Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 26, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 26, 1973
[00.58.40] Senator WEICKER. May I ask you this question in relation to 'Mr. Doherty? Was there any discussion at this time -about this unit's first head being Mr. Earl Sharp? Mr. DEAN. Yes. there -was. Mr. Ehrlichman was aware of this as well and Judge Sharp, who was a friend of Mr. Ehrlichman's apparently had been--as I recall, he was an elected judge and he either hadn't been reelected or something of that nature, an appointment had run out. and he was not currently sitting on the bench anywhere, and Mr. Ehrlichman thought this would be an excellent thing for him to do and invited him to Come to Washington, We had a number of meetings on it and the more he looked at it, the less he decided he wanted to get involved in it,. Senator WEICKER. So that the first head Was Mr. John Doherty? Mr. DEAN. I believe that is correct Senator WEICKER. Did you hold any discussions in your office with Mr. Sharp or Mr. Doherty relative to the IEC? Mr. DEAN. I am sure probably with both individuals yes. Senator WEICKER. And what other persons would have "been present at those meetings? Mr. DEAN-. Well, I can't recall anybody else being present when I talked to Judge Sharp, I do know that when he decided that he wasn't interested because, one, he felt he didn't know much about this field, that he would have a whole education to become acquainted with it--I think he spent a couple of weeks looking into the matter. I think he learned that, it was going to be some sort of, going to be a secret operation that he would be running in the Department of Justice, he wanted to be able to explain what he Was doing to people back home, and he didn't want to have to say, I can't tell you what I am doing in Washington. We had a number of discussions about other assignments for him and he did some very valuable work for my office in connection With some trade matters that had come to my office for resolution. Senator WEICKER. Now, Mr. Dean, then Mr. Doherty was the, first head and he was succeeded by whom? Mr. DEAN. I believe Mr.' Wells. Senator WEICKER. Bernard Wells? Mr. DEAN. Yes. Senator WEICKER. All right. So from the time of your memorandum at the time of your talk with Haldeman as to the setting up of the mechanics of the operation, administering of details of the operation, does it come as any surprise to you, that listed under the Office of Analysis and Planning in the Internal Security Division of the Justice Department as of April 15, 1972, is a listing of Bernard Wells, Executive Director, IDIU, with James McGrath and Joyce Webb listed under that? Is this basically, then, the plan that is suggested in your memorandum to John Mitchell? The ink marks and the scribblings are mine and my staff's Mr. DEAN. I can't glean an awful lot, from this chart. Senator WEICKER. There is no mention of IEC. there, is there? Mr. DEAN. No, there is not, and the documents that all came to me were clearly marked "IEC" on them when they came over. Senator WEICKER. And they came over from -Mr. Wells? Mr. DEAN. They came over from Mr. Wells. Senator WEICKER. Would you read to the committee what Mr. Wells, is listed as in that document?' Mr. DEAN. Executive Director, IDIU. [01.02.43-more domestic intelligence arrangements] Senator WEICKER. You have, also stated that to the best of your knowledge, no illegal activities were conducted by the IEC? I would like to get into the matter of your contacts, Let me ask you one question before you go on to your contacts with the Internal Security Division. Statements have been made that there was a rescission by the President of the 1970 plan. Why all this business? Mr. DEAN-. Well, as I said, at one point--I do not know about the rescission. That is something that I do not know. I knew that there Was a squabble going on between principally Mr. Huston, representing the White House, and the FBI. Mr. Huston talked to me on a number of occasions about, the matter. I knew that Mr. Mitchell, when I talked With him about it, both telephonically and when I met with him, opposed to the grand plan that is in that manual, and I think what Mitchell and I decided was the best course was to do the minimum amount possible, that might satisfy people that, something was being done. And that was to create the IEC. Senator WEICKER. Now, it is possible. then, that one. of two things might have happened. Either there could have been a rescission by President, the word of which rescission ---- [01.04.37-TAPE OUT]