Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 27, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 27, 1973
[00.02.00-DEAN testifying, responding to Sen. GURNEY'S assertion that MAGRUDER had implicated DEAN as having prior knowledge of the Watergate break-in and masterminding the coverup] Mr. DEAN.---when he wanted me to have a very fresh recollection of the, meetings that had occurred in February, or January and February of the preceding year, At that point, in time, I was trying--I said to him--I thought I had gotten a bum rap for being accused of having prior knowledge of this matter and Magruder agreed. And I have submitted a tape--that is a conversation I did record, with a Dictaphone held to the receiver. I happened to have the suggestion from Mr. Haldeman that I do that while I was at Camp David, and I thought it -was a pretty good idea, so you will find that exhibit is one of the ones I submitted'. Senator GURNEY. Of course, what be was saying is that you and he were discussing, I guess, the Watergate and what led up to it and that his I impression was that you were, forgetting, I guess, about the meetings in Mitchell's office, and the discussion -of the electronic bugging and Liddy's plan and all that, sort of thing. Do you recall that at all? Mr. DEAN. I only recall that, I have always told Magruder that I was never clear an what happened between February and June 17. I have repeated that to him on a number of occasions, because I have not--in fact, some of Mr. Magruder's testimony -was a revelation to me. [00.03.40-GURNEY returns to subject of DEAN'S meetings with NIXON.] Senator GURNEY. Let us go to the meeting now of March 21 in the White House, which is a, very important. meeting, of course, with you and the President. That, as I understand it, is 'When you gave him a pretty -complete rundown of the story about the Watergate, is that correct? Mr. DEAN. That is correct. I think I have, stated in my intentions that what, I had seen occurring--I had had earlier conversations. The President had been rather nonchalant in dealing with the $1 million issue. We had discussed on the 13th the fact that he had discussed clemency with Colson and Ehrlichman. I really felt, that, the, President did not, understand the full implications of some of these activities and I did not know if he knew the full involvement of everybody, and I thought that, I should report it. [00.04.44-DEAN alleges that EHRLICHMAN told him NIXON was still being informed of events of the coverup] I also -would like to add one. other thing. On a number of occasions, I asked -Mr. Ehrlichman, particularly after the first of the year, if the President were being kept fully informed still, because he did the same amount of note, taking and the trial was over and things had sort of slowed down as far as the chaos that sometimes was occurring at the White House. Ehrlichman assured me that the, President was being kept regularly posted. [00.05.13-GURNEY wants to suggest that DEAN'S report was the first information that NIXON received, and that DEAN was responsible for keeping NIXON in the dark] Senator GURNEY. On this meeting of the 21st, did you explain to the President, in full all you knew about Watergate? Mr. DEAN. Well, I would not, say it was every detail, because as you know, it has taken me 6 hours to read a statement to this committee, Which is highlights of the, full story. I think I gave--- Senator GURNEY. Could you Summarize briefly for- us the points you touched upon? Mr. DEAN. I think I have, in my testimony summarized those points. If you want me to go through them again. I will. I have taken great care in trying to do that in my testimony. Senator GURNEY. Did you toll him anything about your involvement in Watergate? Mr. DEAN. Yes, sir, I did. And I had on previous occasions, I had tried back as early as the second meeting, I believe, to tell him that I felt that I was involved in obstruction of Justice, particularly after he had told me that I should report to him and made the comment to me that Haldeman and Ehrlichman were principals. That stuck in my mind so very clearly that I thought maybe he did not understand everything that I -was doing. When I raised this with him, I gave him a few of the facts and he, began to debate with me about the fact, that he did not think I had any legal problem based on what I was telling him and I said I did. He did not want, to get into it at that time. I do not know what, was intervened, but, we did not, have an extended discussion. I believe that also came up at, a meeting when Dick Moore was present. Senator GURNEY. Did you talk to him about the coverup money and your involvement in that? Mr. DEAN. In February? Senator GURNEY. No, no, March 21. Mr. DEAN. Yes, I did. Senator GURNEY. You told him all about that? Mr. DEAN. Yes, sir. [00.06.59]