1973 Watergate Hearings; 1973-06-25; Part 6 of 6

the committee has been working against the clock to get beans prepared testimony completed a day the play the promise acronyms munro call vote on the senate floor so marilyn what the voters on confusing the summer recess was called our other senators continued they were not trying to hurry along when made by the seven convicted defendants and the sentencing of these around the hearing i stayed on the floor the sun until it's roll call began last lest short individuals was not far it was during this conversation that hollande came roll call votes soccer y terribly mr vogt i missed the boat and one or two others into the office after this brief interruption by problems coming in a did so we're trying to interchange managed to time if you don't mind you might continue while he was still there i told the president about the fact there was no money to pay these to focus on individuals to meet their demands he asked me how much it would cost i told him it only make an estimate that it might be as high as a million dollars or more he told me that that was no problem he also looked overhaul them and repeated the same statement he then asked me who was commanding us money like obama was principally coming from one through his attorney the president then referred to the fact that one had been promised executive clemency he said that he had discussed this matter with

ehrlichman and contrary to instructions ehrlichman and given calls not to talk to the question about the calls and also discussed it with him later he expressed some annoyance of the fact the calls and had also discuss this matter within the conversation then turned back to a question from the president regarding the money they were being paid the defendants he asked me how this was done i told him i didn't know much about it other than the fact that the money was laundered so could not be traced and then there were secret deliveries i tell him i was learning about things i had never known before but the next time i would certainly be more knowledgeable this common got a laugh out of parliament the meeting ended on this note and there was no further discussion of the matter and it was left hanging just as i describe it a meeting on march fourteenth the meetings which occurred on this day possibly involve preparing the president for a forthcoming press conference i recall talking about

executive privilege and making peanut test case in the courts and executive privilege the president said that if he did he would like very much to do this and if the opportunity came up in the press conference he would probably still respond i also recall that during the meetings which occurred on this day that the president was going to try to find an answer that would get ziglar off the hook of the frequent questions asked him regarding the watergate he said that he was going to say they were safe but he would take no further questions on watergate until the completion of the urban herons and ziglar in turn could repeat the same statement and avoid further interrogation by the press on the subject media and marketing it was late in the afternoon after the president's press conference yesterday more and i think more to visit with him he was a very relaxed mood and entered into a gentle discussion about the press conference the president was amazed and distressed that the price paid so little attention to the fact that he had made a historic announcement about ambassador bruce open up a

liaison office and became he said he was amazed when the first question following that announcement regarding whether or not dean would appear before the senate judiciary committee in connection with a greater and the conversation and rambled into a discussion of his case and mr moore discuss his memory of the president's handling of the case reading on march sixteenth this meeting was a discussion was anchor on how to follow up on a number of matters of erosion in the press conference preceding a medium march seventeenth st patrick's day so in a very good mood and very relaxed and we engaged in a rambling conversation with somebody footprints as for the gray herons and the problems that word and confronting the white house regarding the president's statement on executive privilege that one has to go to court in the matter he opined that he did not think the senate would be dumb enough to go for the bait that he had given them is hopeful that there might be on march nineteenth

as best meetings are other roman discussion regarding media problems in connection with the gray herons as the discussion preceded i suggested that mr moore might like to engage in this conversation whether there was some discussion the senator and the parents the preceding sunday on face the nation and whether or not it would be appropriate for me to respond to some of the points that were being made regarding my request appearance before the senate issuing committee i told the president that i would work with the morgue preparing a draft response meetings on march twentieth probably earlier that morning to tell me that i should work that the draft letter response as a result of the discussions we have the preceding with more i told him i was reading a letter and he and he told me as soon as i have a lawyer preparing a challenge to meet with him shortly after lunch i took over a draft copy of the letter which i had witnessed more and submitted a copy of the draft letter to that and i've seen a copy of the draft letter to the committee the

