1973 Watergate Hearings; 1973-11-08; Part 1 of 3

it's been is is and in the senate of the united states has a vision to establish a select committee of the senate to conduct an investigation and study in the presidential election of nineteen seventy two yesterday i sat in this hearing room while a man named john christos did everything in his power to stay my good name and that of a naturalist than its finance committee i am a hollow shocked and disgusted with the tenor of his testimony

and that brings you washing that november date tonight unabridged videotape coverage of today's hearings by the senate select committee on presidential campaign activities here is anti correspondent jim lehrer it was a short journey senate watergate committee just have to have our session today they're only one witness and francis a california economist who headed a nineteen seventy two nixon financed group called the national hispanic finance committee for the reelection of president fernandez denied emphatically that he participated in a shakedown of florida homebuilder john prisoners as you recall crisis or the committee yesterday that he agreed to contribute to the nixon campaign in resolving his problems with the federal government about the tremendous testimony today dealt with his dealings with prisoners and the campaign's chief fundraiser for commerce secretary maurice france

there's a terrible story can't relegate continued as rocky path elsewhere today to an american special prosecutor leon jaworski to let house committee they felt he had adequate independence to pursue his job including the right to sue the president was very words president nixon's personal secretary told judge john stryker that the quality of the presidential tapes as well many of the larger inaudible she said they have their own cia analyst it's thirteen point five million additional members to write their congressmen and hers that the president been page they're also for the developments in the investigation involving senator edward byrne a republican member of the watergate committee your day has a rundown that year normally this chair is occupied by senator garn for republican within the president's closest supporter of the watergate committee but except for a few hours yesterday with china has not been occupied by senator kerry for the last few weeks and now that says that senator bernie himself maybe in as much trouble as many of the witnesses who've appeared before the

committee the miami herald reported today that a former bernie political aide larry williams has agreed to plead guilty to two felony counts in connection with collecting more than three hundred thousand dollars for granted the researchers found and jim granted justice department investigators that in nineteen seventy one in nineteen seventy two he collected thousands of dollars in envelopes from williams to put into the fund which you said was used for travel expenses for office expenses and other things that was never reported and i think the irs is also looking into the fund when other contributors of miami builder john jay priestess who testified before the committee yesterday they tried to get the committee to re elect the president twenty five thousand dollars to ease his troubles of the federal housing administration priest is also reportedly gave thirty thousand dollars to carry in cash in a brown paper bag and for a while trials of the fha worries about priestess to have pleaded

guilty to federal charges and is awaiting a prison sentence and done it was not on hand to either listen to priestess sort of questioning yesterday so far has refused comment and can only wonder whether prosecutors axel fall next gm ipo will be back at the close of tonight's broadcast with stephen hess former nixon aide author and political scholar to discuss the day's events among other things let's go now to me our by our guide to how most of them in his testimony and so today in the first hour he opened with a statement labeling yesterday's testimony john businesses owners said he was shocked and disgusted said the set and he denied that he ever agreed with his government housing problems in exchange for political contributions in the second half and as that nixon finally steve moore he's kind of funny except twenty five thousand dollar contribution from listeners after checking out the extent of his problems with the smiths and fred upton is according to

commanders mr postman complete the concern for us and the short there are tremendous it's going to work and troubles with the government supported agency the national economic development association and denies this is the hymn was in vermont and now to tennessee i think he raises questions thank

you it's just nice oh absolutely nina

which was established to foster the free enterprise system among spanish speaking people of the united states i served in this position as a fulltime executive without compensation knowing every state stands then secretary of commerce was soon to become chairman of the finance committee to re elect the president i asked him for permission to organize the national hispanic finance committee for the reelection of the president on february twenty four nineteen seventy two commissioners grant and i became chairman of the committee reporting directly to separate terrorist acts spanish speaking americans responded to the president's positive programs and it was my good fortune to be included among the spanish speaking leadership in the nineteen seventy two presidential campaign the formation of the national hispanic finance committee meant that for the first time in our nation's history the spanish speaking people were invited to participate in an upfront manner during a presidential

