Clarion Defender_1973-05-04

2 Clarion Defender May 4, 1973 Curtain of secrecy lifting on bugging of WASHINGTON The mystery which shrouded the bugging of Democratic national headquarters in the Watergate complex has been tantalizingly slow in lifting, but now there are signs of wholesale disclosures. In the more than 10 months since five men were arrested in the early hours of a Saturday last June, many of the dis– closures about the.affair have eome from investigative reporters. The five men and two others pleaded guilty or were con– victed, but the trial left many questions unanswered. Now President Nixon has ordered a .new investigation, abandoning his previous insistence that no one in his ad– ministration was involved. There is talk of early new indictments by a federal grand jury. And a special Senate committee plans extensive public hearings. Here are chronological highlights of the affair: June 17-Five men were seized at gun– point at 2 a.m. in the headquarters of the · Democratic National Committee along with cameras and electronic surveillance equipment. Police had been alerted by a security guard after file drawers had been opened and ceiling panels removed near the office of Lawrence F . O'Brien, com– mittee chairman. Arrested and charged with second degree burglary were Bernard L. Barker, James W. McCord, Frank A. Sturgis, Eu genio L. Martinez and Virgilio R. Gon– zalez. McCord was employed as security chief by the Republican National Com– mittee and the Committee for the Re– Election of the President. Barker had met in early June in Miami with E. Howard 'Hunt, the CIA official in charge of the abortive invasion of Cuba in 1961. Hunt had been a consultant to Charles W. Colson, special consultant to President Nixon and other White House officials. June 19-John N. Mitchell, former at– torney general and Nixon's campaign manager, said none of those involved in the raid were ~·~perating either on our behaH or with our consent." O'Brien call– ed for a full FBI investigation. June 19-The Justice Department said the FBI would investigate. June 2Q-O'Brien told a news con– ference the raid was a "blatant act of political espionage" and announced the party was filing a $!-million civil lawsuit against the Committee for Re-Election of the President and the raiders charging in– vasion of privacy and vio!<Vion of civil rights. June 22-Nixon told a news conference the Watergate raid ''has nd place whatever ip our electoral process or in our governmental process ... The White House has had no involvement whatever in this particular incident." June 25-Martha Mitchell said in a telephone call to a reporter that she couldn't stand the life she had been leading since her husband resigned as at– torney general to manage Nixon's cam– paign. She said she was leaving him because ~he could no longer stand "all those dirty things that go oQ." July !-Mitchell announced his res~gnation to "meet the one obligation which must come first: the happiness and weHare of my wife and daughter." Nixon named Clark McGregor to replace him. The FBI began a nationwide search for E. Howard Hunt Jr., the former White House consultant whose name and home telephone number were found in address books of two ·of the five men arrested in the -raid. It was disclosed that Hunt had been a partner with Barker in several business ventures in Central America. July 7-Hunt, his whereabouts still un– known, sent word through his attorney that he would meet with federal au– thorities investigating the case. July 31-The Washington Pos.t reported that a $25,000 cashier's check apparently intended for Nixon's cam– paign had beeD deposited in April in a bank account o{ rlarker's. Aug. 15-0'Brien said he had learned that the Democrats' headquarters had been wiretapped for some time prior to the June 17 break-in. Aug. 26-The General Accounting Of– fice referred to the Justice Department "apparent and possible" violations of fed– eral law by the Committee for Re– Election of the President, involving a $350,000 special fund. It cited failure to keep adequate records. Aug. 29-Nixon told a news conference at San Clemente, Calif., that presidential counsel John W. Dean III had "con– ducted a complete investigation of all leads which might involve present members of the White House staff or anybody in the government." He added: "I can say categorically that t~is in– vestigation indicates that no .one ~n the White House staff, no one m thts ad- ministration; presently employed, was ip– volved in this very bizarre incident." Sept. !