Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 14, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 14, 1973
[00.37.24] Senator WEICKER. Why don't you tell -me, then, your reaction to his call ? Mr. MAGRUDER. I was not surprised that he called me. It was a typical conversation that, I had had many times with Mr. Haldeman, short, to the point. He asked what had happened. I told him to the best of our knowledge. He asked me what statement were, we going to--- I think we had put, out. the, statement but it, hadn't been released to the press at that time. I explained what we were trying to do. He explained his concern that someone, specifically myself, get back to Washington, specifically and get, hold of the situation and got the details and make sure things were handled correctly. Senator WEICKER. Mr. Magruder- Mr. MAGRUDER. As much in a PR sense, Senator, as in any other sense at that point in time. Senator WEICKER. What did you tell him? What did you tell him during the course of that conversation that you did not tell Gordon Strachan during the night before ? Mr. MAGRUDER. I don't think there was any difference in my conversation other than--there probably was no difference in the content of the conversation. It, was simply a factual description of what had happened. Senator WEICKER. Why do you feel, then, that Mr. Haldeman had to go ahead and call you if in fact you had 'given a complete description of the incident to Mr. Strachan, and certainly as far as all the background material was concerned did you make the assumption that, all of this had been transmitted to Mr. Haldeman? Mr. MAGRUDER. I didn't make that assumption. I did not know what background material. I think Mr. Haldeman called me, because of the serious nature of the problem and that this was something that he wanted to directly relate to me on and be. sure that we were taking measures to handle the situation He would call me and had called me periodically during the campaign about various subjects that he felt were important. [00.39.22] Senator WEICKER. Mr. Magruder, do you or did you operate from on the presumption. when You were talking to -Mr. Haldeman, that he knew what this break-in stemmed from Mr. -MAGRUDER. Senator, that is a difficult question to answer. I had to assume that since I communicated completely with Mr. Strachan that these communications -were known to -Mr., Haldeman to some extent. But that is strictly an assumption on my part. At no time until January did I have any Idea, and in fact,. in the January meeting. Mr. Haldeman indicated to me that he did not have any knowledge of the break-in previous to that, So, of course, I assumed it simply because I had been working with his assistant, but that is an assumption and purely that, Senator WEICKER. The reason Why I mention this, of course, is that at, the executive session of the committee, you have indicated approximately what you told me right here. But may I point out, so that, we aren't straining too much at the bit. that we have, just been through a very thorough review as to how the chain of command was and you have clearly set it out to this committee. You have run through a review of the meeting of January 27, the. meeting of February 4. the meeting of -March 20. the meeting of March 30, the meeting after Memorial Day. a meeting Within the first 2 weeks of June, and we have run it right up to June 17, and you have indicated that Mr. Strachan was as well briefed in this operation as you or anyone else and had knowledge of if. And -within that background, there was no question in your mind at all as to why the call from Mr. Haldeman? Mr. MAGRUDER. I think the call was very obvious. The issue was of critical importance and rather than dealing through his aide, he wanted to deal directly with me and Mr. Mitchell in his Case as to the action taken. So he dealt directly with me, In this is case. He did this numerous times in the campaign. Senator WEICKER. But you did not feel that you had to give a backgrounder on the subject, did you ? Mr. MAGRUDER. He did not ask for a backgrounder. recall, Senator WEICKER. Did You, and I want to lay it out here again, did you assume that, he had some knowledge--and I emphasize the. word "assume". Obviously, at this point in time it was strictly on the basis of experience--experience that you had with Mr. Strachan, experience that you had insofar as laying out the. chain of command? Mr. MAGRUDER. It was natural on my part to assume that there was some, knowledge yes. Senator WEICKER. Now, why, just out of curiosity, before you move on to the January meeting, why was everyone concerned as you indicated in your testimony this morning, with the money question? Did Mr. Haldeman seem concerned over the money in his phone call? Mr. MAGRUDER. You mean the $5,300? Senator WEICKER. That is right. Mr. MAGRUDER. I think first, there were, two concerns: Mr. McCord Obviously having been an employee of ours; and second the money, The money was raised after April 7 and was not reported, in direct violation of the new campaign law, and could be traced back directly to the committee So I think they were dual concerns. Those were the two initial concerns of the people I have discussed. [00.43.17]