campaign hundreds of people like myself who have never been involved in a political campaign of any kind donated our time our money and our energies to return to office a president who had by his actions embrace vs first class ever since we were totally commit and beat our dedication has not wavered yeah proud about his accomplishments in nineteen seventy two and look for to participation in the political process of our country as a result of the administration's program for minorities as citizens nationwide the percentage of spanish speaking voters casting ballots for the republican nominee increase from approximately six percent in nineteen sixty two to about thirty five percent in nineteen seventy two i like to think that the efforts of the national hispanic finance committee contributed substantially to this dramatic increase for the first time in our nation's history hundreds of thousands of spanish speaking voters

became viable participants in our two party system of government the final financial statement of the national hispanic finance committee was fight with the comptroller general of the united states on august thirty one nineteen seventy three to my knowledge of things contained in this report reflect a true and accurate accounting of all money is collected and expanded by the national hispanic finance committee for the reelection of the president i think it is wide open up at more than seventy five percent of these campaign funds were in contributions a one hundred dollars or less to mind in those instances was there ever offered a promise of political favoritism correlation or other similar tactic employed in the solicitation collection or expanding of the campaign contributions yesterday i sat in this hearing room while a man named john christos get everything and it's hard to stay my good name and that of the nationalist senate finance committee

i am a paul shocked and disgusted with the tenor of his testimony i am not forced to defend myself against these accusations indeed these allegations against me and the committee that's a national hispanic finance committee are so onerous and i not been asked by the senate committee to testify i would have demanded the opportunity to address this committee for reasons known only to himself mr priester says completing a state it affects for example low he testified that i called him at his home and introduced myself as a fundraiser on behalf of the president the statement is totally false his associates associates ask me for an appointment to accept his contribution two he testified that prior to winning i mean i was fully aware of his

problems with hot and the fha the statement is totally false i did not even know your problems until i met him at that time he told me that he was the victim of a backwards to this day i know nothing of the nature or extent of this problem he testified that i asked him for a one hundred thousand campaign donation this statement is totally false i never asked him for a ban and they told me that he was going to make a contribution of twenty five thousand dollars for the day he testified that in exchange for a one hundred thousand dollar donation i will guarantee to solve this problem and that they check the statement is well he was never promised any favors directly or indirectly and it's an exchange for his nomination number four he testified that i asked him for three checks the first one being in the mouth of twenty

five thousand dollars the statement is totally false he volunteered to make a twenty five thousand dollar donation which would be paid by one chat sex he testified on march twelve nineteen seventy two he met me and two other men in my room at the hay adams hotel washington dc this statement is true he testified that he complained that it and treat with a two hundred thousand dollar donation had managed to solve some of its government problems but he was just a little guy and therefore he was going to reduce his donation and fifty thousand dollars the statement is totally false at no time was there ever a discussion with masterpieces about it and these problems there was a discussion at the hotel or elsewhere about a reduction in his donation because of it and t's donation number so he testified on work at numerous occasions that he was asked to make a donation in cash this

statement is totally false at no time was ms dupree says to my knowledge never asked to make a cash donation number eight he testified that the leading industry spends his audience he asked lester spence to pick up the telephone and call secretary romney about his troubles with their statement is totally false i was present during the meeting and at no time did he ask secretary stands to call anyone gentleman it is my unshakeable belief that the american system or fair play will prevail not only in politics but in our day to day experiences defending myself as i have done to date might deter some people from participating in the political process i'm not bitter i am more convinced than ever but i must continue to work with the spanish speaking people that this must be a lifetime commitment on my car i will continue to devote my time and energy and