president read the draft and we discussed it with no resolution of the problem he told me to talk was eager i thought if i did this as a sworn statement that is going to obviously we grab a carefully before i sign any evident on the letter was during the afternoon of march twentieth the talk again with a more about this and the entire cover up i killed more that there were new and more threatening demand for support money i told him that one had sent a message to me through paul ryan they wanted seventy two thousand dollars for living expenses and fifty thousand dollars for attorney's fees if they did not receive it that week he would reconsider his options and have a lot to say about the seamy things he had done for me and what the white house i've told more that i had about reached the end of the line and was now in a position to deal with a potent in the cover up i could not discuss whitmore the fact that discussed money and time and see the prisoner the

watergate and protecting the implications of those facts i told him that the matter was contained a company itself i felt i had to lay the facts out for the president as well as the implication of those facts more encouraged me to do so phone conversation from the president on march twentieth when the president called me and we had a rather rare my discussion i told him at the conclusion of the conversation that evening that i wanted to talk with him as soon as possible about the watergate matter because i did not think he fully realized all the facts and the implications of those facts for the people at the white house as well as himself he said that i should be with him the next morning about ten o'clock if we're going to put in some of the signs i decided i should call home because i knew that his name would come up in a matter i called him and told him what i was going to do and how women agreed i should proceed is so inform the president of the situation meaning of march twenty thirteen

as i have indicated my purpose and requesting this meeting particularly where the president was i felt it necessary to give him a four port of all the fact that i knew and explained to him what i believed to be the implications of those facts with my particular concern with the fact that the president not seem to understand the implications of what was going on for example when i told him that i thought was imbed been an obstruction of justice situation he argued with me to the contrary after and also when i'm out of money the man to come out previously he had very nonchalantly told me that that was no problem i did not know he realized that he himself could be getting involved in an obstruction of justice they're having fun what i had hoped to do in this conversation was to have the president tell me we had to end the matter now accordingly i gave considerable thought to how i would present this situation to the president and try to

make as dramatic a presentation as i could to tell him how serious i thought the situation was that the cover up continue i began by telling the president that there was a cancer growing on the presidency and if the cancer was not removed the president himself would be killed but i also told him that it was important that this cancer be removed immediately because it was growing more deadly every day i then gave him what i tell him would be a broad overview of the situation that would come back and fill in details and answer any questions you might have about the matter i proceeded to tell him how much at commencement late january early february that i did not know how the plans and finally approved i told him that i had informed haldeman what was occurring and hollande told me that i should have nothing to do with that i told him that i had learned that there had been pressure from colson on mcgregor but i did not have all the facts aren't as some degree of a pressure i did not know if they were to approve the plans i had been

told mitchell had been a recipient of wiretap information and hollande also receive some information through strong he then proceeded to hit it and proceeded to tell him some of the highlights that have occurred during the cover up i told him the combat continues to raise funds to pay the seven individuals for their silence of the instructions ehrlichman haldeman mitchell and i had been the conveyor's the conveyor that this instruction company i told him that activists the same and i made at magruder was remain at the reelection committee i had assisted magruder affairs for story for presentation to the grand jury i told him that kerry said that the white house had been funneled back to the reelection committee for the purpose of famous seven individuals remained silent i then proceeded to tell him the country have been committed and for this government to continue would require more poetry and more money but the demands of the convicted individuals and an increasing and that was dancing

an energy demands have become specific i call him mickey that on monday the nineteenth i received a message from one of the reelection committee lawyers who had spoken directly with howard and howard had sent a message committee them any money and i explained to him that the message that one of them had told bryan the preceding friday be passed on to me till the president of esco brian white again and o'brien at ascot the same question that haunted me and he said you just pass this message on again message was that hard won seventy two thousand dollars for living expenses and fifty thousand dollars for attorney's fees that they could not get that money and get it quickly and he would have a lot of sunni things to say about what he'd done for john erlichman was at the white house if you didn't receive the money would have to reconsider his options and former president bypass this message to both haldeman ehrlichman ehrlichman asked me if i discussed the

