Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 27, 1973 (1/2)
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 27, 1973 (1/2)
[00.17.37-Sen. INOUYE continues to confront DEAN with a WHITE HOUSE memorandum-The memo exemplifies the White House's "BLAME IT ALL ON DEAN" STRATEGY] Senator INOUYE. [QUOTING FROM THE WHITE HOUSE MEMORANDUM] "It was Dean who suggested to General Walters on January 26 that CIA pay the Watergate defendants while in jail," this is from the, Walters memorandum for record June 28, 1972. Mr. DEAN. I believe I have explained that, Senator, in that I reported also at one point in time, to Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Mardian about the Gray theory. That theory Prompted Mr. Mardian, as I recall, to suggest that the CIA might be of some assistance in providing us support and he also raised the question that the CIA might have a very Proper reason to do so because of the fact that these were former CIA operatives. Mr. Mitchell asked me to go back and explore this to Mr. Haldeman and Ehrlichman knowing very well that this isn't the sort of thing I could go to the CIA with. I didn't talk to Mr. Haldeman about this, rather I talked to Mr. Ehrlichman about it and he told me indeed I should explore it. In fact, I said I didn't know anybody with the CIA. He told me--I told him I didn't know Mr. Helms. He told me not to call Helms but to call General Walters, General Walters is a friend of the White House, and at that time alluded to the fact that he had already met -with General Walters. Senator INOUYE. Did you, in fact, discuss this matter with General Walters? Mr. DEAN. Yes, I did and I have so testified.] [00.19.10] Senator INOUYE. [READING W.H. MEMORANDUM] "It was Dean purportedly acting on behalf of Mitchell who came, to Ehrlichman several weeks after the break-in to obtain approval for fund raising by Kalmbach for the arrested persons," and this is from Mr. Ehrlichman. Mr. DEAN. It is correct that Mr.--after the fact that there could be, no assistance from the, CIA came out, and Haldeman and Ehrlichman agreed that they couldn't and I reported that back to Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Mardian, that the demands apparently had reached the point where, they felt they had to do something to get some money and they had none themselves. I was asked again by Mr. Mitchell to go back and raise this with Mr. Haldeman and Ehrlichman. [00.19.59] Mr. Mitchell told me, that he believed that Mr. Ehrlichman particularly would have an interest in making sure, that these men were taken care of, and it did not take me any persuading at all in this conversation with Mr. Haldeman and Ehrlichman to initiate Mr. Kalmbach, and obviously Mr. Kalmbach would not have acted on my instructions at all. Senator INOUYE. [QUOTING W.H. MEMORANDUM] "It was Dean -who reviewed the papers found in Hunt's safe and declared that they were politically sensitive' and should be given special treatment." [00.20.34] Mr. DEAN. I don't think, there was any doubt about the political sensitivity. Mr. Ehrlichman, as you recall, on the 19th, there was a meeting in Mr. Ehrlichman's office late that evening. Mr. Colson is the, one who had expressed anxiety over -what might, be in Mr. Hunt's safe. As I have also testified at a subsequent time I learned that apparently Mr. Colson and Mr. Hunt had talked about the fact, that there, were things in his safe that somebody at the White House should take possession of. It was during this meeting in Mr. Ehrlichman's office on the 19th that Mr. Ehrlichman said that I should report back to him the contents of the safe after he had directed Mr. Kehrli to have the safe, opened. [00.21.17] Senator INOUYE. What do you think Mr. Ehrlichman meant by "should be given special treatment"? Mr. DEAN. Well, I don't know what Mr. Ehrlichman meant by it. I know that Mr. Ehrlichman, when I described the documents to him, realized their political sensitivity, and that, they--he had originally told me, when I reported what the documents were to shred them and it was subsequently he, told me to "deep six" the briefcase and shred the documents and it was only after I had reached the conclusion in my own mind that, I wasn't going to do that, and I persuaded him that at too many people had seen them, that that, might be what he reefers to as special treatment, they be given directly to Mr. Gray. Senator ERVIN. We will take a recess for another vote. [Recess.] [00.22.13-LEHRER v.o. states the committee has gone to the Senate Floor for another vote] [00.22.22-LEHRER in studio] [PBS network ID-title screen "SENATE HEARINGS ON CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES"] [00.25.48-LEHRER reintroduces INOUYE'S questioning] [00.25.55]