hopefully there are people will continue to move up we're in our society participating fully in every aspect of our society thank you very much mr fernandez well we turned to the testimony of mr broussard like to ask you some questions concerning your background and your background information of the national hispanic finance committee could you first tell us how the committee came to be formed i guess i can see the idea of a national unity effort on the part of the spanish speaking people with respect to the presidential campaign i had just recently completed a tor service or and i worked with the spanish speaking people in the field of economic development and it was that experience that proved to me that the spanish speaking people of which the three major groups are the mexican american

puerto rican and the cuban american could indeed work together and unify basis i can see the idea of developing a national organization which would participate in the presidential campaign collecting funds from all over the united states with the idea of supporting a president wed done so much on our behalf represented my idea to secretary stands who was still secretary of commerce at the time and as much as i knew that he was soon to become the finance chairman of the finance committee to reelect the present <unk> then thought it was a good idea and ask me to put it in writing and to submit it to hugh sloan who that was chairman of the finance committee to reelect the president i prepared a complete report outlining the objectives of management principles the methodology goals of merchandising

techniques a management team things of that sort that report was submitted not only to mr stallone but you know strong delegate republican national committee the president the vice president or anyone that i thought might be in a position to help us in getting approval of this effort something i had never been done before and people are really about on february the fifteen secretary spence became the chairman of the finance committee to reelect the president of every twenty four he issued a letter authorizing the organization of the national senate finance committee no that was the goal of the finance committee we set a goal of one million dollars for the first time a however when it was discussed with secretary stands he smiled and said mr fernandez if you can get a million dollars from the spanish speaking people having started a pointless and zero that would be a miracle

if you can break out your committee can break it we would be please and the light it because it will not have cost the campaign five cents to have a major national effort if you can show a profit we would be thrilled because the soviet on an unbelievable accomplishment and out of night time we believe we've actually hit a one million-dollar global research contract comes close to one million dollars bottles out there now with respect to our own situation i got him to serve without any conversation is that yes i took off approximately nine to ten months for my own business and worked as a full time national chairman of the finance committee with no compensation what sort of a full time volunteer you were interested in be reelected as either

courtenay and what position were you interested in cannibals or undersecretary show and am i correct that when people ask him why you're doing this in addition to stressing the role of the spanish american people and what president nixon that for them you would at times got around to talking about what your personal writing future administrations i don't know not really i was not looking for a job i took on the assignment with no promises of thought point whatsoever by secretaries than anyone in the administration inevitably media conversation would lead to my own future but it was brought about by people who saw me in action during his campaign who saw me on television or radio or read about in the newspapers and speculation ran wild throughout the country among spanish speaking people that perhaps i would be the first lady speaking member of a presidential campaign you're hoping that you would be the person to benefit from the recognition that the campaign

effort might also i was hoping that yes the president and his muslim soccer to appoint someone like myself i would be pleased the light but what if it was someone that i will still be pleased in the light your background is as an economist that was one of the positions that you for you might be qualified or that secretary of commerce leisure and you believe you might imagine as the masterpieces i don't recall ever mentioned anything that is a possibility it's going to pay we raised in connection with the effort to get one million dollars initially we went there to the direct contribution route asking members of our executive committee for example to make a one thousand dollars donation we also had a national advisory

council each of the states in which we worked hard in which we had committees have an advisory staff are they worse to make direct contributions but the direct contribution wrote and very swiftly because that's a very tough proposition and there are people of spanish speaking people aren't don't have a track record of making donations and it was that we had a lot of pioneering work to be done that you soliciting campaign contributions for the national hispanic finance committee from individuals rather than spanish speaking persons oh yes on occasion i have a lot of non spanish speaking fans for example and that i would have no reluctance whatsoever person to make a donation to the national senate finance committee a lot of people why didn't a five problems of the spanish speaking people and we're anxious to unseat what we came as close to our goals as possible

michael at that the goal would be measured by deposits or contributions to the national hispanic finance committee's letter yes and that cadence or contributions or checks made out of some other organization would not count toward your goal at them for example with a santorum made a donation were made up of one of the many committees are authorized by the finance committee to re elect would be voters who are committee do a stress in your role of course is chairman of the national finance committee's after i went with respect and solicitation of campaign contributions not really i was a national chairman my name appeared on the letterhead switched over itself my job primarily was to organize a national effort

