Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 25, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 25, 1973
[00.18.50-DEAN continues to discuss the WHITE HOUSE dealings with the FBI investigation] I told Petersen that if I were to testify I would have to reveal this fact. 'Mr. Petersen suggested that the, interview be terminated, which it was, and that they would get back to me and we could complete it on another day. I was not called again and it was not because* I think. of my knowledge but because of other events and a motion that Mr. Bittman had filed not being pursued--but Fielding and Kehrli testified as to the evidentiary chain at the trial. I recall that at shortly after this meeting in Petersen", office, where I disclosed these facts to Petersen, I talked with Gray at a Department of Justice luncheon. [00.19.29-GRAY is playing ball with EHRLICHMAN and the WHITE HOUSE-destroyed the sensitive documents from HUNT'S safe] After the luncheon he came in; to me and told me, that. I must "hang tight" on not disclosing his receipt of the documents. He also informed me that he had destroyed the documents. I told Ehrlichman about this shortly after Gray told me he had destroyed the documents and when Ehrlichman called me, just before the President selected Gray as his nominee for Director of the FBI. Ehrlichman asked me if I had any problems with Gray and I reminded him of the destruction of the documents. He indicated that this was not, a problem. It 'was after I commenced my informal interviews -with the Watergate Prosecutors, in early April of this year that this subject arose again. I repeated my story, as I have to this committee, They later informed me that Gray denied having ever received such documents. This was the first issue of fact that arose in my discussions with The prosecutors, so my attorney requested that I take a polygraph test, which I did. Subsequently as is now public knowledge and not to MY surprise, because I believe that Gray is both an honorable and truthful man, he has admitted that He 'had received and destroyed the documents. [00.20.35] MR. KALMBACH AND SILENCE MONEY I would now like to turn back to the end of June 1972, After my meetings with General Walters and subsequent meeting with Haldeman and Ehrlichman I informed Mr. Mitchell that there could be no CIA assistance. To the best of my recollection, this occurred on the afternoon of June 28 in a meeting in Mr. Mitchell's office, and I believe that Mr. LaRue and Mr. Mardian were also present. There was a discussion of the need for support money in exchange for the silence for the men in jail and if the CIA could not do it they would have to find money somewhere else. Mr. LaRue indicated that Mr. Stans had only a small amount of cash. I believe he said $70,000 or $80,000, but more would be needed, After some discussion which I cannot recall with any specificity at, this time, [00.22.15] Mitchell asked me to get the approval; of Haldeman and Ehrlichman to use Mr. Herbert Kalmbach to raise the necessary money. [00.22.23-INTEREST in keeping the defendants quietly, alluding to illegal White House activities] Before I departed the, meeting I remembered that Mr. Mitchell, in an aside for my ears only, told me that the White House, in particular Ehrlichman, should be very interested and anxious to accommodate the needs of these men. He was referring to activities that they had conducted in the past that related to the White House, such as the Ellsberg break-in. I conveyed this request to Haldeman and Ehrlichman and they told me to proceed to contact Mr. Kalmbach. I called Mr. Kalmbach on June 28, and told him that Haldeman, Ehrlichman and Mitchell had requested that he come back to Washington as quickly as possible. He told me he would take the next flight. I met Mr. Kalmbach at the Mayflower Hotel on June 29. We first, met in the coffee shop, but could not find sufficient privacy to talk so we went to his room. I had always been very open In my dealings with Mr. Kalmbach, and I knew that he had stated, after he completed his fundraising activities prior to April 7, 1972, that he. did not wish to engage in any further fundraising activities, so I told him everything I knew about the case at that time, including my concern that it might involve the, President himself, but I did not know that for a fact. I also told him that Haldeman, Ehrlichman and Mitchell felt it was very important that he raise the money, I told him that per Mitchell's instructions he should contact Fred LaRue as to the amounts needed and the timing. [00.23.47] I knew that Kalmbach was not happy with this assignment, and he said he was undertaking it only because Mitchell. Haldeman and Ehrlichman had so requested. I do not know if Mr. Kalmbach discussed this with any of these persons but given the nature of the request, I did not expect him to take it of my word alone. I had never before given instructions to Kalmbach to raise any money or never passed on any similar instructions to him. Subsequent to our meeting, Kalmbach informed me he, was departing to raise the money, but he wanted Tony Ulasewicz to handle all deliveries because he was the only man he would trust. He said that he did not have his telephone number and requested that I call Jack Caulfield and request that Mr. Ulasewicz meet him in California. I called Caulfield and made the request. but I did not tell Caulfield the reason Kalmbach wanted to have Mr. Ulasewicz call him. Within a week or so, Kalmbach returned to Washington And requested that I meet him in Lafayette Park, which I did. He said that I could report to Haldeman and Ehrlichman that he had raised the money and, in fact, he said he had it in his briefcase with him, to the best of my recollection, he told me he was en route to meet Mr. Ulasewicz, but wanted me to know the job was done. Following that meeting, and several days later, as I recall, he called me and said that he had asked Fred LaRue to come to my office to give him the details of who was to get how much. I recall that such a meeting did occur in my office, but I was on and off the telephone while LaRue and Kalmbach were going over the figures and I have absolutely no recollection of the details of their discussion. I know that LaRue, had the figures on a sheet of paper and Kalmbach wrote them down in his own code on a small piece of paper which he placed in his wallet. I have no further knowledge of how or when or to whom delivery was made. Mr. Kalmbach merely told me later that it had been done and I passed this on to Ehrlichman and Haldeman. [00.25.45]