-Mitchell, in a sworn statement in the civil suit, was asked "Was there any discussion at which you were present or about-which you heard when you were campaign director concerning having any form of surveillance on the Democratic National Committee headquarters?" He replied "No, I can't imagine a less productive activity than that. " .Sept. 11-The Democrats moved to raise the amount of damages froni $1 million to $3.2 million and to include as defendants Stans and three other cam– paign aides. Sept. 13-Clark McGregor announced that the committee for Re-Election of the President had filed a countersuit seeking $2.5· million damages from O'Brien, ac– cusing him of using the court "as a forum in which to publicize accusations against innocent persons which would be libelous if published elsewhere. " Stans filed a $5 million suit against O'Brien. Sept. 15-A federal grand jury indicted seven persons on charges of conspiring to break into Democr atic headqua rters. In · addition to the five arreste d.in the raid , they included two former Nixon aides : G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt Jr. The indictment alleged burglary and possession of eavesdropping devices. Sept. 19-The seven men pleaded inno– cent and were released on bonds ranging from $10,000 to $50,000. Sept. 29-The Washington Post said Mitchell controlled a secret furid fluc– tuating from $350,000 to $700,000: used for gathering information about the Democrats. It named Stans as one of four other persons authorized to approve payments. A campaign committee spokesman said there was no truth to the story. Oct. 2-Acting FBI Director L. Patrick Gray III defended the FBI investigation of the affair, denying that any political pressure was applied. Oct. 5-Nixon was asked at a news con– ference why his administration did not "make a clean breast about what you were trying to get done at the Watergate?" The President replied that decision had been made at a lower level, and that the FBI probe made its investi– gation of the Alger Hiss case look like "a Sunday School exercise." He said he would not comment further because the case was before the courts. AHred C. Baldwin III, a former FBI agent, said in an interview published by the Los Angeles Times that he had monitored telephone and other conver- sat~ons at Watergate for three weeks while employed by the GOP campaign committee, working from a room at a motor lodge across the street. Oct. 10-The Washington Post said the Watergate affair was part of a larger es– pionage and sabotage effort against the Democrats. Oct. 15-Time magazine said Los Angeles attorney Donald H. Segretti, previously named as a recruiter for an un– dercover spy operation against the Demo– crats, had been hired in September 1971, by Dwight Chapin, a deputy assistant to Nixon, and Gordon Strachan, a White · House staff assistant. The report said Segretti was paid more than $35,000 by Herbert Kalmbach, Nixon's personal at– torney, out of funds kept in Maurice Stans's safe. The Washington Post q4oted California attorney Lawrence Young as saying Segretti had told him "Dwight Chapin was the person I reported to in Washington" and that he received spying assignments from Howard Hunt. Oct. 16-Press secretary Ziegler said the charges of espionage efforts involving White House aides were "hearsay, in– nuendo and guilt by association." Ziegler denied that Segretti ever worked for the White House. Oct. 25-Ziegler denied a Washington Post story which said H.R. Haldeman, Nixon's White House chief of staff, was one of five persons authorized to approve payments from a secret fund used to finance political espionage. He said Haldeman never had access to such a fund and, in fact, such a fund never ex– isted. pet. 26-Clark McGregor conceded there was a special Republican campaign fund controlled by top Nixon aides. He said the fund, amounting to as much as $350,000, had been disbursed for preliminary campaign t>lanning and, in one instance, to gather information on possible organized disruption of GOP rallies in New Hampshire. He denied that sabotage was involved or that Haldeman had any tie to the fund. Nov. 1-Bernard L. Barker, one of those indicted in the break-in, was found guilty in Miami of falsely notarizing a signature on a $25,000 check that had been traced to the Nixon campaign com– mittee. He was given a 60-day suspended sentence. Dec. 8-Mrs. E. Howard Hunt was kill– ed in a jetliner crash in Chicago. Her handbag contained $10,000 in $100 bills. Hunt said the money was intended for a business investment. Jan. 8-The trial of the seven Watergate defendants began. Jan. lQ-The chief prosecutor, Asst. U.S. Atty. Earl J. Silbert, said the govern– ment would show the incident was part of a well-financed