Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 12, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 12, 1973
[00.08.25--committee room] Senator ERVIN. The committee will come to order. I presume Senator Baker will be here in a minute. Since the witness will first read a written statement of which Senator Baker has a copy, we will proceed. Mr. STANS. Mr. Chairman, and members of the committee, I am very sorry that the circumstances of my appearance made it necessary for my counsel to raise legal points in order to protect my right to a fair trial in New York. I personally would much have preferred to testify without any need to protect myself in that criminal action in which I feel that in the setting of a fair and impartial trial I would be exonerated. However, I want to assure you now that I will do my very best to be helpful to the committee in my testimony. Less than 2 years ago, one of the proudest moments of my experience occurred here on the Senate side of the Capitol, as I approached the end of my service as Secretary of Commerce. Some of you and many of your colleagues on the Senate Commerce Committee were extremely generous in a public hearing in praise of my efforts over a 3-year period as head of the Department of Commerce and some of the Democratic Senators even wished me success in my new undertaking as a fundraiser--but not too much success, they said. All of those comments remain highly valued to me, now, as much as any reward of the many years I spent in public service in two administrations. I would like my appearance here today to be another service in the public interest, The circumstances that bring us together are extremely regrettable, but I still share a strong mutual concern with you-in this case establishing the facts and the truth of these matters Of national interest. For that reason, as you know, I have cooperated with your staff prior to my appearance here today, just as I intend to do fully with the committee here now. My sense of integrity compels me to do so. In the past, I have refrained from answering 'in a piece-meal fashion various questions which have been raised by the media concerning the Presidential campaign and other related matters. For that, I have been highly criticized. But I felt, that, it was better if I could answer these questions before an appropriate forum in the setting and perspective of the overall situation. This would enable me to give a complete picture rather than a piece-meal response, and this is what I hope to do today, to the extent, I am able. This may help resolve some, questions as to which there has been a minimum of understanding and much erroneous public information. Next, let me say that I have cooperated fully with every official agency that has sought, information from me. I have met twice with the staff Of this committee, once with the staff of the House Banking and Currency committee, have had three meetings with the FBI and at, least six with the General Accounting Office, have given a deposition to the assistant U.S. attorney in Washington and have met with the assistant U.S. attorney in New York and twice testified before a New York grand jury. All of this has been voluntary, I have also testified several times by deposition in civil suits and once in a Florida criminal case. Also, during all the investigations which have commenced since June 17, 1972, I have instructed all finance committee personnel to cooperate fully and candidly. The reported testimony of Hugh Sloan, Jr., Paul Barrick, Judy Hoback, Evelyn Hyde, and Arden Chambers, is evidence that this is being done. I am convinced that, none of these persons had a part in Watergate or the subsequent events. However, as will come out, Mr. Sloan's recollections and mine may differ in a, few respects. This is obviously attributable to the passage of time, or the pressures of events at the time, or subjective recall. Just as he has given you his best, recollection, I will give you mine, on the various financial matters. On the major issue, that of involvement in the Watergate matter, I am satisfied that he is completely innocent. Now, it is my understanding that, the. committee is probing three matters on which it might assume that I have some knowledge--the espionage charges, including the Watergate bugging, and the coverup charges that allegedly followed; the sabotage charges, including the Segretti operation; and the handling of campaign finances. On these three matters I would like to state this: [00.13.30] (1) I had no knowledge of the Watergate break-in or any other espionage efforts before I read about them in the press, or of the efforts to cover up after the event. (2) I had no knowledge of any sabotage program to disrupt the campaign by Segretti or anyone else. (3) To the best of my knowledge, there were no intentional violations of the laws relating to campaign financing by the finance committees for which I had responsibility. Because of the complexity of the, new law that became effective in the course of the campaign, and the vast, amount of work that, had to be done under the law, there may have been some unintended technical violations by the committee, [00.14.21]