Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 25, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 25, 1973
[00.02.00-in to DEAN testifying about efforts to involve the CIA in the coverup, vis a vis claiming national security interests to withhold documents pertaining to the work of Howard HUNT] Mr. DEAN---- I reported this to Ehrlichman and he. told me that he thought that the CIA ought to get all of the material back and that no card should be left. in the file and that national security grounds should be used to withhold release of the information. On February 9, 1973. I spoke with Director Schlesinger of the CIA and asked him. if it. would be possible to retrieve the material that had been sent to the Department of Justice in connection with the Watergate investigation. I told him that I had discussed this with the Department of Justice and they indicated that they would merely leave a card in their files Indicating that, the material had been returned to the CIA. I subsequently had a visit from General Walters in late February at which time he, told me that. the CIA was opposed to retrieving Material and leaving a card indicating that they had so retrieved It because they also had been requested by the Senate not to destroy any material; relating to the case. I told Walters that I did not suggest that the material be, destroyed: rather I thought that national security grounds might justify withholding release of the information to Senate investigators. He said it, simply could not, be, done and I dropped the matter. [00.03.22] As I 'will explain later in a meeting with Mr. Krogh. the fact that this material was in the possession of the Department of Justice meant to me that, it was inevitable that, the burglary of Ellsberg's psychiatrist office would be discovered. I felt that, any, investigation worth its salt -would certainly be able to look at the pictures in the files at the Department of Justice and immediately determine the location and from there discover the fact that there had been a burglary of the office that was in the picture. I would now like to turn to the White House plan for dealing with this committee. [00.03.50] WHITE HOUSE PLAN FOR PERPETUATING THE COVERUP THROUGHOUT THE SENATE WATERGATE INVESTIGATION Even before the Watergate criminal trial in January of this year, there had been press reports and rumors that the Senate planned independent hearings on the Watergate and related matter. The White House Congressional Relations Staff reported that the subject of the Watergate hearings was being discussed in the Senate Democratic, Policy Committee, but they did not know the substance of those discussions. I was aware of the interest of Ehrlichman and Haldeman in the prospects of such hearings because they had discussed It, with me, and Bill Timmons told me they had discussed it, with him. On December 13, 1972. Timmons informed me that Senator Jackson was coming to the White House for a meeting with the President. Timmons said that Senator Jackson -was a member of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee and had an excellent rapport with the President. Timmons asked me -what I thought about having the President inquire of Senator Jackson regarding the potential of a Senate inquiry into the Watergate. I responded I thought it was good idea, but -would have to check. Timmons said the, meeting -with Senator Jackson was going to be without staff present, and asked me to draft, a memorandum to the President, raising the issue. I told him I would check with Haldeman, [00.05.06] I prepared a memorandum for the President and went to Haldeman's office, but he was not there, He was in the President's office with Ann Armstrong who was discussing with the President joining the White House, staff. A meeting had been scheduled in Mr. Haldeman's office at which Ehrlichman, Moore. Ziegler, and I were to attend. When Ehrlichman came to Haldeman's office for the meeting I raised the matter of the President's asking Senator Jackson about the hearings because I did not have authority to send memorandums directly to the President. Ehrlichman thought it, was a good idea, so I walked the memorandum down to Alex Butterfield to take to the President before the meeting. I have submitted to the committee a copy of the memorandum. Mr. DEAN. when Haldeman returned to his office with Mrs. Armstrong, Ehrlichman, and I were in his office waiting. But he asked us to leave and proceed with the meeting in Ziegler's office where Moore and Ziegler were waiting. I have referred earlier to the substance of this meeting of December 13 in discussing the proposed written Dean report. Ehrlichman returned to his office and Haldeman later came to the meeting and told me that he had blocked the memorandum regarding the Watergate inquiry from going to the President. He, in fact, had the original memorandum with him and had drawn a line through it. I told him that Timmons had suggested it and that Ehrlichman had also approved it. He said he had not known that, and made a notation on the memorandum to the President and immediately sent it back to Butterfield to give to the President. I learned that, day from Timmons, -who later met with Senator Jackson, that the Senator did not, know what the Senate, Democratic Policy Committee was going to do about the Watergate. I do not know if the President discussed this subject with Senator Jackson, [00.06.58] Timmons continued to report to Haldeman and me, that there were rumblings on the. Hill that the Senate. was going to proceed with hearings, Senator Kennedy's Subcommittee on Administrative Practices and Procedures had been conducting an investigation for several months, but it was uncertain as to whether they would proceed. [00.07.15]