matter with mitchell i told him that i had not done so now i can ask me to do so i told a cousin and i had called michel percent or like major question but i had no idea what was happening regarding request until the president that this was just typical of the type of blackmail of the white house would continue to be subjected to and i did not know how to deal with it i also tell the president that i thought i would be pretty bad thought that i would as a result of my name coming out during a greater and the call before the grand jury and if i was called to testify before a grand jury or the senate committee on how to tell a fox way i knew them i said i did not know of executive privilege with the upper part of any appearances i might have before the grand jury i concluded by saying this is going to take continued perjury and continued support these innovations for to perpetuate the cover up right now believe it was possible to sell continuum and i thought it was time for surgery of the cancer itself and all those involving a stand up an account for themselves and the

president's help get out the fungus matter for the president but i did not believe that all seven defendants would maintain their son's forever in fact i thought that one or more would very likely right right after i finished i realized i have not really made the president understand because he asked me a few questions and he discussed it would be enough of an idea if i gave some sort of briefing to the cabinet and that he was really impressed with my knowledge of the circumstances but not seem to be concerned with their implications was after the presentation to the president and during our subsequent conversation the president called parliamentary office the president suggested that we have a meeting with mitchell haldeman ehrlichman discuss how to deal with the situation but emerge from that discussion after holding him in the office for the john mitchell for the conference fell for the free june seventeenth activities and the president did not seem concerned about the activities which occurred after june seventeenth part of opponents' officers subsequently to a meeting with home an intellect and discuss the matter for some

inspections of that discussion was the way to handle this now was for mitchell to step forward and admit or to step forward we might not be confined to the activities of those in the white house in a cover up accordingly holman as i recall called natural and asked him to come down the next day for a meeting with the president on the watergate matter in the late afternoon of march twenty first haldeman ehrlichman and i had a second meeting with a president before entering this meeting i had a brief discussion of the president's office of the executive office buildings we were one woman in which i told him that we now had two options one is that this thing goes on away and deals with both pre and post activities or the second alternative if the cover up was to proceed they would have to draw the wagons around in a circle around the white house and the white house protect itself it had been a white house assistance to the reelection committee never gotten us into

much of this problem and now the only hope would be to protect ourselves from further involvement it's b a meeting with the president that afternoon with hot women and myself was a tremendous disappointment to me because it was quite clear the cover up because the white house was raised concerns going to continue to call it wall or carmen ehrlichman and i were sitting at a small table in front of the president in his executive office building offers that i for the first time setting for the president backed up that halderman ehrlichman and deane were all indicted war for instruction obstruction of justice and that was the reason i was disagreeing with all what was being discussed that point in time i could tell about four women in particular were very unhappy with my comment i've let them very clearly know that i was not going to dissipate in the matter any further and i

thought it was time that everybody start thinking about telling the truth i again repeated them i did not think was possible perpetuate the cover up the important thing now is to get the president out in front mia march twenty second the arrangements have been made to have a meeting after lunch with the president with her work and haldeman mitchell myself mr mitchell came to washington that point where we're meeting and hollins office in which ehrlichman mitchell holliman months alpha present i recall the one of the first things that really going to ask mitchell was whether hunt's money problem had been taken karen michel said that he didn't think it was about money for there then followed a gentle discussion of the status of the senate hearings and discussion never got down to specifics it been my impression that halderman ehrlichman were going to try to get an actual come forth and explain his involvement no matter the us did not occur mitchell said that he thought that everything was going along very well with the exception of the past year the burden on executive privilege he said that he felt that the president was going to have to back down

somewhat some water or it appeared he was providing information from coming out of the white house i recall that when left the meeting before the term aid because he is going to make secretary scholtes who was coming in from out of the country i also recall i was also called out of a meeting about noon time when a message was sent to me by mr xavier as important you see me immediately this had to do with a statement that was running on the waters the great said that i probably don't want to know how to handle it according to the meeting and went to a medium was a clear and more to discuss great comet holmes office where mitchell holliman i had lunch during launch there was some continued conversation about the general problems with the fact that every daily who had been very helpful in dealing with record had a problem but he would like to bring up he said the us could barely had a client

