A. Testimony and Statements of the Principals. The testimony and statements by the key participants concerning the deliveries of the Hughes $100,000 do not conform in many key respects. Most of the people involved have changed their testimony and statements as the investigation progressed. The only consistent assertion of all principals have been that there were only two deliveries. When initially questioned about the deliveries, the various parties-Robert Maheu, Peter Maheu, Danner, and Rebozo -placed the date of the first delivery within about one year of the November 1968 election.117 As the investigation intensified, from about the time Rebozo returned the money in June 1973,118 the parties began recalling later delivery dates. Other differences in testimony have occurred, including significant changes regarding locations of deliveries anl number of people present. For example, Robert Maheu has stated that he was present at a delivery in Key Biscayne. Danner initially so testified, but later, after talking with Rebozo, changed his testimony to agree with Rebozo's testimony that Maheu was not present. Testimony about the Hughes-Rebozo contribution has been extensive and varied. In addition to the staff interviews and sworn testimony in sessions before the Select Committee, testimony concerning the contribution can be found in the Maheu v. Hughes Tool Company civil litigation119; the interviews and depositions relating to the Securities and Exchange Commission's investigation of the acquisition of Air West by Hughes 120; and the interviews and affidavits furnished the Select Committee by the Internal Revenue Service, pursuant to a Senate resolution.121 The following summary is not exhaustive and must be read in conjunction with the later sections of the report analyzing the contribution. 1. Richard Danner. In February, 1969, Richard Danner commenced his employment with Hughes Tool Company as General Manager of the Frontier Hotel.122 His responsibilities also called for him to serve as liaison for the Hughes entities 117. Citations for the statements made by the various parties are in the lengthier discussions below. 118. The return of the money is described in Section 8 below. 119. Robert A. Maheu v. Hughes Tool Company, Civil No. 72-305 HP, United States District Court for the Central District of California. 120. Securities and Exchange Commission, Case No. HO596; information from the Commission was furnished to the Select Committee pursuant to a letter of disclosure. William Turner, a lawyer with the SEC, was particularly helpful. 121. See Senate Resolution 288, 93rd Congress, 2nd Session. and the Nixon administration.128 According to Robert Maheu, Hughes was especially pleased that Danner joined the Hughes operation inasmuch as the 1968 campaign contribution still remained undelivered, and Danner, with his connections with Rebozo, coull readily remedy this problem.124 While Danner's recollection has been unclear about the dates of deliveries, who was present and who provided the money to him, he testified with certainty about the circumstances leading up to the decision to make the $100,000 in cash available to Rebozo. Danner testified that, in the spring of 1969, he had frequent contacts with Rebozo during which Rebozo was "needling" 125 him about Hughes' apparent favoritism towards the Democrats by making a large contribution available to thenVice President Humphrey in 1968, by having Larry O'Brien on retainer, and by employing Senator Humphrey's son.128 Danner testified that he brought Rebozo's comments to Maheu's attention and that shortly thereafter Peter Maheu, Robert's son, showed Danner cancelled checks reflecting payments to various Nixon-Agnew committees during the 1968 campaign.1 127 Danner testified that he related that information to Rebozo and "he (Rebozo) still felt that that was not comparable to what they had done for Humphrey." 128 Danner then told Rebozo that the $50,000 undelivered at Palm Springs was still intact and available.129 According to Danner's testimony, Rebozo declined the offer.130 The contribution came up a short time later, in May or June 1969, when Danner testified that Rebozo raised the "question of whether Mr. Hughes would contribute to funds to begin taking polls on candidates for the 1970 congressional elections ." 