The Capital: Dead Men Tell No Tales

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Baker testified that on three occasions, in October and November, he had been handed envelopes containing money—presumably the disputed $99,600 —by executives of West Coast S & L companies. Each time, Baker insisted, he turned over the envelopes to Kerr. On one such occasion, Baker received two envelopes from Stuart Davis, board chairman of Los Angeles' Great Western Financial Corp. (who had previously testified that they contained $50,100 in campaign funds). When he gave the envelopes to Kerr, Baker continued, the Senator loaned him $25,000 of the money, with the comment that he would "replenish" it later from his own funds. Bobby also said that he visited Oklahoma after Thanksgiving, at which time Kerr gave him another $15,000—completing the $50,000 loan he had promised him.

Happy Christmas! On Dec. 16, 1962, Kerr suffered the illness that was to lead to a fatal heart attack two weeks later. Baker testified that at Christmas he received a call from Kerr, but at first could not believe that it was really the Senator. After all, said Bobby, "when Senator Johnson had his heart attack, the doctors insisted that he not make telephone calls." Making Kerr sound like the reformed Scrooge, Baker said the Senator told him that "he wanted to call me to let me know he loved me and my family. He said, 'Bob, I hope this is the best Christmas you've ever had. You've had it tough. The reason I wanted to talk to you was I wanted to wipe your slate clean of money I loaned you.' " According to Baker, Kerr told him that the $50,000 was payment "for the many wonderful things you have done for me."

If Bobby Baker had indeed turned over all the "political contributions" to Kerr, what did the Senator do with them? In his opening statement, Defense Attorney Williams said that when Kerr's Washington safe deposit box was opened following his death, it yielded "an equivalent sum to what had been turned over to him" by Baker. Without specifying that amount, Williams declared that Baker "did not commit theft from the savings and loan executives." Government attorneys this week will try to shake Baker's story under crossexamination. Whatever the outcome, his testimony will only becloud the memory of Bob Kerr—the man with whom Baker, according to his attorney, had "a father-son relationship."