Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 27, 1973 (1/2)
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 27, 1973 (1/2)
[00.51.25-DEAN responding to part of the White House memo blaming DEAN for the WATERGATE and the COVERUP] Mr. DEAN. I did discuss with Mr. Moore the fact that, but that was not the first time, I had discussed it with Mr. Moore. Mr. Moore and I had talked about, this on many occasions, that I thought that the coverup as harmful, bad, it had to stop at some point. We. were searching for answers as to how to end it. We could not find an answer, and finally, at one point when I was having direct access to the President I thought, and discussed -with Moore that I can do something to end it now and I will go in and tell the President what this is going to mean if it continues. Senator INOUYE. [QUOTING FROM W.H. MEMO ATTACKING DEAN'S TESTIMONY] "After the two of them met with the President on March 20 Moore told Dean 'I do not think the President has any idea of the kind of things that you have told me about." When Dean agreed that the President, did not, Moore told Dean that it was his obligation to advise the President and lectured Dean on this subject. Mr. DEAN. Well, Richard Moore to me is a wonderful man, and I often went to him for counsel. He is an older man, and I respected his Judgment very much. I believe I raised these things with Mr. Moore, I had raised them before and I told him what prompted my conversation that afternoon with Mr. Moore were the demands from Hunt and I wanted--by this time be was aware himself of the money demands because this had come up at La Costa when Mr. Ehrlichman had instructed Mr. Moore to go to New York and get Mr. Mitchell to take care of these problems. So for that reason I had never told Dick Moore everything I know but I had given him enough knowledge so that be could see the breadth of the problem. [00.53.20] Senator INOUYE. As the trusted aide and counsel to the President of the United States, did you not feel that it was your obligation and duty to as soon as possible advise him of the involvement in the Watergate break-in and the ensuing coverup? Mr. DEAN. Well, Senator, I think I have expressed before to walk into the President's door is not the easiest thing to do. My channels of reporting was through Mr. Haldeman or Mr. Ehrlichman, principally through Mr. Haldeman. Senator INOUYE. Didn't the enormity of the problem compel you to walk into the President's office? Mr. DEAN. Well, I can only assume that everything I told Mr. Haldeman and Ehrlichman would be going to the President also. As I have testified, on some occasions Mr. Haldeman would take notes about things I was telling him, He would take these notes shortly before be Would go into meetings with the President. I can also recall occasions when we were meeting when a call would come from Mr. Haldeman to come to the President's office or once -in Florida to come over to his residence and he would wait until I completed reporting. I assumed that everything I was telling Mr. Haldeman was going to the President. [00.54.38] Senator INOUYE. When did you begin to mistrust Mr. Haldeman? Mr. DEAN. I think that, the first signal I got that Mr. Haldeman had decided that, you might say, I -was off the reservation when I came back from Camp David. Senator INOUYE. What was the date, sir? Mr. DEAN. That was the 28th. I think that -was prompted by my attitude in a meeting with the President on the afternoon of the, 21st when there -was more discussion of different essentially coverup techniques without getting into great detail because. I cannot recall In great detail, everything they were saying the President was asking me, do I agree and I was saying no, and finally, at one point in that meeting I said that, right in front of the President, that I felt that Dean, Haldeman, and Ehrlichman could be indicted for obstruction of justice and this has to be recognized. And I think as a result of that meeting they saw that I had begun to change my attitude about any further involvement in a coverup. [00.55.52]