Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 26, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 26, 1973
[00.14.00-WEICKER continues to question DEAN about the WHITE HOUSE'S desire for intelligence] And then you give several examples relative to Mr. Garment and to Mr. Kissinger. Now, on the bottom of page 13. you reefer to another incident that occurred. [READING] It was not until almost a year or more later that I learned the reason for Mardian's trip to set, the President. Mr. Mardian later told me in a social conversation that he had gone to see the President to get instructions regarding the disposition of wiretap logs that related to newsmen and White House staffers Who were suspected of leaking, These logs had been in possession of Mr. William Sullivan, an Assistant Director of the FBI, and were, per Mr. Mardian's instructions from the President, given to Ehrlichman. I had occasion to raise a question about these logs with Ehrlichman during the fall of 1972, and he flatly denied to me that he had the logs. I did not tell him at that time I had been told by Mardian that he had the logs. About February 22nd or 23rd of this year, Time Magazine notified the White House it was going to print a story that the White House had undertaken wiretaps of newsmen and White House staff and requested a response. The White House Press Office notified me of this inquiry. I called Mr. Mark Felt at the FBI to ask him first, what the facts were, and secondly, how such a story could leak. Mr. Felt told me that it was true, that Mr. Sullivan knew all the facts and that he had no idea how it leaked. I then called Mr. Sullivan and requested that he drop by my office, which he did. He explained that after much haggling, that the wiretaps were installed, but as I recall, Mr. Sullivan said they did not have the blessing of Director Hoover. Mr. Sullivan explained to me that all but one set of the logs had been destroyed and all the internal FBI records relating to the wiretaps except one set, had been destroyed and all the material had been delivered to Mr. Mardian. After Mr. Sullivan departed, I called Mr. Mitchell who told me he also had an inquiry from Time Magazine and denied to Time Magazine any knowledge of the matter. I did not Press him further as to what he did know. I then called Mr. Ehrlichman and told him about the forthcoming story In Time Magazine. I told him of my conversations with Felt. Sullivan and Mitchell. I also told him I knew he had the logs because Mr. Mardian had told me. This time he admitted they were in his; safe. I asked him how Mr. Ziegler should handle it, He said Mr. Ziegler should flatly deny it--period. I thanked him, called Mr. Ziegler and so advised him. [END QUOTED SECTION] [00.16.14] [00.16.14-WEICKER asks questions about the WHITE HOUSE'S access to information from the FBI and other agencies] Now, Mr. Dean. this sets the general framework as to the areas of my inquiry this afternoon. The first question that arises is that during the course of questioning by this committee, Mr. McCord stated that he went to the Internal Security Division and obtained from a Mr. John -Martin and Mr. Joel Lisker information which he brought back to the Committee To Re-Elect the President and disseminated among the various members of the Committee To Re-Elect. My first question to you is based upon the visit which he made shortly after Mr. McCord's testimony to the internal Security Division and in talks which he had with Mr. Martin, and Mr. Kevin Moroney, and it relates to the, fact of whether or not You know who authorized the release Of this information 'by Messrs. Martin and Lisker at the Internal Security Division. Mr. DEAN. Senator, I have only a general awareness of this area, and to the best of my recollection, and I don't know, I don't recall who told me this, but there -was an arrangement that was worked out by Mr. Mardian before he departed the Department, of Justice to join the reelection committee. Senator WEICKER. In other words, the arrangement Of information from the Internal Security Division to McCord was authorized by Mardian. This never came to your attention as being authorized by anybody in the White House? Mr. DEAN. I don't recall that it did. My office did have dealings, as I have said. with the Internal Security Division. I don't recall specifically this subject coming up. I recall subsequent conversations in which Mr. Mardian told me that he had made an arrangement of some sort after it was initially arrived at. Senator WEICKER. But, of course, at this moment Mr. Mardian is over at the Committee To Re-Elect the President and 'Mr. Olson is at the head of the Internal Security Division. Mr. DEAN. That is correct. Senator WEICKER. Did your office have any dealings, with Mr. Olson? Mr. DEAN. No--well, I had dealings with him but they were on departmental matters where the practice had evolved that, when the department was going to release in a major case electronically obtained evidence under a court order they would notify the White House of this procedure. Senator WEICKER. Could you amplify on that? I am not, so sure I understand. Mr. DEAN. Well. when a major case -was going on and a defendant would call for whether or not there was any electronic surveillance of His conversations at any time and the Government made a decision to release this information if it was a very political or sensitive case, this matter would be brought to the attention of the White House and Mr. Olson would generally inform me that he was going to do this. [00.20.00]