who had an enormous amount of gold this possession would like to make an arrangement where the government will buy the goal to be turned over to the government without the individual being prosecuted for holy nicole mitchell is addressing his request for assistance to holland holland was not responsive in the matter was dropped it and the part mr holmes offers no further dealings with mr moore mr xavier parliament told me that there would be a meeting in the president's executive office building office about one thirty and i should come directly from his office when i got my prom work out regarding great statement i write about one thirty the president's office with the president was not ready to hold a million the meeting with the president in parliament and mitchell and me was again a general discussion of the senate watergate hearings situation and did not accomplish anything well there was a further indication that there would be no effort to stop the cover up from continuing our credit michal tell the president that he felt that the only problem he now had was the fact that he was taking a public beating on his posture that a privilege that the statement on executive it was too broad

and probably something should be done to change his posture on the matter mitchell was not suggesting the members of the white house staff going to help test by either some more cooperative position the developed to avoid adverse publicity it was at this time that the pope and said the kleindienst was supposed to be working these things that was senator baker and he apparently i have not been doing so presents at the time and had told him that remember remember senator baker staff was very desirous of a meeting to give guidance was at that point the president called the attorney general and told him that he should get up to meet with senator baker as soon as possible and get some of these problems regarding exactly privilege the turning of documents over rows all with a committee immediately after the conversation with the attorney general is a continuing discussion on how do we open committee i asked the poetry to excuse me from a meeting from all because i was working was a good on a response to the statement the great maybe the president asked me what that what that was about and i then explained to him about great statement at om grey had

said and also told him what the facts were excuse me to use a telephone his office and said i should get that resolved as quickly as possible when a recount a conversation with a president michel halderman ehrlichman they were still talking about dealing with eleven committee the president told me that the white house should start directly dealing with the committee and i should go up and commence discussions with senator graham after the parameters of executive privilege i told the president i did not think it would be wise because i was very much a car the issue of regarded initially committee hearings and we really unwise for me to go to the go to negotiate my own situation of an athlete in ehrlichman said he would commence discussions the meeting was almost exclusively on the subject of how the white house posture selfies of the turin committee hearings there was actually no indication of any change the attitude it was like one of many many meetings i've been in before and wichita was of strategy for dealing with the hearings levin any effort to get the truth out of what happened

before june seventeenth after june seventeenth find this meeting with a poem it was apparent to me that i had failed and china president obama on this subject and harlem began taking a river guide to dealing with a new poem which you become john dean as they were were the fact that i was very unhappy about the situation on friday morning march twenty thirteen my house was surrounded by camera crews as result of grey statement the day before that i probably a lot when i decided to wait until the camera crews departed before going to the oscars it was midmorning when paul ryan called the tell me about judge to recuse reading recorded letter unopened court appointed me the high points of the letter as they had been reported to him by someone from the courthouse he also told me that record had only here say knowledge i've been called him to tell him about it he said he had a copy of the letter and read it to me

i asked him how he'd received a copy of a letter so quickly he responded it just came flooding into my office he asked me what i thought about it and i told him that i wasn't surprised at all and repeatedly him what obama told me that record probably had only here say knowledge he asked me if i was in my office and i informed him but i was a prisoner of the person would be in shortly after my conversation with him the president called refine to a meeting on march twenty first an accord letter he said well john you were writing your protection he then suggested i go up to camp david and analyze the situation he did not instruct me to write a report rather he said go to camp david take your wife gets mike station he then alluded to the fact that that he'd been under our system

i've been under a rather intense public pressure lately but that he'd been through this all of his life you can let that get to you he said that he was able to do his best thinking at camp david and i should get some rest and then assess where we go from here and report back to him my wife and i arrived at camp david in midafternoon as we enter the cabin in which we were staying the phone was running the operator said it was a president calling that hollande came on the phone hollande said that while i was there i should spend some time riding report on everything i knew about the watergate i said i would do so i asked him if it was for internal use public keys he said that will be decided later i spent the rest of the day and the next day thinking about this entire matter to reach the conclusion based on earlier conversations i've had with her like when that he would never admit to his involved in the cover up i didn't know about harlan that i assumed that he would not because he would believe a higher duty to protect