181 According to Danner, he then discussed this matter with Maheu, who said that the undelivered $50,000 was available and that an additional $50,000 could be committed.182 Danner's only other consistent testimony has been that there were only two deliveries, one at San Clemente and one at Key Biscayne. Danner testified that Robert Maheu told him the money 123. Robert A. Maheu interview, January 20, 1974. 124. Ibid. 125. Richard Danner Executive Session, December 18, 1973, p. 43. 126. Ibid., pp. 80-86. 127. Ibid., p. 16. 128. Ibid., p. 43. 129. According to Danner, Maheu said "They can have that if they want it." Ibid. at 44. 130. Ibid., p. 50. 131. Ibid., p. 51. 132. Ibid., pp. 52-53. for the first delivery was in the safety deposit box at the Frontier Hotel.133 It was either brought to Danner by Peter or Robert Maheu, or Danner picked it up himself from the safe deposit box.134 He did not count the bills upon receipt but did note that they were bundled in packages of $5,000 each.135 In a transcribed question and answer session with the IRS on May 15, 1972 the first time he was questioned on the $100,000, Danner stated that the first delivery took place at Key Biscayne in the late summer of 1969, where Robert Maheu handed the package to Rebozo, and that the second delivery was at San Clemente at an unspecified later date.136 According to a contemporaneous memorandum, he told an IRS agent on Nov. 29, 1972 (in a telephone conversation) that the first delivery in Key Biscayne was in September 1969, and the second delivery in San Clemente on July 3, 1970.137 In a July 5, 1973 affidavit filed with the IRS as a correction to his May 15, 1972 questioning, Danner changed his prior statement. He said he was certain that the first contribution, not the second, took place on July 3, 1970 at San Clemente, with only Rebozo and Danner present, and that the second contribution was made in Key Biscayne on August 19-20, 1970,138 again with only Rebozo and Danner present. He stated to the Select Committee that he had been to the Western White House at San Clemente only once, which his travel records show to be on July 3, 1970.139 Danner testified that he met with the President and Rose Woods after the delivery to Rebozo at San Clemente. His discussion with the President, Danner testified, focused on "the problems at the White House getting entertainment . . suitable for young audiences and so on" 140 .. and that there was no mention of the contribution.141 In his discussion with Rose Mary Woods, Danner testified that there was no talk about the purpose of Danner's visit.142 Woods had no recollection of 133. Ibid., pp. 90-93. 134. Danner has testified that, with regard to both contributions, he is uncertain who delivered the money to him, noting that either $50,000 package could have come from either Robert or Peter Maheu. See Richard Danner Executive Session, June 11, 1974, pp. 188-89. He has also testified that Thomas Bell did not deliver either packagee to him. Ibid., p. 186. 135. Richard Danner Executive Session, December 18, 1973, p. 99. 136. Interview of Richard Danner by IRS, May 15, 1972, p. 18. 137. Interview of Richard Danner by IRS, November 29, 1972. 138. Affidavit of Richard Danner, July 5, 1973. 139. Danner Executive Session, Dec. 18, 1973, p. 104; Danner travel records. Exhibit 21. 140. Ibid., p. 106. 141. Ibid. 142. Ibid., p. 107. meeting Danner in July 1970 and said, in a staff interview, that "I would not know Danner if he walked in." 143 Danner testified that he was unable to explain why the first delivery would not have been made until the summer of 1970, rather than in the fall of 1969, shortly after the spring 1969 Rebozo-Danner discussions of a possible contribution and Maheu's authorization of the delivery.1 144 2. Robert A. Maheu. In his statements and testimony about the two $50,000 contributions, Robert Maheu has provided conflicting information about sources of the money and delivery dates. a. First $50,000. When Danner joined the Hughes organization there were on-going discussions between Hughes and Maheu about the uncompleted 1968 contribution. Maheu suggested Danner as the courier for the funds, and Hughes agreed.145 Maheu has provided conflicting statements on the origin of the money. In September 1971, Maheu told the IRS that the first $50,000 came from the cashier's cage at the Sands Hotel in early December 1968.146 In a 1973 IRS interview, Maheu said the money consisted of the same bills he received from Nadine Henley on December 5 and 6, 1968, and turned over to Peter Maheu upon his return from the Palm Springs Governors' Conference.147 In a later interview with Select Committee staff, he said that he received the money for the first delivery from Henley on July 11, 1969.148 As to the first delivery, in a 1973 civil deposition Maheu testified that: "Mr. Danner made the first delivery which would have been sometime in, to the best of my recollection, sometime in 1969." 