Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, July 10, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, July 10, 1973
[00.54.06-Sen. TALMADGE interrogates MITCHELL, asking MITCHELL to comment on DEAN'S previous testimony] Senator TALMADGE. Mr. Dean testified that on March 28, 1973, he met with you and Mr. Magruder and that you indicated to Mr. Dean that his testimony could cause problems. Did that meeting take place? Mr. MITCHELL. There was a meeting on March 28, but I believe that the phrase that you have quoted has come out of a, memorandum that Dean has submitted to this committee dealing with a meeting that, we had on April 10. Now, I may be mistaken in connection with that but the meeting I had with Dean on March 28 there was Magruder present at the meeting, and really what the, discussion there was the recollection of the meeting in the Justice Department, the one where the, statement -was made that there, was a possibility of Dean testifying before the grand jury could provide problems for the President, I believe was at the April 10 statement. [00.55.14] Senator TALMADGE. Did you make a statement that his testimony could cause problems for the President? Mr. MITCHELL. I would believe that I would have put it in that frame. because this would provide. the, entire unraveling of all of the Plumbers activities and all of the White, House. horrors. Senator TALMADGE. What did you mean by that, statement? Mr. MITCHELL. Just what I said now. Senator TALMADGE. That you wanted it kept concealed? Mr. MITCHELL. I was not anxious to volunteer any information with respect to the White House horrors or the Plumbers operations that would hurt this President. [00.55.45] Senator TALMADGE. Mr. Dean also testified before the committee that he gave you a hypothesis, that the plan to break in the Watergate had been approved -without anyone, fully understanding its importance, he stated that you said his theory was not far wrong, only that it would be three, or four times removed from the committee. Did you make that statement and, if so, what did you mean by it? Mr. MITCHELL. I testified this morning that there was no such statement made. This has been over the past year in discussion of this and theorization as to who was involved and how we were doing but, it certainly wasn't made at that meeting of March 28 because Magruder, Dean, and I were, at the meeting and I left to go into the office to say goodbye to Haldeman to go back to -New York so if he had said it, he would have, said it in front of Dean and Magruder, and I am sure Magruder would have remembered it but, to my knowledge, to the best of my recollection, no such statement. was ever my made. [00.56.52] Senator TALMADGE. You resigned, I believe, as campaign director, July 4, 1972? Mr. MITCHELL. July 1. sir. Senator TALMADGE.; July 1 1972. Why did you resign , Mr. Mitchell? Mr. MITCHELL. Well, Senator, I thought this was probably the, Most publicized resignation that ever took place in this country. Senator TALMADGE. I haven't heard you say it. I have heard others say it. Mr. MITCHELL. I had some long-range telephone threats that if I didn't out of politics, I was going to lose my marriage. Senator TALMADGE. What you are, saying then, I don't want to get into that, aspect of It,, NO what at you are saying then---- Mr. MITCHELL. Everybody else has-, Senator. You might just as well. Senator TALMADGE. It had nothing whatever to do with the Watergate matter? Mr. MITCHELL. None whatsoever. Senator TALMADGE. The sequence of events there,, as they unraveled were so similar in dates that, I wondered if that had anything to do with it? Mr. MITCHELL. Well, Senator, I can't, conceive the President would have, anything to do with the Watergate and -we would have continued to have all of these meetings both social and campaign meetings and all the rest of it if it had anything to do with the Watergate. Senator TALMADGE. You discussed your resignation---- Mr. MITCHELL [continuing]. 'It didn't. What we discussed with the President, we had lunch on Friday, the announcement was made. on Saturday--we had lunch on Friday. and we discussed who the successor was going to be. The President asked me to, urged me to stay on, I said I could not, under the circumstances it would be impossible for me to function properly, and I don't want to Characterize his attitude but, it seemed to me, he reluctantly consented to the fact that I was going to leave, and we discussed a successor and implemented this rather rapidly. If you are aware of my logs that, I had been spending the better part, of the previous week trying to smooth this situation over to the point where that I could stay as husband -and wife regardless of whether I resigned or not, so eventually it was so worked out. [00.58.59]