my job primarily was to identify spanish speaking leadership throughout the united states they recruited and online organizers think my job was to submit different financial problems because they chat on numerous occasions i asked what i was the keynote speaker here both in spanish and in english and different states throughout the country but that and i would be introduced as the national chairman of the national senate finance committee for the reelection of the president again so if i cannot

just add to my last then served with general questions than answers right now pertain to monitor eagles she won the prize my major motivating factors for getting involved in so it was not an event that number one i was primarily cancer in terms of bringing the spanish speaking people into the two party system some eighty five ninety percent of the spanish speaking people in this country are registered democrats and in my judgment this is to the disadvantage of the spanish speaking people and that was my hope and expectation that as a result of my efforts with the national hispanic finance committee we could swing many of the spanish speaking people into the republican party and secondly i was truly motivated and many people want a president of the united

states this track record when it happens and it was wide open expectation that spanish speaking people brought me with may and worked with made for his re election mr fernandez when you do a nineteen seventy two familiar with some of the matter is i came out yesterday during as the mama rose testimony concerning the empress of the executive branch of the government to get contracts to spanish speaking companies favorable to the administration and the prize companies no unattainable goals so that was not known to you when you made your decision that i knew that nationally there was a major effort on the part of the administration to speak english this was at a program which is administered by the small business administration which makes provisions for the awarding contracts to minority

entrepreneur this is a problem that have been in operation for some three years i was fully aware of that aspect of the administration's efforts to award contracts i was not aware of any official on the part of the administration to use this problem as a political tool you mentioned in the gobi question of various state committees committees were there simply having a committee in california colorado texas new york and florida and in your own mind that you have a particular staple of the most successful yasser was that far and rosie's was the state that used chose to initiate your fundraising efforts yes sir we need a model to show the spanish speaking people throughout the united states as to what could be done by management careful

organization solid management techniques we selected florida as part of a state for several reasons first of all speaking population of which mosul are cuban americans secondly the cuban americans are very sensitive to the political process because so many of them did not participate in the political process in cuba and it was also of course and they are now in vienna situation where they were deprived of everything at all into the united states' pledging that they would never again promote themselves to be used in such a way that it would not participate in the political system they were very as a whole they're very staunch republicans consequently it was my reasoning that they would be more responsive to the problem which i have on truth to this committee today

and as it turned out my pieces one dimension of the cuban americans in florida ryan when you first heard the name soon after i held a press conference in miami in spanish to announce the organization of the national hispanic finance committee or one of the other members of the organization in florida held a cocktail party at his home there must have been a hundred two hundred and fifty cuban americans cuban americans at the cocktail party i was invited to be the keynote speaker to address the group idea during the course of the evening of course i tried to meet every person in the room i met some out of cuban american businessmen who indicated to me

that they knew at a very dynamic aggressive young multimillionaire wanted to make a donation to the presidential campaign and some fifty thousand dollars and actually i was please i'm delighted to learn of this situation i was asked whether i could meet with him and my hotel and i informed the cuban americans that i would be delighted to do so i met mr priestess the next day in my hope and the meeting actually set up a one of his associates called me and asked me to accept the meeting any given time i agree to the meeting and that is the basis of the hotel in back into my own and do you know the name of the associate that said of the meeting know so i did not do recall being interviewed on october nineteen when members of the staff of the committee yes sir and you recall at that time skating that you believe that sochi it

wasn't mr carlos munoz yes sir i do but it's sheer speculation it was i think at that time also identify mr nolan has witnessed increases because they have some sort of a business relationship and that mr mike rogalski us industry pieces with his opinions but i'm not positive thought that business was the man the senate committee you know that the members of the staff of this committee have continued to mr nunez in florida like in and you know what he told members of the staff knows him so or you saving that whatever he told staffers are known to do and would not want any bases of your present recollect that it might not have a business that's correct what happened at the meeting with these devices and masterpieces son came in and sat down by the desk and dad