149 Maheu told Select Committee investigators that the delivery was made shortly after Danner joined the Hughes corporation, which was in February 1969.150 Later in the same interview, Maheu stated that the first delivery must have been sometime after July 11, 1969, the date on which Henley sent him $50,000.151 Similarly, Maheu has expressed uncertainty about the mechanics of the first transaction, recalling only that it was 143. Rose Mary Woods interview, February 20, 1974. 144. Danner Executive Session, Dec. 18, 1973, p. 94. 145. Robert Maheu interview, January 20, 1974. 146. Interview of Robert A. Maheu by the IRS, September 21, 1971. See later section for a discussion of this possible source. 147. Robert Maheu IRS interview, September 19, 1973. See p. 000 below for a discussion of this source. 148. Roberet Maheu Select Committee staff interview, January 28, 1974. See p. 000 below for a discussion of this source. 149. Robert Maheu Civil Deposition, July 4, 1973 p. 1037. 150. Robert Maheu interview, January 20, 1974. 151. Robert Maheu interview, January 20, 1974. his son, Peter, who transmitted the money to Danner some time after the early December 1968 Palm Springs Governors' Conference.152 Maheu testified in a civil deposition that Key Biscayne was the place of the first delivery, recalling that Danner used the DeHavilland to go to Key Biscayne and he (Maheu) had to explain the trip to Hughes when Hughes reviewed the log.153 According to Maheu, the purpose of the first delivery was to fulfill the pledge that had been made to the Nixon campaign in 1968. He stated that both he and Hughes were concerned that they not appear to be reneging on their commitments.154 b. Second $50,000. Maheu has given different dates and different reasons for this delivery. He is, however, certain that he was present when an envelope filled with cash was passed to Rebozo in Key Biscayne. Maheu first told the Committee staff he was contacted by Bob Hope concerning a possible contribution of $50,000$100,000 to the Eisenhower Hospital. Maheu discussed it with Hughes, and Hughes suggested that Maheu contribute $10,000 to the hospital and, at the same time, pledge to the Nixon Administration that Hughes would make additional contributions to the Congressional races. Hughes felt that through that arrangement he would get more mileage out of the Administration.155 In his July 4, 1973 deposition, where he first publicly discussed Hughes' political contributions, Maheu noted that the decision to make the contribution was based on conversations with Danner, who told Maheu of the political necessity of the contribution, rather than on Hughes' instructions relative to Maheu's conversation with Bob Hope.1 156 In a civil deposition, Maheu testified that the money was transmitted to Danner by Thomas Bell, a Hughes lawyer in Las Vegas in early 1970.157 Later, in a Select Committee staff interview, he said Bell delivered it to Danner in the summer of 1970.158 In his second staff interview, he said that he had testified under oath to a federal grand jury investigating Hughes' acquisition of Air West that the delivery to Rebozo was made by Danner and him on February 3-5, 1970 in Key 152. Robert Maheu Civil Deposition, July 4, 1973, p. 1096. 153. Robert Maheu Civil Deposition, July 4, 1973, p. 000. For a discussion of the contribution during the 1968 campaign, see sections 2 and 3, supra. 154. Robert Maheu interview, January 20, 1974. 155. Robert Maheu interview, January 20, 1974. 156. Robert A. Maheu Civil Deposition, July 4, 1973, vol. XII, pp. 1025-27. See the discussion of the Dunes, sec. 6 infra for a more detailed discussion of what Maheu understood the political necessity of the contribution to be. 157. Robert Maheu Civil Deposition, July 4, 1973, p. 1026. 158. Robert Maheu inteerview, September 15, 1973, p. 15. |