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 Howard Baker (R Tennessee). It is not meant to be an entrapment, nor a "do you still beat your wife" question, answer yes or no. But it is meant to try to advance the cause of fact finding.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 28, 1973. Testimony of John Dean.
Senator Howard Baker (R Tennessee). Under the heading of what did the President know and when did he know it falls into several subdivisions. The first one is the break in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters of the Watergate complex on the morning of June 17, 1972. Do you know what the President knew of that in advance? John Dean. I do not. Senator Howard Baker (R Tennessee). Do you have information that he did know of it? John Dean. I only know that I learned upon my return to the office that events had occurred that Indicated that calls had come from Key Biscayne to Washington to Mr. Strachan to destroy incriminating documents in the possession of Mr. Haldeman. Senator Howard Baker (R Tennessee). The question is I hope not impossibly narrow but your testimony touches many people. It touches Mr. Ehrlichman, Mr. Haldeman, Mr. Colson, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Dean, and many others. But I am trying to focus on the President. John Dean. I understand.
Watergate Hearings: Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities June 28, 1973. Testimony of John Dean.
Senator Howard Baker (R Tennessee). What did the President know and when did he know it? Is it possible for you to say, based on direct knowledge or circumstantial information, and you ve given us an indication of circumstances or even hearsay, can you tell us whether or not you can shed any further light on whether the President knew, or in the parlance of tort law, should have known, of the break in of the Watergate complex on June 17? John Dean. You mean could he have had prior knowledge of it? Senator Howard Baker (R Tennessee). Yes. John Dean. I cannot testify of any firsthand knowledge of that. I can only testify as to the fact that anything that came to Mr. Haldeman's attention of any importance was generally passed to the President by Mr. Haldeman. And if Mr. Haldeman had advance knowledge or had received advance indications, it would be my assumption that that had been passed along. But I do not know that for a fact. Senator Howard Baker (R Tennessee). So that would fall into category 2 of my organization. That is an inference that you do draw from the arrangements of the organization of the White House and your knowledge of the relationship between Mr. Haldeman and the President. John Dean. That is correct. Senator Howard Baker (R Tennessee). But it does not fall in category 1 or 3 which is to say direct knowledge or hearsay information from other parties. John Dean. That is correct.