told me that he was prepared to make a donation to the president's campaign effort eichler marvels please and the light to meet him and that there are isi to limit their i had been informed that he was going to make a fifty thousand dollars donation he so that is incorrect it is my intent to make a twenty five thousand dollars donation which is still a considerable amount of money and i had big and i i was pleased and the like that he was going to make a donation to the bottom up i asked him if he had brought a check for donations he said he didn't know whether they would get to me it boaters to be held there in one of the hotels in miami which i agreed that i would be in there and he would make these donations that time then he said now mr fernandez i have a problem that was discussed with him certainly you want to make the twenty five thousand dollars you don't listen to him although

he sat down and told me that he was a victim of a bad press at the miami herald was harassing him that he was a contractor that had been involved in the construction of low cost housing and that his company because of his ability to have been able to garner some eighty five percent eighty percent of the total contract been awarded by her in his area and that as a consequence the local newspaper was carrying on a problem against them almost on a daily basis he had with him as evidence of this harassment a stack of newspaper articles showing great headlines and showing photographs his house in fact someone and he handed me the items and i'd just come through them because i didn't have time to go through a massive file of newspaper clippings and he said that he was sure that he was being investigated at the time he told me

that his main concern was that i gave him assurances that he would have a fair investigation a fair hearing that beep well he was concerned about the outcome of the investigation as a result of the newspaper or as i told him number one i cannot give you any assurance of that time but number two masterpieces have you done anything new legal or you know with respect your business activities he told me absolutely not i have nothing to worry about is my livelihood i bent the only thing i can do masterpieces i can call secretary stands and arranged for you to repeat i cannot do anything for you he leapt at the opportunity and said that he would be please if something like that would be all right i read about

that point the conversation ended and that that was the last time i saw him for a few days with respect to that meeting mr fernandez is it your testimony that the first time we were aware of any problems on the part of those decreases well as one told us and with his genius we call that the party or he have you and he discusses the pieces he told you that was the pieces may not be willing to make a contribution because of those problems would you say that that was incorrect testimony was having problems in that war might not be willing to make a contribution at this time that is correct because no such conversation place because the news and i saw one thing about like the

stress of this committee this was the first cocktail party on behalf of the president by the national finance committee as i justify a few months ago there were three hundred and one hundred and fifty people there and i don't think i knew more than three or four of them and that entire room so be the national chairman of the national hispanic finance committee i was being pulled on every person in the room i would introduce it feels like it regarding the president but they're saying it's possible because you are in effect because of honor and i know it's not possible that question what that discussion with <unk> news never took place mr fernandez one for the first time to hear a particular some of money mentioned as the contribution or anticipated

contribution of just freezes the vacuum in manhattan school arrange for the meeting between the two pieces and i about individuals who mentioned that he was prepared to make a donation and fifty thousand out at nighttime and many of my conversations with mr priestess was a figure of one hundred thousand dollars ever mentioned but i keep saying i'm liane hansen so one hundred thousand dollars this priestess and that this was never any conversation with you alluded to figure of one hundred thousand dollars dollars and is it also to say whether the us the question did you ever tell anybody that you thought was the pieces weren't one might get one hundred thousand dollars to republican ever knows and in your conversations with

anybody whether it's mr stenson the state's law and your associates other people to veto any of them that ms freese this mitochondrial a contribution of one hundred thousand dollars not a tiny figure of one hundred thousand dollars every compound in the campaign was a cuban americans in the miami area at the beginning of the campaign or so excited about what we were doing or so excited about participating in a presidential campaign actually pledge that they would raise one hundred thousand and a fact laden raid five cents is beside the point they were very excited and enthusiastic about it indeed one of the fellows at least a hundred thousand dollars is a lot andy who is a young member who was a member of the florida advisory council of the national senate finance committee that's the only time favorite hundred thousand dollars amount so that you know the possibility that was the case

