Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 26, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 26, 1973
[00.08.22-THOMPSON questions DEAN about his activities in the coverup, attempting to cast some sort of aspersion on DEAN'S motives for coming forward?] Mr. THOMPSON. So, to summarize. your answer the answer Is yes, you did make the call and subsequent to that you had second thoughts about it and tried to retract it? Mr. DEAN. That is correct. Mr. THOMPSON. Would that be correct? I believe on the, 29th you talked to Mr. Kalmbach about raising money for the coverup. You said at that time you told him substantially everything that you knew. I believe that you helped Mr. Magruder in preparing himself for testimony before the grand jury in August. I assume you knew he was going to perjure himself in that grand test testimony. Mr. DEAN. That is correct. Mr. THOMPSON. Would you tell us how you obtained the FBI 302's? Mr. DEAN. Well, as I said in my statement yesterday, , I am not terribly clear on when I did actually first receive them, I had some preliminary discussions -with - Mr. Petersen about it and -Mr. Petersen suggested I deal directly -with Gray on the matter I had some discussions -with Gray about it. Initially, as I recall the sequence, there was a summary prepared or, I might add this, Mr. Gray offered to me, to come over to his office and read the reports. I might have even looked at some of the reports initially in his office but it was after I received the July 21 summary of the FBI investigation to date and showed that to 'Mitchell and Mardian that they said that they thought that I should permit Mardian, and Mitchell said O'Brien and Parkinson as well, the, right to look at these investigative, reports and discuss this with Ehrlichman and Haldeman, they thought it was a wise idea to follow what the FBI were doing. Mr. THOMPSON. That is a different area, Mr. Dean. If -you -want, to elaborate on that. a little later, fine, but I -want to be--- Mr. DEAN-. I don't know the precise date. I started receiving reports. Mr. THOMPSON. Are you definitely stating you said to Mr. Petersen. "You deal directly with Pat Gray on this matter". Mr. DEAN. That, is my best recollection Mr. THOMPSON. Did not in fact Mr. Kleindienst tell you that the only way he would make FBI 302's available was that he, would deliver them directly to the President, himself if the President asked for them directly, that he wouldn't give them to you? Mr. DEAN. That is possible, but I don't recall that. I had had a very happy relationship with Mr. Kleindienst The way you have stated it, is certainly not the way -Mr. Kleindienst stated it to me. Mr. THOMPSON. You said it is possible. Would that not be--- Mr. DEAN. He might. have said, you know, "If you want those at, the White House. they ought to go to the President. I don't recall any such conversation, frankly. Mr. THOMPSON. Did you ever tell 'Mr. Kleindienst that you were reporting on Your investigation directly to the President? Mr. DEAN. Did I report that to Kleindienst? Mr. THOMPSON. That you told Mr. Kleindienst that you were, reporting to the President. Mr. DEAN. -Not until I began reporting to the, President did I ever tell the Attorney General that the President had instructed him to do a given thing or ask that he do something Mr. THOMPSON-. I am not talking about what the. President was telling him to do. I am asking whether or not in June. or July of 1972 You told 'Mr. Kleindienst at that time. that You were reporting directly to the President. Mr. Dean. I believe, I told that. to Mr. Gray, not Mr. Kleindienst. Mr. THOMPSON. But you did not tell that to Mr. Kleindienst when you were attempting to get FBI material? Mr. DEAN. That Is correct. Mr. THOMPSON. Did you ever call Mr. Sloan in October of 1972 or thereafter or his attorney and talk to him about the possibilities of his claiming his fifth amendment privileges? Mr. DEAN. Yes, I did. I tried to reach Mr. Sloan. I had had a call from, as I recall. Mr. Parkinson. there had been considerable discussion about Mr. Sloan at the White House and at the reelection committee. In fact. Mr. Sloan at that time seemed to be looking for a confessional of any source, he could find, and reporting everything he knew. Ehrlichman knew this. for example, before Sloan sought him out. Other people at the White House knew this. I think that is one of the reasons that Ehrlichman did not want to talk with 'Mr. Sloan. Mr. Sloan came to see me on a number of occasions because I 'would talk with him and I reassured him on a number of occasions I didn't think that the fact he was treasurer -would necessarily result in him having to face criminal charges as a result of some of the misappropriations' of funds that had occurred there. Mr. THOMPSON. Did you ever tell him or his attorney? Mr. DEAN. I am getting to that. I am trying to give you the preface of why I said that: Mr. Sloan was headed for Florida, to testify in the trial, was going on down there with regard to Mr. Barker at the request of, receiving this information from Parkinson, he was going, tried to reach Mr. Sloan at his attorney's office, and Sloan not being there, as I recall. I asked Mr. Stoner or Triest(?), I think it was, Mr. Stoner, Stoner and Sloan had already left and Triest was there, was be prepared to have his client take the fifth amendment because he certainly would be a hero in the eyes of people around the, White House if he did.