Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 27, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 27, 1973
[00.53.04-GURNEY continues to question DEAN about his receipt of the FBI files of the Watergate investigation-DEAN is not stumped in the least, GURNEY is getting cross with DEAN.] Senator GURNEY. Let me get back again now to the conversation with Mr. Gray. Wasn't he pretty specific with you that the only reason he would turn these things over to you is because the President of the United States requested them through you? Mr. DEAN. Well, Senator, in my dealing with Mr. Gray, from the very outset he was very anxious to be of any assistance he could. For example, when I first met with him and he told me he was traveling--- Senator GURNEY. Could we get to my question now. Mr. DEAN. Certainly, I just want to explain the circumstance of a conversation so you can understand it in full and can fully appreciate it. When he told me, for example, he was traveling around the country a lot and I should deal -with Mark Felt, that to me evidenced that Mr. Gray wanted to be of assistance; if he wasn't there, I should talk to others. The same tenor was in the conversation that he, would have to check, and he wanted assurances these were going to the President, this information -would go to the President. I am sure he knew very well that the President didn't want to sit down and read a stack of raw FBI materials. [00.54.13] Senator GURNEY. Then it is your understanding that it was Mr. Gray's understanding that the reason why you were there getting those 302 forms is because the President had you requested you to; is that correct? Mr. DEAN. I don't believe that is necessarily my understanding that 'he, as I recall wanted to know, you know was this information going back to the President, and I assured him it -was. [00.54.39-GURNEY continues to try to paint DEAN as the chief architect of the coverup, particularly that he intentionally withheld information from NIXON] Senator GURNEY. Well, did it? Did you ever report to the President what was in those 302 forms? Mr. DEAN. There was never anything in those FBI reports that I read, worth reporting even to Mr. Haldeman or Mr. Ehrlichman. Senator GURNEY. Did You ever show a single one, of the 82 302 files to the President? Mr. DEAN. No, not to my recollection; no, sir. Senator GURNEY. Did You ever report a, single information that was in those files to the President? Mr. DEAN. Not, to my recollection, no. I may have reported the general tenor of the investigation -which was, I might say, very vigorous. Senator GURNEY. You reported that to the President? Mr. DEAN. No, I would report that to Mr. Haldeman and Mr. Ehrlichman and as my channel of reporting. Senator GURNEY. Did you ever get a call from Mr. Gray about this newspaper story about one of the reports being shown to Mr. Segretti? Mr. DEAN. Yes, I did. Senator GURNEY. Would you report that to the committee? [00.55.33] Mr. DEAN. Well, I recall that when that story broke, Mr. Gray called me and asked -me, if that were true, and I said absolutely not. that the FBI reports have never left my office and I have never showed an FBI report to Mr. Segretti which, in fact, is true. I -never showed an FBI report to Mr. Segretti. Senator GURNEY. did you gather from this conversation that Mr. Gray was pretty disturbed about the fact that, the, report might be shown not only to Segretti but any anybody else? Mr. DEAN. I didn't have the impression that, he was upset by it. I don't know how often Mr. Gray and I talked but we talked frequently. We had worked together at, the Department of Justice, and while it was reported that he called me with some outrage, Mr. Gray and I generally didn't have that type, of conversation. He said something to the effect that "Is that true, you know, I can't believe you would do that," and I said "No, it is not true and I never showed Segretti any FBI reports." [00.56.46-GURNEY tries to gloss over the closeness of the White House relationship to the FBI and suggest something sinister about DEAN receiving the 302 forms for the Watergate investigation] Senator GURNEY. Of course you worked at the Department of Justice for some time. and I suppose you have some, familiarity with the procedures down there. Isn't it a most unusual thing for a 302 report to be let out of the FBI office to anyone? Mr. DEAN. Well, I know this: that the White House receives on a regular basis and my office was the recipient, on a regular basis, of countless FBI information. Now this deals with everything from background investigation---- Senator GURNEY. I am talking about the 302 forms that are filed with raw data. Mr. DEAN. Yes. Senator GURNEY. Not reports. Mr. DEAN. I don't recall ever receiving 302's at the White House other than on this incident. I really was never terribly aware of what the Policy was. I didn't work with the criminal cases in the Department of Justice while, I was there so I don't know, if there were other occasions when 302's were sent anywhere or not. I cant answer the question Senator GURNEY. But I understood you to say your understanding with Gray on these 302 files would be that you would guard them very closely. Mr. DEAN. That is correct. Senator GURNEY. Who did you show, them to? Mr. DEAN. Well, as I testified, after the report on the 21st came to my office, Mr. Mardian was anxious to see them. Mr. Mitchell thought that -was a good idea and also that Mr. O'Brien and Mr. Parkinson also came to see, them. They came to my office, I recall them scanning them. They decided there really wasn't much in there that interested them. The thing that sticks In my mind most is that Mardian was, who was apparently very familiar with 302 and FBI investigations from being the head of the Internal Security Division said that, you know, "Gray is just, going hog wild here" because of the tone, and the tenor, of the, interoffice from one field office or from headquarters to field offices, that the tone of the cables that were being sent out of headquarters. Senator GURNEY. Mardian, O'Brien, Parkinson weren't even in the White House then? Mr. DEAN. That is correct. Mr. DEAN. The reelection committee. Senator GURNEY. Do you think Mr. Gray had any idea that people like that outside of the White House were looking at these files? Mr. DEAN. I am sure he had none because I didn't tell him. [00.59.06]