this might be one of the last anybody that's really when i'm focusing also like that in that situation never occurred at any time during the course of his campaign with respect and capricious goodness please those at that meeting what he wanted to give twenty five thousand dollars to the already others onto the president's campaign yes i've testified not in conjunction with the other because i kept a line of demarcation between a donation and a common conversation which i how strictly says there was no quid pro quo in fall with respect to any donation anytime anywhere during the nineteen seventy two campaign get out after the discussion of his donation he did discuss with the fact that he had this problem with the miami herald well here's a

man as you learned that many who was having serious problems with the federal government's i correct he told me that he was a victim of a bad press to this day i don't know what his problems or with the federal government and our toll of the tenor of my discussion with him was the harassment that he claimed that he was getting on the miami here that was a tenor of our discussion you know the season well did he tell you that some sort of hearing was anticipated that could cause some serious problems and it indicates you why he was interested in getting twenty five thousand dollars in the midst of all this trouble now saying it now and you know why the person under that sort of fresher i was willing to make a donation of twenty five dollars no sir i wouldn't speculate as to what is more vigilant and do you know why

you were chosen as the vehicle want to make a twenty five thousand dollars contribution yes i assume that i would see men are because i was speaking of financial effort and the person that introduced me to masterpieces was like myself and it was only normal a natural adhesive company with that is that is the case this is not that is there were some of his associates are but this was the traditional talking about yasser and presumably if he wanted to have somebody is here to discuss a problem he was having that he could choose another person's id so where's the right answer but he chose two years and he in effect you're saying that through his associates came to you do hear the constitution and completely independently discuss the problem he was having with the government that is correct

and you know that was the pieces is a democrat or republican i do not know you know whether you play any role whatsoever in any other political campaign i don't know anything about mr christopher reporter testified today the ambiguity was nothing to discuss yes and no if you have any explanation what i know and i think you know i really didn't care if the man wanted to make a twenty five thousand dollars donation to a presidential campaign i was please and the light a comedian i would be i would have been pleased that he indicated whether he expected to have any difficulty in raising a twenty five thousand dollars he might call it also does sound strange that a person in the midst of

trouble would want to make a twenty five thousand dollar contribution for no apparent reason and indicated at the same time that he was having difficulty raising money i didn't find it strange idea it's been my experience in economics and finance at the people that have the networks generally happy ken short situation very gentle invest in land or stocks and stock portfolio and some people with that was in excess of six figures are have difficulty and speaking of five thousand dollars that can strike me as a stranger peculiar but even with respect to a person who isn't serious so apparently in serious difficulty at the time i didn't dare go into his background singers as others back on our other than what he discussed with me with respect to the press i gather you were happy that he was coming to the twenty five thousand dollars that i was delighted that what really pulled apart and we're encouraging him to make this country before i can listen to that story

i was getting i was running around this country like a chicken with mike mcconnell last year i traveled over two hundred and fifty thousand miles on behalf of the presidential campaign i worked on average of eighty hours a week and i still felt like a saddam listen to a twenty five thousand dollars anytime anywhere no nation we want you to do it and what is a lot of these are no that's wrong that's twenty five thousand dollars to which i still was the chairman with your permission i would like to offer affidavit about carlos nunez

copies to the centers and to counsel mr munoz has been supplying will be received pronunciation but there's no objection to be received as an exhibit in my partner it's been the pay to pay

to play if there is no objection to really ever there was one the affidavit to the senate select committee on presidential campaign activities state of florida dade county carlos listening to reports warned opposes hands so as i'm president ford and have been for many of them for privacies two years overseas as a barber and at seventy two million the us to attend the cocktail party at his home and called labels to raise money for the reelection of the president threw the hispanic finance committee at this party i was introduced to mr benjamin hernandez chairman of hispanic finance committee

