Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
After returning to my office I arranged a meeting with Ehrlichman in his office for mid-afternoon. Gordon Strachan came to my office shortly after I had met with Liddy. Strachan told me that he had been instructed by Haldeman to go through all of Mr. Haldeman's files over the weekend and remove and destroy damaging materials. He told me that this material included such matters as memorandums from the reelection committee, documents relating to wiretap information from the DNC, notes of meetings with Haldeman, and documents which reflected that Haldeman had instructed Magruder to transfer his intelligence gathering from Senator Muskie to Senator McGovern. Strachan told me his files were completely clean. I spoke with Mr. Kleindienst and he told me that both the FBI and the DC Metropolitan Police were investigating, and he assumed that the FBI would take full jurisdiction of the case, shortly. He also alluded to his encounter with Liddy at Burning Tree Country Club, but he did not explain this in full until I later met with him. I do not have a record of when I met with Mr. Kleindienst but it was either on Monday the 19th or the next day. I will describe that meeting shortly.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
I met with Ehrlichman in the mid-afternoon and reported in full my conversation with Liddy. I also told Ehrlichman about the earlier meetings I had attended in Mitchell's office in late January and early February and my subsequent conversation with Mr. Haldeman. He told me he wanted to meet later with Colson and told me to attend. Ehrlichman also requested that I keep him advised and find out from the Justice Department on what was going on. I did not mention my conversation with Strachan because I assumed that Ehrlichman was aware of this from Haldeman himself.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
Later that afternoon I attended a second meeting in Ehrlichman's office with Colson. I recall Ehrlichman asking where Hunt was. I said I had no idea and Colson made a similar statement. At that point, before the meeting had started, Ehrlichman instructed me to call Liddy to tell him to tell Hunt to get out of the country. I did this without even thinking. Shortly after I made the call, however, I realized that no one in the White House should give such an instruction and raised the matter. A brief discussion ensued between Ehrlichman and myself. As I recall, Ehrlichman said that he did not a fugitive from justice, so why not. I said that I did not think it was very wise. At this point Colson chimed in that he also thought it unwise and Ehrlichman agreed. I immediately called Liddy again to retract the request but he informed me that he had already passed the message and it might be too late to retract.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
Following this brief telephone skirmish regarding Hunt's traveling plans, the meeting turned to Hunt's status at the White House. I had learned from Fred Fielding, who I had asked to check on it, that Hunt had not drawn a check from his White House consultantship since late March of 1972. But as far as I knew the records indicated that Hunt was still a White House consultant to Colson. After discussions of this by Colson, who at this point was disowning Hunt as a member of his staff, Ehrlichman called Mr. Bruce Kehrli and requested he bring Hunt's personnel records up to Ehrlichman's office. Before, Kehrli arrived, Colson raised the matter of Hunt's safe. Colson without getting specific said it was imperative that someone get the contents of Hunt's safe. Colson suggested and Ehrlichman concurred that I take custody of the contents of the safe. When Kehrli arrived he was quizzed by Ehrlichman and Colson on Hunt's status at the White House. Colson was arguing that Hunt should have been removed from the White House as of March 31, 1972. Kehrli's records, however, did not so indicate. I have submitted to the committee, exhibit 13A, memorandums that Colson forwarded to me on June 19, presenting his argument. This was later resolved between Colson and Kehrli pursuant to Colson's argument. I always assumed that this required some alteration of the records, but I do not know this for a fact.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
Following this discussion, Ehrlichman asked Kehrli where Hunt's office was located and how the contents of his safe could be removed. Kehrli explained that he would have to have GSA open the safe. Colson said it must be done immediately and Ehrlichman instructed Kehrli to have me present when the safe was, opened and that I should receive the contents of the safe. Kehrli said he would call me when he had made the arrangements and he then left the office. Ehrlichman told me to report to him on the contents of Mr. Hunt's safe and the meeting ended. Kehrli called my office after I had departed. He talked with Fred Fielding and asked him to come with him to open Mr. Hunt's safe. I do not recall mentioning this to Fielding before I departed and I do not know what Kehrli told Fielding, but Kehrli was aware from the earlier meeting with Ehrlichman that I was to receive the contents of the safe.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
After departing the office, I believe I went to Mr. Mitchell's apartment. I do not recall who asked me to come to Mitchell's apartment and it may have been the evening of the 20th, rather than June 19. I recall that when I arrived, Mitchell, Mardian and Magruder were there and I gather had been discussing matters before I arrived. I recall listening but can only recall discussions of how to handle the matter from a public relations standpoint. I have no other recollection of the meeting.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
It was on June 20 or 21 that Gordon Strachan and Richard Howard came to my office. Strachan informed me that Haldeman had authorized an expenditure by Colson of some funds, but the entire amount had not been expended and he was turning over the remainder to me to hold. I told Mr. Strachan that I would hold the funds and would be accountable for them. I placed the cash, $15,200 in my safe. I informed Mr. Fielding of my office of the fact that the cash was in my safe and where it had come from. I felt I should inform Fielding because I wanted someone to know why the money was in my safe if anything should happen to me. The cash remained in my safe untouched until October 12, 1972, when I removed a packet of bills amounting to $4,850 and placed my personal cheek for that amount with the remaining cash. I removed the $4,850 after I had failed to make arrangements to pay for the anticipated expenses of my wedding and my honeymoon. I subsequently expended the cash over a several month period of time as my honeymoon moon was cut short and the full amount I had anticipated was not necessary. Thus, I used part of the cash for normal daily expenditures. At one point after I had withdrawn the cash I returned part of it to the safe, and subsequently took it out again when I was later making another attempt, after the election, to go on a honeymoon. At no time when I was making personal use of part of these funds did I plan or believe that I would not have to account for the entire amount at some point in time.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
However, as I shall state later there was great pressure, long before October, to use any and all available cash to pay for the silence of the individuals involved in the Watergate. And I decided from the outset that I did not want the money I was holding to be used for that purpose. I have never sought to hide the fact that I made personal use of this money from anyone. I informed my lawyers, I informed the Government prosecutors in April, and I informed Mr. Dash at the outset of our discussions. The money is presently in a trustee account which was established after I informed my lawyers of the fact I was holding the funds. And all the records relating to the creation of that account have been turned over to the Government and this committee as well, I believe.