Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 29, 1973 (1/2
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 29, 1973 (1/2
[00.46.10-Sen. GURNEY tries to discredit DEAN'S assertions that NIXON knew of the Watergate COVERUP before March 21, 1973] Senator GURNEY. Well, it still is totally--- Mr. DEAN. I might add I never did give a briefing to the Cabinet and that was dropped immediately in the conversation, I added that because it stuck in my mind that as one of the points that I really did not feel that I had made the full implications of this thing clear but that is the sort of thing that as you noted in the testimony, it was noted very clearly in my mind when the, suggestion came Up. [00.46.37-GURNEY is taking the improbability of NIXON'S response as an indication of innocence. It's important to note that he is ignorant of the TAPING SYSTEM in the WHITE HOUSE-it all makes more sense if you understand that NIXON is speaking "for the record"] Senator GURNEY. Well. that occurs to me too, that maybe the President did not understand for some reason. I cannot imagine a President Of the United States, knowing that his two chief aides, 'Mr. Haldeman, Mr. Ehrlichman, yourself, and Mr. Colson. LaRue, Mardian, Magruder. Mitchell, all these people being involved in this criminal activity or possibly involved in this criminal activity. I do not want to accuse them of crimes over this national television here, but these supposedly were all involved in this and then there was coverup money with his personal attorney Mr. Kalmbach and all of these things went on, and if he knew that, as' I understand, your thesis is how In the world would he have suggested anybody who had total, knowledge of this like you. suggested them to go to *the Cabinet and tell them about it? [00.47.36] Mr. DEAN. May I respond in several parts you have stated that I have a thesis. I have no thesis, I have -no wish other than to report by this committee the facts as I know them. Second, this was a part of a dialog that followed. I do not, think the President had any intention of sending me in to report in full as I had just reported to him, I made it, the comment. in my testimony because it stuck In my mind as evidence of the fact that The President did not really still realize the implications of what I was talking about and it recalled to me the and earl' earlier occasions when I tried to raise with him my own involvement in this matter and explain the obstruction of justice involvement and he did not seem to want to hear it or get into it or anything of that nature. So that is why it is in the testimony because it is the sort of thing. Senator, as you, when you re-read the testimony, it pops right off that page and it stuck right in my mind the same way. [00.48.36] Senator GURNEY. Well, it did, and I must say it rather startled me, I really did not understand why I did not hear it the first time, and that same thing occurred to me that maybe, even on March 21 he was not totally aware of all of these things that you testified to here these last 5 days, otherwise. I cannot understand why he would have suggested that you go to the Cabinet with it. Well, let us get on here. Late in March or early April you did decide that you had had enough of this business and that you wanted out of it. Mr. DEAN. Senator. you said early April, Senator GURNEY. Late in March or early April. Mr. DEAN. Excuse me, I did not hear that. Senator GURNEY. You decided that you had had enough of this coverup, and you wanted to get, out of it, and go on your own course., and as I would put it, maybe come clean, is that a fair way of saying it? [00.49.33-DEAN tries to explain his motivations and desire to end the coverup in a way that would protect NIXON, NIXON of course was not receptive to these ideas] Mr. DEAN. Senator, what, I wanted to do I was trying to work internally within the White House. I was very anxious to get the President out in front on this issue. I had conversations from Camp David with Mr. Moore, exploring further ideas. We had explored this on countless occasions, on how to end it, how to get the, President out in front of it, have the President taking the action to end it, decisive action to end it. By the time I went to Camp David I realized that I had not accomplished what I was trying to do internally and began to think about that I might have to be the one, to stand up and take my own steps. Senator GURNEY. And taking your own steps, of course, would be revealing and telling the whole story, is that not what you mean? Mr. DEAN. That is correct. [00.50.33-GURNEY tries to use the fact that DEAN took the fifth before the GRAND JURY to discredit his testimony-suggestion that DEAN used charges against NIXON to get immunity from the SENATE COMMITTEE] Senator GURNEY. Well, now, you went before, the grand jury last, week, did you not? Mr. DEAN. That is correct. Senator GURNEY. Did you tell them the, whole, story? Mr. DEAN. I decided to exercise my constitutional rights at that point in time. Senator GURNEY. What do you mean by that? Mr. DEAN. I invoked the fifth amendment. Senator GURNEY. You did not tell them anything, did you? Mr. DEAN. No, sir; I did not. [00.50.52]