of the horses to julian the news i talked to mr fernandez about my association in the past which was the priest is in a gentle way at the time as the priest this was making headlines about his problem with the fha i was asked as my contribution if i knew any persons who can make contributions obviously most of jesus's name came out i said that time i didn't no he would be in the position to make any contribution few days later i found that there had been contacting mr fernandez and this decreases and i was told by mr bruce is that he made a contribution and that is a woolen loaned him the money i did see was different and there's a couple of times after the party but never discusses decreases contribution or any related matter with him for the more i was never told by mr fernandez that he was a pre to resist or infamous the places that he could get help and mr fernandez and

it's signed a color scheme isn't a note rides we're going to need second seeded you want to add anything to what you said concerning the conversation about listening as now what was the next event in your dealings with mr cruz just a few days later i cannot survive the time i thought it was you that day or within the next week i met mr priestess and the charity ball healthy in dade county florida it was at this time that he was to bring in twenty five thousand dollar check which represented his donation to the national senate finance committee i was a guest on this terminal casanova who was the chairman of a florida of the national senate finance committee we were sitting in the audience when a waiter waitress i

came to me and asked me to go to the front door is that it produces was there i went to the front of the year the world not the front door at the entrance to the un to the banquet in that i met mr priestess he was accompanied by young lady and it was supposed to make the delivery of his donation at that time so when i have tried saluted mr wan li i asked him whether your body is the nation with me as he had promised he said no he had not however that he would bring it with him to the one when i went to washington dc to visit with secretary stance i again it was a twenty five thousand dollars or potential donor and when everyone it was my wish i could do a play you would be fine no problem whatsoever

masterpieces and i said some pleasantries and excused myself and went back to my cable as the priest this was indicating that he just wanted to meet with the suspense yesterday was a routine to secretary stands the same story that was the business and that it was the reason why we wanted to repeat this story to mr stearns the same reason he gave me that he wanted assurances that he would be treated fairly in the course of his investigation into orphanages here as a result he was receiving in miami was a conservatively about that personally abstract or was he concerned about the effect of the bad press on his hearing many americans to be killed but he was trying to give assurances that the police or would do that he would get closer and hard to accomplish

that if you want to be on my problems i have no idea why that kind of insurance all i can do is to bring it to the attention of my superiors and didn't let them discuss with you i don't know if anything and i mean that says something else or at least this continent and said mr fernandez i need your help i mean what have you i have a track record of violent terrorism in this country that's in the last four years i've served as a volunteer two of the last four years without compensation to anyway i like to think of myself as a kind compassionate man who reaches out to help the people are asking for assistance and help whenever possible and i will continue to work in the field along terrace so that raises

concerns about the weather company directly enough people might not and if they were within my province given that you would have received but again he did not consider mr so secretary stands in quite the same category as you do with respect to generosity as to his time that is absolutely not true i have known secretary stands for some five years and i consider him one of the kindest most compassionate man i have ever met in my life what he has done with respect to the minority communities as secretary of commerce the organization of the opposite a minority business enterprise with the standpoint of readiness into the free enterprise system is on one of the most remarkable stories in america one that will be told that i liked guy i think he is one of the finest americans i've ever known how many people did you bring in those who were potential

contributors i think the surprise is was the only one although i get that on occasion by members of the national hispanic finance committee for all donors and some of them pretty heavy donors intimate mr stanton before that with them some of those individuals you know you're front mr joel rose has that now serving line ever took an individual secretary stands and that i can't think of anyone else but then that was the case this was the only contributor that you saw or to introduce an assistant and how many individuals who had problems were not contributors the jewish businesses fans would you repeat that you said in

effect that was just and was generous with his time as you're with your is another person that problem wanted to come talk to you about the probably would listen and you and i'm asking whether you ever watch any other individual to miss the stands was not a contributor to that he could listen to this individual problems i never brought any other individuals to mr stan to have problems and he like myself was that have to revisit last year mostly politically divisive a few moments which you get hip to members of my own let's move ahead to the prime minister of pieces that you in a washington dc yes sir when was that i believe that was march twelve nineteen seventy two it was registered at the hay adams hotel washington dc this was the night before the meeting the secretary states i was in my room having a drink with a couple of members of our committee one of the

