Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 28, 1973 (1/2)
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 28, 1973 (1/2)
Former White House Counsel John Dean responds to allegations that he exaggerated the scope of his contact with U.S. President Richard Nixon in order to make his testimony seem more important, for his own purposes. John Dean: "Senator, where the source of that story came from I don't have any idea. It certainly was not from me. I always, in dealing with any of the investigators from either this committee or from the Prosecutor's office, told them exactly what I knew. I don't know of any exaggeration at any time, any place, regarding my knowledge of this matter. So I can't-- it's obviously a loaded question and I don't know how to answer, other then to say what I've just said."
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 28, 1973 (1/2)
Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI): Is it your testimony that the first private meeting you had with the President of the United States in the year 1973 was on February 27th? Former White House Counsel John Dean: That is correct. Senator Inouye: Mr. Dean, the number of source stories containing allegations against the President attributed directly or indirectly to you over the last 4 or 5 weeks--- Mr. Dean: Excuse me, Senator. I do recall-- was that, did you say, private meetings? In other words, after the inauguration there was a church service meeting, as I recall, where I had a brief encounter with the President where he actually stopped me in the reception line as a result of an incident that had occurred during the inauguration. It may be relevant. I hadn't planned to discuss this, but if the committee wishes me to show my recollection of dealings with the President this may be well relevant. When going to the--right after the inauguration or during the inauguration, apparently there was a demonstrator who ran through the police lines and towards the President's car. That night, the head of the Secret Service detail protecting the President called me and told me that the President was quite angry and anxious to do something about this man charging at the President's car. The man had made it about 5 feet from the curb before he had been knocked down by Secret Service agents. I don't think anybody in the whole world who was watching the inauguration on television saw it. I certainly did not. Mr. Taylor, when he called me, said, 'What do I do? The President wants something done.' I said, Well, you just tell the President you've reported it to me, and I'll check into it.' Which I did. The next Sunday morning when I was going through the reception line the President pulled me aside and said to me, 'I want something done about that man, that fellow that charged the car.' I had looked into the case. The best this man could be charged with was a collateral offense for breaking police lines. There was no assassination attempt There was no evidence of anything like that. He was merely trying to make a point, as many demonstrators do, by being arrested in a public forum to make his protest. I had occasion to request the Secret Service to make a full investigation of the matter. They said that they, after examining the man, had released him. I also talked to Mr. Peterson at the Justice Department and Mr. Silbert at the Justice Department, and they told me there is no case here. They had talked to the Secret Service. Meanwhile, I was receiving further reports from Mr. Haldeman saying, 'What are you going to do with this man? We want a case made against him.' That is one where I just quietly let it go away, because there was no case.
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 28, 1973 (1/2)
Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI): Mr. Dean, the number of source stories containing allegations against the President attributed directly or indirectly to you over the last 4 or 5 weeks have been most numerous. Do you deny that these stories were planted in a calculated attempt to influence Federal prosecutors to believe you had such important testimony that they should give you transactional immunity from the crimes which you committed in return for your testimony against others? Former White House Counsel John Dean: I gave my testimony directly to the prosecutors. I planted no stories at all to do that, and the prosecutors certainly wouldn't make any decision based on what they are reading in the newspaper. They would want to hear it directly from me, and I was dealing directly with the prosecutors. As likewise with Mr. Dash when he began to interview me to find out what the scope of my knowledge was to make a decision for this committee as to whether they wished to grant me immunity. Senator Inouye: Mr. Dean, the May 14th, 1973 edition of Newsweek carried a long article about you and your prospective testimony. In this article, you are quoted a number of times and in many instances the quotes in that article were word by word identical to the testimony you have given this week. Indeed, for the most part this Newsweek article was a very accurate preview summary of the lengthy statement which you detailed before this committee.