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.
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.
Fred Thompson, attorney. You mentioned also Mr. Ziegler, and of course, we all know the statements that he continually made concerning this matter. Who was supplying Mr. Ziegler his information? John Dean. I would say that basically, I supplied a large amount of it. I think that Mr. Ziegler would check many times with Mr. Ehrlichman, sometimes with Mr. Haldeman, and often with the President himself, he would check out a given statement. At times, I was called, as I say often, not on a daily basis, by any means, but with some frequency, that was how Ziegler could sort of wade through a story being factual, but without actually going out and lying on a given matter. How he could hedge and bob and weave. I think that the exhibit that I submitted is very typical of the type of approach that he would take. He would take, you know, an offensive approach rather than to really admit a given set of facts. Because he couldn t, you know I d tell him he couldn t admit the facts. Fred Thompson, attorney. Did Mr. Ziegler know the truth? John Dean. No, he did not. In fact that was a very difficult situation. Mr. Ziegler, on countless occasions, asked me to brief him. I on several occasions asked Mr. Ehrlichman if I could brief Ziegler. I was given very specific instructions that I was not to brief Ziegler. In fact this briefing of other people occurred on a number of occasions. It occurred in connection with Mr. Johnson visiting, Wally Johnson. It occurred with Clark MacGregor before he went to actually while he was at the Republican National Convention he was very desirous of knowing the facts. He was having intense press inquiries at that point in time. One time he called me to his room and he said I have to have the facts. Well, I called Ehrlichman, and said I had known Mr. MacGregor for a number of years, going back to my time on the House Judiciary Committee, and I felt very awkward. I said, I will have to check this out with Mr. Ehrlichman. I called Ehrlichman, he told me I could not brief MacGregor. So as MacGregor didn't have the facts when he would make public statements, Ziegler didn't have the facts. Ziegler was quite annoyed, but I told him that I could not give him the facts.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 26, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
Fred Thompson, attorney. Would it be fair to say then that on occasion, on numerous occasions, you misinformed Mr. Ziegler with regard to the true facts of the matter? John Dean. I would not say misinformed him as much as to tell him how to take the offensive because he could not say a given situation. I can think of one occasion where we talked about the secret fund that was at the White House. And he said, how do I handle that? I said that s a matter of interpretation. It s a secret to some people, but since we know of it, it obviously is not a secret. So you don't need to say it is a secret fund. So that is the way that was handled. For example, the leak to Time Magazine of the story regarding surveillance of the White House staff and newsmen that one did present a real quandary to me. So I called Ehrlichman for guidance. I was aware what happened. I asked Ehrlichman for guidance on how to handle it. He said just flat out deny it. Now that was a flat out lie. Fred Thompson, attorney. All right. Did you tell Ziegler on occasion that there was no White House involvement? John Dean. That there was no White House involvement? I told Mr. Ziegler that there was nobody that I knew of who was involved or had prior knowledge of the June 17th break-in. I always dealt in very close, literal words that continually got a broader brush.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 26, 1973 - Testimony of John Dean.
Fred Thompson, attorney. What was it that you said here yesterday about Mr. Strachan having told you that Haldeman ordered him to destroy documents? I believe one of the conclusions you drew in your statement was that Haldeman in fact must have known about the situation or he would not have told Strachan to do what he told him to do. John Dean. I didn t know this, I didn t know Haldeman's involvement for a fact. I do not know it today. I have been asked for an opinion this morning. Fred Thompson, attorney. You do not know any more today about that matter, I assume then you knew when you told Mr. Ziegler what you told him about White House involvement? John Dean. That is correct.