Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 12, 1973 (1/2)
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 12, 1973 (1/2)
[00.23.23] Mr. SANDERS. Prior to June 17, Mr. Stans, were you aware that, an intelligence-gathering operation was underway? Mr. STANS. No, I was not. I do not recall hearing any discussion of such an activity. Mr. SANDERS. In fairness, Mr. Stans , let me cite, to you you what I am getting at here. In the Patrick Gray confirmation hearings I have before me, in the transcript of those hearings at page 143, it, is stated by Mr. Gray that he had checked his records concerning FBI interviews with you. He says that you were interviewed four times by the FBI and that on the last date, which would have been July 28, you stated to this effect; I presume he is paraphrasing you here he says this: "Stans became, aware from general conversations that Liddy was assigned a 'security-gathering job and that certain cash disbursements would have to be made available to Liddy." Mr. STANS, Well, I think we are talking about semantics here and I 'Would like to correct, the impression right away. I was told somewhere in 'May, I believe by Magruder that Liddy had it responsibility for security at the San 'Diego convention. Now, how he was going about on security I had no way of knowing and it may well have included intelligence gathering of various types. Mr. SANDERS. Do you have any recollection of -making any statement to the FBI that you were "aware that Liddy was engage in intelligence gathering? Mr. STANS. I do not recall using that Word at all. I do recall testifying before. the grand jury, I believe, that sometime before June 17, had learned from Magruder, I believe, that Liddy was working On security for the San Diego convention. Mr. SANDERS. It seems that the line of questioning has developed that one of the problems perhaps with the campaign was too much cash on hand and available for some perhaps questionable purposes. The question naturally arises that as chairman of the finance committee is it reasonable that you did not become aware of the expenditures of such large sums of money and could these sums have been allocated without consideration by the budget committee? How does this happen? How can this possibly come about? Mr. STANS, Well, again, I think you would have to break down your consideration of that question to the period before April 7 and after, beginning April 7. Before, April 7, there. were amounts of money received by the committee in cash going back to long before I became finance chairman. After April there were practically none-there were one or two transactions which were never completed in the way of contributions in cash and there were a few contributions in cash which were deposited and fully reported. But most of the cash, a very high proportion of it, was received, handled and disbursed before April 7 and, therefore, operated under the old law. Mr. SANDERS. I fully understand that many donors may have wished to make cash contributions for purposes of anonymity. Aside from the cash contributions that have been covered by Mr. Edmisten--that is, the Dahlberg and Mexican checks, and we are remaining away from the Vesco matter--did you specifically, in your search for contributions, seek any cash donations? Mr. STANS. Let me first, put the cash question into perspective. Out of all of the money raised during the campaign, only about 3 percent was in cash. Out of all the, money spent during the campaign, only about 2 percent was in cash, or less. So that we were not running a bank in which people were running in every day by the hour handing us cash and we were disbursing cash. We did have some from people who wanted that extra degree of anonymity. And for those who tendered us cash, we accepted it and properly so, because the law, as I read it and as counsel advises me, said we properly may accept money or anything of value. So we received money in the form of checks, we accepted money in the form of cash, and we accepted contributions in other forms that we could convert into cash, [00.29.15]