, period of time, 2 weeks, so I do not, believe there were, any written reports at all of any kind. No reports were required. The, second fellow I believe, sent, one handwritten statement that was later, I think, retyped and shown to Mr. Magruder but, it was brief, maybe about a page long, a page and a half and had to do with his activities in a field office of Senator Humphrey's up in Pennsylvania, some place or something like that. Senator GURNEY. Well now, these reports, whatever nature they were, were they phone calls? Mr. PORTER. I would say reports, Senator. Senator GURNEY. Reports or conversations. Who did you report to? Mr. PORTER, Mr. Magruder. Senator GURNEY. About, what they were doing? Mr. PORTER. Mr. -Magruder. Senator GURNEY. Did you report to anyone else? Mr. PORTER. No, sir. Senator GURNEY. Did you report by written memorandum? Mr. PORTER. I believe, on one occasion I did report on the, as I say, it was a narrative of the man's letter that, he had sent on his activities in this field office in Pennsylvania, that was the only one, as I remember. Senator GURNEY. Do you know if _Mr. Magruder made a report, to anyone about these activities? Mr. PORTER, I do not. I would expect that perhaps, Mr. 'Magruder may have taken that document or that report and shown it to somebody. Senator GURNEY. But You and Mr. Magruder never discussed this, whether he was--- Mr. PORTER. No, sir, I do not, think--I think I gave it to Mr. Reisner as a matter of fact, Mr. Reisner had it and gave it back to me. [00.28.03]