Senate Select Committee On Presidential Campaign Activities June 25 1973 Footage

Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 25, 1973
This clip is not available for streaming at this time. Please contact WPA.	Tape Master:	10413
	Catalog #:	487446
	Clip Number:	487446-1
	Orginal Film:	112005
	Timecode:
	Location:	Caucus Room, Russell Senate Office Building
	Year Shot:	1973 (Actual Year)
	Audio:	Yes
	Color:	Yes
	Headings:	GOVERNMENT: Hearings, Watergate
	Description:	[00.57.39-Sen. ERVIN] Senator ERVIN. :The committee will resume. Mr. DASH. Mr. Dean, you can proceed. Senator Weicker is here making quorum, as required by our rules. Mr. DEAN. Thank you. MEETING OF MARCH 6 [00.58.39-NIXON urging DEAN to insulate HALDEMAN and EHRLICHMAN] This meeting -was brief and a general discussion of the status Of the Gray hearings and the President reminded me, again that I should report directly to him and not involve Haldeman and Ehrlichman with Watergate-related matters. MEETING. OF MARCH 7 The President, was very unhappy with Gray's performance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, In a Meeting with him on this date he made a reference to the fact that Gray's commenting In on the investigations by the FBI was absurd. He felt it was perfectly proper that I was present at those Interviews and said that Gray's attitude that he "jolly well" went forward because he had no alternative -was absurd. I also discussed with the President the fact that Ziegler -was considering endorsing the ACLU letter to the Judiciary Committee regarding the turning over of FBI materials. The President thought that that was a good idea. At the end of the meeting President instructed me to tell the Attorney General to cut off Gray from turning over any further Watergate reports to the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said this just had to cease. MEETING OF MARCH 8 [00.59.59] I had a very brief meeting with the President on this date during which he asked me if something had been done to stop Gray from turning over FBI materials to the Senate Judiciary Committee. I told him I thought that the matter had been taken care of by the Attorney General. PHONE CONVERSATION Or MARCH 10 The phone conversation of March 10. The President called me to tell the that he felt we should get the executive privilege statement out immediately that this should be done before I was called before the Senate Judiciary Committee in connection with the Gray hearings so that it would not appear that the statement on executive privilege was in response to the action by the Senate committee. MEETING OF MARCH 13 This was a rather lengthy meeting the bulk of which was taken up by a discussion about the Gray hearings and the fact that the Senate Judiciary Committee had voted to invite me to appear, in connection with Gray's nomination I nomination. [01.00.59-seed of NIXON'S last-ditch strategy against impeachment] It was at this time we discussed the potential of litigating the matter of privilege and thereby preventing anybody from going before any Senate committee until the matter was resolved. The President liked the idea very much, particularly when I mentioned to him that it might be possible that he. could also claim attorney/client privilege on me so that the strongest potential case on executive privilege would probably rest on the counsel to the President. I told him that this area would have to be researched. He told me that he did not want Haldeman and Ehrlichman to go before the Ervin hearings, and that if we were litigating the matter on Dean, that no one would have to appear. Toward the end of the conversation, we got into a discussion of Watergate matters specifically. I told the President about the fact that there were money demands being made by the seven convicted defendants and that the sentencing of these individuals was not far off. It was during this conversation that Haldeman came into the office. [01.02.02] After this brief interruption by Haldeman's coming in, but while he was still there, I told the President about the fact that there was not money to pay these individuals to meet their demand. He asked me how much it would cost. I told him that I could only make an estimate, but that it might be as high as $1 million or more. [01.02.20--OKAY, SEZ THE PRESIDENT, LET'S OBSTRUCT SOME JUSTICE! ] He told me that that was no problem, and he also looked over at Haldeman and repeated the same statement. he then asked me who Was demanding this money and I told him it was principally coming from Hunt through his attorney, He then referred to the fact that Hunt had been promised Executive clemency. He said that he had discussed this matter with Ehrlichman and contrary to instructions that Ehrlichman had given Colson not, to talk to the President about it, that Colson had also discussed it with him later. He expressed some annoyance at the fact that Colson had also discussed this matter with him. The conversation then turned back to a question from the President regarding the money that was being paid to the defendants. He asked me how this was done. [01.03.03] I told him I didn't know much about it other than the fact that the money was laundered so it could not be traced and then there were secret deliveries. [FUNNY STUFF HERE!] I told him I was learning about things I had never known before, but the next time I would certainly be more knowledgeable. This comment got a laugh out of Haldeman. The meeting ended on this note and there was no further discussion of the matter and it was left hanging just as I have described it. MEETINGS ON MARCH 14 The meetings -which occurred on this day principally involved -preparing the President for a forthcoming press conference. I recall talking about executive privilege and making Dean a test case in the courts on executive privilege. The President said that he would like very much to do this and if the opportunity came, up in the. press conference he would probably so respond. I also recall that during the, meetings which occurred on this day, that the President was going to try to find an answer that would get Ziegler off the hook of the frequent questions asked him regarding the Watergate. He said that he was going to say that be -would take. no further questions on the Watergate until the completion of the Ervin hearings and that Ziegler in turn could repeat the same statement and avoid future interrogation by the press on the subject. MEETING OF MARCH 15 It was late in the afternoon after the President's press conference----- [01.04.28-TAPE OUT]