Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 28, 1973. Testimony of John Dean.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 28, 1973. Testimony of John Dean.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 28, 1973. Testimony of John Dean.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 28, 1973. Testimony of John Dean.
Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). Now, I will ask you to look at the exhibit entitled "Recommendations, Top Secret, Handle VIA COMINT Channels Only, Operational Restraints on Intelligence Collection" that you have there. John Dean. Is this your No. 2? Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). Yes, that is what I call No. 2. John Dean. The top doesn t say recommendations on it to me. It just has "Top Secret Handle VIA COMIT Channels Only Operational Restraints on Intelligence Collection" and then (a) is missing and (b) the document begins. Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). Yes. In other words parts of it were deleted that referred to John Dean. I understand Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). that had any reference to foreign intelligence matters. Does that not constitute a recommendation from Tom Charles Huston concerning domestic intelligence, the part you have there? John Dean. What I understand this document, as I recall, when I received it, it appeared to me to be a summation of a rather lengthy document, a 43 page document that was being forwarded either to Mr. Haldeman or to the President for their review.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 28, 1973. Testimony of John Dean.
Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). Yes, does not that document, in short, make these recommendation as to the manner or rather the techniques that should be followed, in Mr. Huston's view, in gathering domestic intelligence, and matters affecting internal security? In other words, it says, it recommends the first technique is surreptitious entry. John Dean. On mine, which is No. (b), the first recommendation is electronic surveillance and penetrations and says, "Recommend present procedure should be changed to permit intensification of coverage of individuals and groups in the United States who pose major threats to national security." Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). In other words, what I asked was the first recommendation was techniques for removing limitations on electronic surveillance and penetration. John Dean. That is correct. Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). Then the next, the second recommendation was for the use of the mail coverage. John Dean. That is correct. Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). The third recommendation was a recommendation of a technique designated as surreptitious entry. John Dean. That is correct.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 28, 1973. Testimony of John Dean.
Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). Now does not the exhibit show that surreptitious entry, the third technique described by Mr. Huston in that document as follows: "Use of this technique is clearly illegal. It amounts to burglary. It is also highly risky and could result in great embarrassment if exposed. However, it is also the most fruitful tool and can produce the type of intelligence which cannot be obtained in any other fashion." John Dean. That isn't on the document I have before me but I do recall something to that effect in the larger report that we are referring to, yes, sir, Mr. Chairman.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 28, 1973. Testimony of John Dean.
Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). The fourth technique was development of campus sources of information concerning violence-prone student groups or campus groups, wasn't it? John Dean. That is correct. Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). And the fifth technique recommended by this statement is the use of undercover military agents? John Dean. That is correct. Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). Now, I will ask you all of these recommendations were recommendations that any existing restrictions of use of these five techniques, except the one about military undercover agents, be removed was it not? John Dean. That is correct. As I recall the, larger document that many of these recommendations had footnotes that had been placed on there by Hoover as to every one of them. Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). Now, did not the original document, of which this is an excerpt with deletions, point out on several occasions that Mr. Hoover, the Director of the FBI, was wholly opposed to the use of any of these techniques for domestic surveillance? John Dean. Yes, sir, it did.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 28, 1973. Testimony of John Dean.
Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). And I will ask you if the Americans who were to be the subject of these Information or intelligence-gathering activities were designated by such terms as subversive elements without further definition? John Dean. It was very broad, that is correct. Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). And second, selected targets of internal security interests. John Dean. Yes, sir, again that was a very broad description. Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). There is no definition anywhere in the document as to what, those two things mean? John Dean. That is correct, sir. There was a prefatory section of the document explaining somewhat the dimensions of the problem as it was perceived at that time. But again there was not even a lot of specificity in that as I recall but it has been several quite a time since I have read that document.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 28, 1973. Testimony of John Dean.
Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). Now, was there anything in the document that, told who was going to do the selecting of these selected targets of internal security interests? John Dean. Not to my knowledge. Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). And that was left up by the document to the imagination or interpretation of anybody engaged in the, intelligence work? John Dean. That is correct. Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). Now there was another John Dean. I believe that, one of the reasons for developing this was to get intelligence that was more responsive to the requirements of the White House. As I think I have testified, there were continued complaints about the intelligence and I think that is why the White House took charge of the project. Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). The White House was dissatisfied with the work being done by the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, and the other intelligence gathering agencies. It wanted to assume some degree of supervision over those agencies didn't it? John Dean. That is correct.