Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 27, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 27, 1973
[00.12.27-GURNEY questions DEAN about his dealings with HALDEMAN, EHRLICHMAN, the Prosecution] Senator GURNEY. Well, then, you really never advised them at any time that you were meeting with the prosecutors, is that correct? Mr. DEAN. That, is correct, sir. Senator GURNEY. When you did see the President on April 15, though, you told him that you had engaged counsel and that you had been meeting with the Federal prosecutors IS that correct? Mr. DEAN. Well. on--I believe it was late in the evening, on the 14th. Mr. Shaffer had a call from the, prosecutors saying that, it was going to be necessary to breach the privacy of the conversations that were, being held because they had been asked to report to Mr. Petersen and in turn to the Attorney General as to where the grand jury -was going and what, was likely to come out of it. [00.13.19] I think you should also remember that I testified that I, on the preceding Friday or Saturday, that same day, earlier that day, had tried to make it very clear to MR. Haldeman and Mr. Ehrlichman with a list I had prepared that I was not playing any games and that they were very much involved and they should understand it. [00.13.40-GURNEY chides DEAN for bad manners? Evidently oblivious to all of the testimony about HALDEMAN and EHRLICHMAN attempting to set up first MITCHELL, and potentially DEAN, for the blame in the coverup] Senator GURNEY. Well. since you had made your decision to come clean, as we might call it, and engage attorneys and go to the Federal prosecutors and tell them everything you knew about the case, why didn't you tell Mr. Haldeman and Mr. Ehrlichman? Don't you think that, would have been a decent thing to do, to let them know that you were doing? Mr. DEAN. [has to suppress a big chuckle before answering this absurd question] My answer to that is that I had watched a flank-protecting operation commence before they went to California, I had seen subsequent signs of that, as well as I had seen preceding signs of it. Whenever I would, for example, raise testimonial points with Mr. Ehrlichman regarding things that might be asked me before a grand jury, for example when I went over the "deep six" conversation with him, he told me, well, he said, you don't have to testify quite, that way. You can say you were making an inventory. And I said, well, I didn't make an inventory. He said, well, I am sure you will think of something. [00.14.39-GURNEY questions the ethics of the immunity deal struck by DEAN.] Senator GURNEY. Well, was not yours really a protecting operation so you could get to the Federal prosecutors first with a bargain for immunity? Mr. DEAN. I would not say it was a protecting opportunity. I would say I had made my decision as to what, I was going to do and went to counsel to find out how best to proceed. Senator ERVIN. There is a vote on. I expect we had better take, a recess to vote, [Recess.] [00.15.13-MacNEILL in studio] [PBS Network ID-title screen "SENATE HEARINGS ON CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES"] [00.18.40-MacNEILL] MacNEILL states that DEAN is being asked in minute detail about his White House meetings. Sam DASH has a technical question as the hearing resumes. [00.18.55]