espionage campaign against the Democrats. He said the cam– paign committee kept few if any records of a $235,000 fund, and the prosecution could account for only $50,000. Jan. 11-Howard Hunt pleaded guilty to all six charges against him and was freed on $100,000 bail pending sentenc– ing. Jan. 11-Tlte Justice Department charged the Committee for Re-Election of the President with eight criminal violations of election financing law in fail– ing .to record and report $31,000 that it had allegedly given Liddy. Jan. 15-Four more defendants plead– ed guilty: Bernard L. Barker, Frank A. Sturgis. Eugenio Martinez and Virgilio R. Gonzalez. All denied that pressure had been put on them by higher-ups, or money offered them, to plead guilty. Jan. 29-The White House confirmed that Dwight Chapin was leaving as Nix– on's appointments secretary, but said it was his own decision and not linked to any political espionage activity. Jan. 30-G. Gordon Liddy and James W. McCord were convicted by a jury of conspiracy, burglary and wiretapping. Feb. 2-Judge John J. Sirica said at a bail hearing he was not satisfied that all the facts had been produced at the trial. He set bond for Liddy and McCord at $100,000 each. Feb. 7-The Senate voted 70 to 0 toes– tablish a seven-man special committee to conduct an investigation. Feb. 28-L. Patrick Gray, at a hearing on his nomination to be FBI director, acknowledged that extensive records of the break-in investigation had been made available to the White House. He said John W. Dean III, a presidential counsel conducting a separate inquiry, "asked him to give us what we had to date." He said Dean ordered Hunt's office safe emptied three days after Hunt was arrested for the Watergate break-in, and the papers were not turned over to the FBI until a week later. March 2-Nixon told a news con– ference he considered it improper for him to comment on the Watergate case while it was in the courts. He noted that Dean's investigation had indicated that no one on the White House staff had any knowledge of the affair. He said he would not permit his counsel, •Dean, to testify before Congress, but that information would be supplied to committees. March 12-In a policy statement on ex– ecutive privilege, Nixon said members and former members of his personal staff would normally refuse to testify formally before committees of Congress. March 13-The Senate Judiciary Com– mittee invited Dean to testify at its hearings on Gray's nomination. Dean wrote back the next day that he would not appear, but he offered to accept and reply to written questions. March 15-Nixon reaffirmed his stand against an appearance by Dean saying lie felt it his duty to defend the separation of powers. He said .. he 'would welcome a court test if the Senate wished to press the issue. March 18-Sen. Sam J . Ervin Jr., D– N.C., chairman of the Watergate in– vestigating committee, said he would seek the arrest of anyone, including White House aides, who refused to testify. March 2Q-Gray told the Judiciary Committee he was under new orders from Atty. Gen. Richard G. Kleindienst not to discuss the Watergate case at hearings on his nomination. The ad– ministration also overruled Gray's offer to open the FBI's Watergate files to any senator who asked to examine them. March 22-Gray testified that Dean probably lied to FBI agents investigating the case. March 23-Five Watergate defendants were sentenced provisionally to max– imum sentences-35 years for Hunt and 40 years each for Barker, Sturgis, Mar– tinez and Gonzalez. All had pleaded guil– ty. Liddy was sentenced to from six years, eight months to 20 years. Judge Sirica recommended that they cooperate fully with the grand jury and the Senate in– vestigato~. Bank records showed that Bc.rker deposited Ute check April20, along with'A.K · Mr f~ur : checks totaling $89,000 from a "' ' • lawyer in Mexico. On April 24 he with- Press Secretary, give me some ·answers!~ 'If 1 knew aaaout the Watergate Caper, what am I doing in the White House?' drew $25,000 in the form of a check drawn to himseH. When Barker and the four other men were arrested authorities found they had ·53 $100 bills, traced through serial numbers to Barker's bank account. Aug. 8-Maurice Stans, in charge· of finances for Nixon's campaign, denied tbat money intended for the campaign had helped to finance the Watergate break-in. Stans reportedly told in– vestigators the $25,000 check had been ex– ebanged by G. Gordon Liddy, finance counsel, for $25,000 in cash which was de– posited in the campaign treU.ury. . · . . Ancl If I dlcln't know a ... v.lll aHalr•••• ' •• What am I doing In the White Kouse?'