Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 27, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 27, 1973
[00.22.22-DEAN continues to introduce documents about the existence of the White House ENEMIES LIST] Mr. DEAN. The next is a memorandum from a member of Mr. Colson's staff that is part, of one of many memorandums that came in. this one is dated June 28, where there was a continual updating of the opponents list. Mr. DEAN. And the last document is one relating to the McGovern campaign staff with asterisks beside certain key names that, were to be included in the opponents project also. Mr. DEAN. And that is the sum and substance of the request that I have, available that, Mr. Weicker asked me for yesterday. Mr. DASH. Mr. Dean. can we have those? They will be marked. and we 'Will make copies of them for members of the committee and circulate them to members of the, committee. Senator ERVIN. Let the reporter mark them with the appropriate numbers. I would just like to say I am sorry, I misconstrued Mr. Buzhardt's questions, they were just handed to me before I looked at them, and they were separate from the, other questions, The other questions were clearly directed to the witness and not to the, committee. The Chair now recognizes the Senator from Florida, Mr. Gurney. [00.23.52-Sen. GURNEY begins to question DEAN, clearly trying to discredit DEAN.] Senator GURNEY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning, Mr. Dean. Mr. DEAN. Good morning, Senator GURNEY. We have had a great deal of testimony, 245 pages of your statement as well as the testimony yesterday, and I must say it hard to know -where to begin in all this. I will go over some of the ground that has already been covered, in an effort perhaps to clarify and amplify as far as I am concerned. I will ask probing questions and I am sure, you recognize why tins is important. There have, been serious charges in the testimony leveled against many people, including the President, of the United States. Some of these charges, uncorroborated. Certainly the duty of this committee is to seek out the, truth, to gather all the evidence we can from every witness and especially from you who probably will be the most, important witness in these whole hearings. As a matter of fact, I think the committee, would be very derelict if it didn't get all the evidence it could. I think probably the best, place to start always is at the beginning. [00.25.13-attempt to make WATERGATE out to be the freelance doings of LIDDY] Would you say that it, is 'fair to say that Gordon Liddy's plan of bugging and electronic espionage really started out the whole, Watergate affair? Mr. DEAN. Would I say it, started off the whole Watergate affair? Senator GURNEY. Yes. Mr. DEAN. Well, as I testified I think that the--there was an atmosphere that might have been several precursors source to that plan. The plan was an accident of fate where they culminated into Mr. Liddy's specific proposal that, was presented in the Attorney General office in the two meetings which occurred in late January and early, February. Senator GURNEY. But as far as the Watergate break-in itself is concerned it, really stemmed from Mr. Liddy's plan of bugging and electronic espionage, did it, not? Mr. DEAN. The, specific plan to enter the Watergate would have begun with the plan an that Mr. Liddy developed, Senator GURNEY. 'Now, who recommended Mr. Liddy to the Committee To Re-Elect the President.? [00.26.19-attempting to imply a huge DEAN-led conspiracy?] Mr. DEAN. I passed on a recommendation that I had received from Mr. Krogh to Mr. Mitchell and he in turn endorsed that recommendation and sent, him over to the Re-Election Committee. Senator GURNEY. In other words, you recommended Mr. Liddy to the, Committee To Re-Elect the President? Mr. DEAN. That is correct. Senator GURNEY. Did you interview Mr. Liddy after Krogh recommended him to you? Mr. DEAN. Not, to my recollection, no. I was present when he was interviewed by Mr. Mitchell and again when he was interviewed by Mr. Magruder. Senator GURNEY. Did you ask any questions about his qualifications at that time or did Mr. Liddy just simply answer questions? Mr. DEAN. I asked Mr. Krogh about his qualifications at that, time when he first mentioned him to me. And they asked questions during those interviews, yes. Senator GURNEY. Did you ever ask him what he had been doing for Mr. Krogh? Mr. DEAN. No, I did not. Senator GURNEY. Or Mr. Hunt? Mr. DEAN. No, I did not. [00.27.24]