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, the truth is that during this period of time that the FBI was giving you, that is, Mr. Gray was permitting you to receive some FBI reports. John Dean. What occurred, as I recall, there were two deliveries where I returned the first group of files that I had received back in his attache case to him and then picked up another bunch of documents subsequently and then returned those later. And it has only been through the percipience that I learned that I received some 82 out of the 160 total documents.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 28, 1973. Testimony of John Dean.
Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). Now, at whose instance did you contact the CIA that is General Walters? John Dean. After discussing this with Mr. Ehrlichman I he thought that I should explore the possible use of the CIA with regard to assisting and supporting in dealing with the individuals who had been involved in the incident. Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). So an effort was made to involve the CIA. Also, the FBI, Mr. Gray destroyed some documents which came from Mr. Hunt's safe, did he not? 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). And also it was suggested by those in charge of things who were concerned about these so-called enemies, that the processes of the Internal Revenue Service should be perverted and prostituted in order to harass people who were enemies as viewed by the White House and the Committee To Re-Elect the President? John Dean. That is correct. I might add also in addition to the harassment through tax audits there were a number of memoranda I received from Mr. Colson regarding the tax-exemption status of groups that did have tax-exemptions that were opposed to Presidential policy. Now, my files would contain those. I don t have them in my possession. A review of my files would indicate that 99 out of a 100 times when one of these would come down it would go right in the file and go no further.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 28, 1973. Testimony of John Dean.
Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). Now, returning to Mr. Buzhardt's assertion that the President was desirous, beginning in September, to have all of the facts revealed after the establishment of this committee, will you tell us again what meetings were had in the White House in respect to this committee and who was present? John Dean. With dealing with this committee? Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). Yes. John Dean. With respect to the President or the leading up to that as well? Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). Well, I am particularly interested in the President, since Mr. Buzhardt says he was anxious that all facts be revealed. John Dean. Well, it was when the President was in San Clemente, and I arrived on the, left on the 9th, was out there on the 10th and 11th for meetings. I recall that, February of this year, I recall that Mr. Haldeman departed the meeting once or twice and he finally told the President what we were meeting on while we were out there. We left there and went to, down to La Costa where the meetings proceeded and there we had the remainder of the two days of discussions about how to deal with this committee. During the course of the meetings at one point in time, as I had mentioned earlier, there was an assessment made by Mr. Ehrlichman, there had been disappointment that they had not been able to influence the selection of the committee. There had been disappointment that they had not been able to amend successfully your resolution to put a bipartisan, you know have equal representation between Republicans and Democrats, that the Floor amendments that had been offered had been defeated. Some of these are evidenced in the memorandum from Mr. Haldeman that is in the exhibit I submitted.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 28, 1973. Testimony of John Dean.
Senator Sam Ervin (D North Carolina). To make the testimony about that short, was that one of the times you said that the consensus was there should be an effort to show to claim open cooperation with the committee but an effort to impede it from discovering the truth? John Dean. I would call the Chairman's attention to the exhibit regarding the meeting with the Attorney General where there was great concern that this committee might uncover additional criminal activity. There was also a very strained relationship at that point in time between the Attorney General and Mr. Haldeman and Mr. Ehrlichman. I was asked to prepare an agenda for the President to woo the President or have the President woo the Attorney General back into the family. The President was aware of the problem, and this is also spelled out somewhat in the agenda that was submitted to him I believe, on February 22.