Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 29, 1973 (2/2)
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 29, 1973 (2/2)
[01.25.56-DEAN discusses April 15 1973 conversation with NIXON] Senator BAKER. All right. Would you proceed to the next conversation with the President? Mr. DEAN. That will take us to April 15. Now, this meeting was indirectly at my request. On Saturday, the 14th, I had presented a list to Mr. Ehrlichman and Mr. Haldeman and told them that I thought, based on the conversations that my counsel had had with the prosecutors, and my counsel's assessment of the entire facts of the circumstances that they were also targets of the grand jury, along with myself. They expressed concern about this, and grand jury, that this was contrary to what Mr. Kleindienst had told them just a short time preceding that regarding what the grand jury was doing and which way it was going. Well, now, of course, my conversation-, with the prosecutors were, off the record at this point in time. So obviously, the Attorney General would not know it. [01.27.43-DEAN discusses the increased heat on the COVERUP by mid-April, with EHRLICHMAN trying to hold DEAN in line] So after Mr. Ehrlichman--this resulted in the Attorney General meeting with the President on Sunday and I believe Mr. Petersen might have been there--I do not know for a fact--and I had a call from Mr. Ehrlichman also on Sunday, but I was with my counsel and we were in another meeting. I did not answer the call until about 7:30 that night. Mr. Ehrlichman said he happened to be going back to his office and wouldn't I drive along in and have a chat with him about some things he wanted to chat with me. It was quite evident to me that what had happened is that after the President had met with the Attorney General and Mr. Petersen, that Mr. Haldeman and Mr. Ehrlichman had gotten--been informed of this--and he wanted to talk to me about why I had been to the prosecutors. I did not want to, talk to Mr. Ehrlichman. [01.28.36] Senator BAKER. Mr. Dean, I am sorry: it is 3 o'clock and I am going to run out of time and I am going to miss another vote'. but Would you tell me of your conversation with the President on the 15th? [01.28.49] Mr. DEAN. All right, I Will go into that. I was a little rattled by the fact that I had not been to the President to tell him that I had been to the prosecutors when I went in. To be rather specific, he realized I was, rattled and I had had enough rapport with him by this time that I was comfortable in dealing with him. [01.29.13-DEAN wonders whether he has been cut out of the loop by NIXON, HALDEMAN, and EHRLICHMAN and was being called in to see NIXON on April 15 as part of a setup] I had thought on the way in, I wonder if I am being set up by the President. Now, this was an awful thought to run through my own mind, because I knew that Haldeman and Ehrlichman knew that anything the President asked me, I would answer and I would answer truthfully, You just do not lie to the President of the United States. Senator BAKER. Move on to the conversation. Mr. DEAN. Right. Well, I am telling you that--all right. the conversation, So the President offered me a cup of coffee. Senator BAKER. First Of all, where Was the Meeting? Mr. DEAN. This was in the Executive Office Building. Senator BAKER. All right, in the President's office there? Mr. DEAN. In the President's office. Correct. Senator BAKER. Who was present ? Mr. DEAN. The only persons that -were present wore myself other than when Mr. Sanchez came In with some Coca-Cola for me and went back out. Senator BAKER. All right, sir. go ahead. [01.30.08]