Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 26, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 26, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
[00.02.45-in to John DEAN testifying] DEAN indicates his unwillingness to resign from the WHITE HOUSE staff unless HALDEMAN and EHRLICHMAN did likewise, and the time delay before those resignations were announced [00.03.07-image of page bearing Senate Resolution 60, Robert MacNEILL v.o. reads resolution] [title screen "SENATE HEARINGS ON CAMPAIGN ACTIVITES"-MacNEILL in studio] [00.03.44] MacNEILL states that if the SELECT COMMITTEE expected the day's questioning to test the credibility of star witness John DEAN, it failed to do so. States that DEAN withstood five hours of questioning and his 'damning' charges against NIXON remain intact, and without official rebuttal. The WHITE HOUSE remained silent about DEAN'S charges that NIXON knew of the WATERGATE COVERUP for 8 months, discussed EXECUTIVE CLEMENCY for the defendants, and was aware of payoffs to keep the defendants silent. States that DEAN expressed awareness of the seriousness of his charges and of the fact that on many matters, "it was his word alone against the President's". MacNEILL quotes DEAN, "I am not here as a sinner seeking a confessional, I am here to tell the truth". States that the truth is yet unknown, as DEAN's charges conflict with at least six claims of innocence or ignorance made by the PRESIDENT, but states that after watching the testimony, H.R. HALDEMAN told reporters that it would soon become clear that NIXON had no involvement in the coverup. [00.04.54-Jim LEHRER] LEHRER states that DEAN has been the sole witness for two whole days, but the committee has only begun to test his testimony against others. So far, the WHITE HOUSE has not made any response, but a group of lawyers including Judge RITCHEY denied DEAN'S charges that the WHITE HOUSE lobbied the judge to conduct the DNC Civil Suit against CRP favorably to the White House. LEHRER states that Charles COLSON said DEAN'S testimony was as full of holes as Swiss Cheese, but, when asked directly, COLSON said that DEAN'S charge that COLSON sought an EXECUTIVE CLEMENCY assurance for E. Howard HUNT was "not true, but no a lie either". LEHRER states that the WHITE HOUSE has submitted a list of questions that it wants the committee to ask DEAN, but that those questions have been unused thus far. Senator INOUYE says that he thinks the WHITE HOUSE questions are worth asking. LEHRER notes that the questions originated from a memorandum prepared by DEAN'S replacement as WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL, Leonard GARMENT. [00.06.00-INOUYE speaking to reporters] INOUYE states that most of the SENATORS seem unwilling to touch the questions, but that he sees no reason why not, and if the memorandum in question is properly identified by its origin, the questions raised in it will be appropriate, whether asked by a REPUBLICAN or a DEMOCRAT. [Reporter asks INOUYE if he has read the questions] INOUYE states that he has. [same Reporter asks for the gist of the questions] INOUYE states that in most instances, the questions are a rehash of the previous issues, but that it appears that the WHITE HOUSE wants to prove that DEAN was the brains behind the entire WATERGATE operation, from planning to coverup. [00.06.50-MacNEILL] MacNEILL states that INOUYE will ask the WHITE HOUSE questions if no one else has done so. [00.07.03-LEHRER introduces guest commentator Steven HESS, former NIXON White House staffer] LEHRER asks what viewers of the replayed hearings should look for. HESS replies (somewhat dismayed) that in DEAN'S second day on the stand, "no one laid a glove on him". Pressed by LEHRER, HESS says that is more a result of poor questioning than of DEAN'S personal credibility as a witness. States that the SENATORS were sloppy, poorly prepared, and jumped from subject to subject too much. [I THINK THAT HESS WAS MOST LIKELY GETTING PAID BY THE WHITE HOUSE TO SAY THAT] [00.07.43]