Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Statement of John Dean.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Statement of John Dean.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Statement of John Dean.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Statement of John Dean.
During the time I was having conferences with the Government prosecutors, I was avoiding conversations with Mitchell, Ehrlichman, and Haldeman as much as I could. However, on several occasions I did talk with Ehrlichman while he was in California. At one point he called me and asked if I had completed my report that I had been working on at Camp David. I told him it was still incomplete. He said that I should send him whatever I had completed. I told him that a section dealing with Segretti's activities, which had been prepared by Dick Moore, but which I had not reviewed myself, was complete as far as I was concerned and I would send it on to him. He said I should send it to California immediately on the DX machine. He said that Haldeman was interested in getting these facts out now because the timing might be right. I sent the, report that had been written by Mr. Moore, a copy of which I have submitted to the committee, exhibit 40.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Statement of John Dean.
I also had a conversation with Mitchell about Paul O'Brien going out to visit with Haldeman in California. Mitchell told me that he wanted O'Brien to go out and visit with Haldeman and that he had worked out the meeting. I felt like telling Mitchell that I thought that when I learned the meeting had been switched from Haldeman to Ehrlichman that O'Brien was being set up that Ehrlichman would probe him on everything he knew about Mitchell, Dean, and anyone else involved. I did not know if this in fact occurred, but knowing that Ehrlichman and Haldeman were very busy protecting their flanks, I would have to believe that it did occur. I have never talked with O'Brien about what did occur during his meeting with Ehrlichman.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Statement of John Dean.
Ehrlichman also asked me if I knew when I would be called before the grand jury. I told him I did not, but that my lawyers were discussing the matter with the prosecutors. I did not tell him that I had already met with the prosecutors but he told me that he wanted to know when I was going to be called because he wanted to talk with me before I appeared.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Statement of John Dean.
I believe that the President returned from California on Sunday, April 8. I was scheduled to meet with the prosecutors that afternoon. My attorneys had been discussing my testimony with the prosecutors and they had worked out an arrangement whereby I could give the prosecutors my knowledge directly and what I told them would not later be used against me if they should prosecute me. I felt that I should tell Haldeman that I was going to meet with the prosecutors personally so I called him in California on the morning of April 8, before they departed for Washington. I made the call from Mr. Shaffer's office and when I told him this he said that I should not meet with the prosecutors because, as he said, "Once the -toothpaste, is out of the tube it's going to be very hard to get it back in." After this comment, I did not tell Haldeman whether I would or would not meet with them and in fact the meeting went forward.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 25, 1973 - Statement of John Dean.
During the meeting and while the President was flying east, I received a call from Air Force One from Mr. Higby, who asked me to be in Wisdom's (Ehrlichman's code name) office at a certain time for a meeting, I believe the meeting was set for 4 or 5 o'clock. I departed from the meeting with the prosecutors to go into the White House. I went to Ehrlichman's office. There, I found Ehrlichman and Haldeman who had just arrived from Andrews Air Force Base and we chatted for a brief moment about their trip. I raised the fact that I had read in the paper that morning that Colson had taken a lie detector test. I said that I hope that everyone is willing to take such a lie detector test because it will probably be necessary now that Colson has taken a test. They asked me if I had met yet with the prosecutors or know when I would be called before the grand jury. I avoided a direct answer to the question by saying that lawyers were still having discussions with the prosecutors about my appearance before the grand jury. I was then asked some questions about testimonial areas but I gave them evasive answers. Even these evasive answers, which raised matters which related to them, brought forth responses that they did not remember it quite as I did.