Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 29, 1973 (2/2)
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 29, 1973 (2/2)
[01.30.08-DEAN describes telling NIXON on April 15, 1973 that DEAN has talked to the PROSECUTORS] Mr. DEAN. I told the President that I had been to the prosecutors. I told him I did not believe this was an act of disloyalty. I felt I had to go and do it. I said I thought in the end that it would be considered an act of loyalty and I felt that when I made my decision to go, that was the way I felt. I told him that in my discussion with the prosecutors. I had discussed my own involvement and the involvement Of others. I told him that I had not discussed any conversations I had with him with the prosecutors, and I had not had any dealings with the prosecutors vis-a-vis myself and the President. [01.31.07-DEAN testifies that NIXON began double-checking on what he was told by DEAN and when, trying to cover his tracks] At one point in the conversation I recall the President asking me about, whether I had reported to him on the fact that Mr. Haldeman had been told by me after the second meeting with Mr. Mitchell on February 4, 1972, about what occurred in that meeting. I said, yes, yes, I had. Then the President raised the fact that this had come in a discussion he had had with Henry Petersen, and Petersen had raised with him why had not Haldeman done something to stop it. Then the, President went on to tell me. he said, well. now, John, you testify to that when asked, Now, I want You to testify to that when asked, that, you told Mr. Haldeman. [01.31.58] At one he point in the conversation--and I am just rambling through the high, points and not through every detail here--at one point in the conversation we talked about the fact that Liddy was remaining Silent. The President at this point--I told him that I thought that Mr. Liddy was looking for some sort, of signal. He told me that he had got from Petersen, I believe, the President had the impression that Liddy was looking for a signal. I said, yes, that is my understanding, also, that Mr. Liddy is looking for some sort of signal. I said, what might be the signal is that you are to meet with Liddy's attorney. At this point, he picked up the telephone and called Mr. Petersen. Senator BAKER. "He" being the President? [01.32.40] Mr. DEAN. "He" being the President. Once he got Mr. Petersen on the telephone, the President winked at me and said, like I was not in the office, began his conversation with Mr. Petersen about the fact that he was willing to talk to Liddy's lawyer if necessary to give Mr. Liddy the signal to talk. Mr. Petersen--I didn't hear the other end of the conversation, but he talked about some other things to Mr. Petersen. I don't know what they were. Senator BAKER. What else? We are speaking of April 15, Mr. DEAN. That is correct. I recall also the President asking me about Henry Petersen and my assessment of Henry Petersen, and I assume this was prompted by the message that I had sent to the President earlier regarding Mr. Petersen when I sent a message through to him that I didn't want to talk to Ehrlichman. I told him I thought that Mr. Petersen was a man who was one of the most able criminal lawyers in the business, that he could give the President a good assessment of the entire circumstance. I told him that he ought to take his own personal counsel from Mr. Petersen. [01.34.00] Now, I didn't feel like telling the President that he had problems but I thought that I was giving the President a very clear signal that he might want to talk to Mr. Petersen about his own situation. I told him that I didn't think that Mr. Petersen would want to do anything to see the Presidency harmed and that Mr. Petersen was a very, very well respected man at the Department of Justice who plays it right down the middle and he will give you the best advice in the world. And that is my assessment of Mr. Petersen. Senator BAKER. What else happened? What else was said by the, President or by you? [01.34.39] Mr. DEAN The President at that time expressed appreciation for my evaluation of Mr. Petersen. I recall, and this is not in my testimony because it is now falling on something that I remembered at the end of the Petersen conversation there was also some discussion about my feelings about appointing a special prosecutor. He said something to the effect that "I don't think we need a special prosecutor at this time, do you?" I said, "I think that -Mr. Petersen is an honorable, capable, man to handle the job." Senator BAKER. Was there anything else? Mr. DEAN. At some, point in the conversation, and I believe this was toward the earlier part of the, conversation, the question came up as to whether I had---- [01.35.39-TAPE OUT]