strictly says was an alarming and as to come up to discuss with me the place of lobbying come up another purpose he came to our of my room and i did in the address of the finance committee to re elect president all the time that i expected in their awkward in the blank which he declined to say just the riot inspired and he let the two men who were in the wrong with me we're going to go walk the treasurer of the national hispanic finance committee for the reelection of the president and also a member of the executive committee the other hand was my notice a lot of these states chairman of the national hispanic finance committee there were no discussions in that room with respect to mr reeser says donations there were no discussions with them with respect to the ip anti matter which he testified yesterday none whatsoever michael ergo that was just about the time that the itt was in the

newspapers i don't know whether it was in a well were you following the fortunes of the republican campaign effort but aren't sure what happened allegations he has like everyone else and was a subject you were discussing among your friends to be friends who were working with you on a campaign no not particularly well as an individual i would be concerned with manners and that time when we got two or three spanish speaking fellows that together we were concerned are explosively with our own organization whether our efforts as i've testified today and that matters likely it is the case in the beard and all at one time mr cassano indicates

america when he was interviewed by your investigators and he told you that there had been no discussion whatsoever of the it in the case and now that they have your investigators didn't know that and the reason i mentioned that i was shot about that this kind of testimony which i heard yesterday for the very first time and it was a surprise which are built and we are preparing to get ready to defend myself against that kind of an allegation yesterday was the first one that any word of this allegation with us the word cumbia none whatsoever i incidentally when mr asimov was told you that what you told us that he also tell you that he had told investigators that he recalled some one hundred thousand dollars was mentioning and is that my first recollection is the weather

was mentioned know he told me when i discuss this matter with them that he had indicated to be interviewers the possibility that a hundred thousand dollar donation have been discussed or the anger or the possibility of additional donations it was he told me that he was teasing his recollection and that was that it was not sort of the figures involved and he is mistaken with respect to that is that with respect to live i've never read a statement i don't know of those notes that he told us that a hundred thousand dollar figure was mentioned in connection with masterpieces contribution he was mistaken i guess we were but he is right when he told you that it was not mentioned yesterday also i've indicated to me that at an all time masterpieces was in that wrong or anyway anywhere in the country that we discussed it in the situation and be in relation mr

christensen is donation and to make their desire and entrance to testify and verify my view today well i think we found out that mr lockett was in the room yesterday without that early obama's to casanova and we can't solicit an affidavit from him was like we had with every other participants and we are waiting at and will transmission are making when it comes you're speaking mr dorsett of the affidavit mr cassel no well this is simply notes of an interview with the german we ask is because nobody would provide us with an affidavit this was i believe sometime last week we had not received that evening last week we are the affidavit is or should be submitted by councilman specialist internationally will you

give that weapons are camping out in two copies and was a lot of this is not getting into this is that there's not an epidemic they're doing with this the priest is to see mr stearns the following morning yesterday at how the serpent it out originally contacted hugh sloan who is the treasurer of the finance committee to re elect the president ickes point in the nature of the meeting which have been questioned by masterpiece because he felt that there would be no problem in arranging for such meeting and suddenly was no is that the next morning after the meeting in my room i met mr cleese as the seventeen or one pennsylvania avenue in washington dc outside of the secretary's office you spent a lot of the time was a

meeting set for i don't know i was a you know i could have an eleven o'clock if your grandmother the meeting was postponed originally from nine to eleven i know that could have communicated with his wrist bones are set up this meeting i i don't recall whether i top a secretary stands directly but that i do know that whenever i made a point to visit with secretary i want to use low so i'm real easy and less useful you are in effect a liaison with mr stearns yes sir and you had i stand there and i it was very first time i talked to in the finance committee to rely on we were organizing our committee and throughout the period of time

that that it's been that's because

by