Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 28, 1973 (1/2)
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 28, 1973 (1/2)
[01.01.34-DEAN discusses, in response to questions drafted by the WHITE HOUSE, his activities with regard to demonstrators] Mr. DEAN. Now, lot me go to my responsibilities for the Department of Justice. And I will speak specifically with the area of demonstrators. When the demonstration situation was first developing. it, was quite obvious that somebody was going to have to talk to the demonstration leaders. I can recall-would you like to proceed, Senator? Senator INOUYE. Proceed. Mr. DEAN. I can recall that, the first time that, I had any knowledge of being involved in this was when I -was on my way, doing my normal Congressional relations work, coming up here to Congress on some project. I had a call just as I was leaving the Department down at the, gate, of the 10th Street entrance. I was on my way out and they said, Deputy Attorney General wants to see you right away. would you go up to his office? I went into his office and there was a large gathering in his Conference room, many members of the military, representatives of all the different departments and agencies, the Metropolitan Police. and the, like. At that time the Deputy Attorney General said. John, you are going to be the negotiator for the Government with the demonstrators to determine Who will have Permits and what the parameters of those permits will be. [00.03.01] At that time, when I started discussing permits with demonstration leaders, I was offered FBI information on all the demonstration leaders that I was negotiating with. I said, I do not want to have that information, I want to deal as one man looking in another man's eye and know that man for the reaction I get from him just dealing across the table. I do not want to know what he has been doing all his life or the like. I said, that is for others to judge rather than me. I just merely want to tell you the results of my negotiations. So I was not involved in intelligence from the outset. Now, as I testified, I did become aware from time to time of requests from the White House because of my proximity to the decisionmaking processes for various intelligence that would relate to political figures in their associations with the demonstrations and also, I was hearing complaints that the White House staff was unhappy -about the quality of this intelligence. But my role was merely -a conduit from the demonstration leaders back to a major committee that would make decisions and talk about what I would report. In fact, I would often [01.04.16-TAPE OUT]