Watergate Hearings - Gray, Walters & Helms
Watergate Hearings - Gray, Walters & Helms
(10:52:24) Opens to Director of the FBI GRAY reading his opening statement in which he talks at length about the aftermath of his destruction of two White House files, his story involves Counsel to the President JOHN DEAN who had ordered the files destroyed and an investigator Mr. PETERSON who was trying to find out the contents of the file (10:55:31) Black screen (10:55:37) Gray continues to read from his opening statement, in this portion he talks about his contact with Presidential Assistant JOHN ERHLICHMAN who made two brief, terse calls to Gray, after it came to his attention that Dean was giving up information, that Gray was to make sure he had destroyed the files given him, Gray then tells the committee that Ehrlichman falsely testified by saying that Gray told him he would deny ever receiving the files (10:58:12) Skip in footage - Senator HERMAN TALMADGE questions General VERNON WALTERS - Walters gives the committee his history as friend and co-worker to NIXON (11:00:00) Talmadge asks Walters if his appointment by Nixon to Deputy Directorship of the CIA was part of Nixon's plan to make the intelligence agency more responsive - Walters responds that he was appointed because Nixon had confidence in his abilities and that no White House influence has ever passed through him to the agency (11:01:30) Talmadge reads from Walters' statement that he, Nixon, and Gray had consulted as to what Nixon should do, and it was unanimously agreed upon that Nixon should get rid of everyone involved (11:04:30) Talmadge confirms that Walters had communications with H.R. HALDEMAN, Ehrlichman, Dean, and Gray after Watergate about cover-up possibilities (11:06:10) Image is very flickery - Talmadge asks why Walters didn't contact Nixon upon being approached by Dean to carry out improper activities - Walters responds he went through the proper channels and told Dean that he would not carry out such actions, he adds that going public with accusations as to the wrong doing of certain people in a cover-up operation would have only intensified skepticism about the operations of the CIA as the White House would deny the accusations (11:09:19) Skips in footage - Counsel DAVID DORSEN questions former CIA director RICHARD HELMS about his background and his knowledge of E. HOWARD HUNT - Helms in response mentions a request made by Hunt upon joining the White House Staff for a camera and tape recorder for an interview he was supposedly conducting