the president the more i thought about it while i realize i should step for because there was no way the situation would get better weather can only get worse my most difficult problem was how to end this mass without mortally wounded the president i had no answer because i thought that once i came toward the meddler b for the american people to decide not for me to decide i finally concluded that have to think of some way for the president to get out in front of his murder despite what happened everybody else i called mr moore and talked with him about we talk about a presidential speech the president would really lay the facts out we talked about immunity for everyone and while we talked about a special warm type commission that would put the facts out we talked about some half measures that might satisfy the public interest for both realized that nothing less than the truth would sell as i mentioned earlier moore and i have talked about some of these concepts on previous occasions

that we still do not have an answer that would bring the full truth out because of the criminal implications the behavior of those involved on saturday i began reconstructing all i knew and began writing report i spent saturday afternoon evening sunday and money reconstructing writing on monday i asked my secretary to come to camp david to bring certain documents that i had requested and commenced writing i did not realize how difficult it would be to reconstruct my knowledge from memory had not kept a diary or even a calendar of all my activities birds have been reconstructed my knowledge those murders and march twenty third of his day on sunday evening march twenty fifth i was informed that the la times and the washington post are going to have a story that i had prior knowledge of the june seventeen the dean of the democratic national committee i consider the stubble centers at a day online in the story was going to be kind and i contacted an attorney mr tom hoban was from a reliable we discussed the matter he then decided to put the

newspapers on notice to preserve the wobble so the event that part of the story i also told mr obama when i return from camp david but i want to talk with him about the anti matter and ask him to think about someone who is a good criminal lawyer because i was planning to take certain steps in the near future i might add that was my thinking at that time and i'll explain all the facts were knowledgeable criminal lawyer to determine the potential problems of everyone involved from the president on down to get into to get in the panama based on what i should do on monday morning march twenty six i had a conversation with hall about destroying the la times i told him i was prepared to follow i've also been retained a lawyer to put the newspapers on notice i told him that he knew that i had not known of the june seventeenth watergate break in advance of my knowledge of the entire matter in it with a second medium mitchell's offers a poem an integrator knew that i had no prior knowledge but i didn't know if he would make public holman concurred and the fact that i had no prior

knowledge and suggested i call magruder and take this conversation i did call magruder and by using a dictaphone how the receiver i recorded the call i've submitted a transcript of this conversation to the committee exhibit number thirty six the uninsured the conversation was integrated knowledge new newspaper accounts were the map for me because i had not had prior knowledge of the bacon my secretary arrived at camp david on monday afternoon began putting a report on monday night i'd given additional thought to how the president might get out in front of this matter in how we could get everyone involved speak the truth i called moore who is fairly conservative in it conservative in a solution to problems and tone of my idea which i said was so far out that i thought it might solve the awful problem i have submitted to the committee's ever number thirty seven a copy of my notes about wanting my concept in believe it will create an independent panel that would be

investigator prosecutor judge and jury for everyone involved it would have that would have a powder rule officials from office levied fines imposed criminal sanctions it was designed to get every man a fair and full hearing and puts it in a manner where people would not be cut publicly finally after all the facts when the panel would render judgment on the individual to go and report to the public eye might know if the special prosecutor and this committee will merge made independent and proceeded in camera to be very close to the concept i propose back on march twenty six more like the idea and suggested i call home which i did he was intrigued but not overwhelmed is becoming increasingly clear that no one of all was willing to stand up and account for themselves after i had read the newspaper on tuesday march twenty seven the president had called me on monday morning march twenty six which he hadn't and expressed great confidence in may and the fact that i had not had prior knowledge of the break in at the

democratic national committee i decided attempted contact mr liddy who was the one man who could document the fact that we had never talked about his plans following the february fourth meeting in mitchell's office i called paul o'brien and ask him how to get contact with mr morse mr libby's attorney a crime to me most of phone number that told me i could not reach him until late in the afternoon i called mr most about five thirty am asking if i might get some sort of sworn statement from lady regarding my lack of knowledge of the break in at the democratic national committee i combed the two meetings in mitchell's offers an industry leading and i had never talked about his plans after the second meeting this day i'm convinced that if and when mr liddy ever talks he will tell the truth that he knows and i was hopeful that he would give me some sort of affidavits attesting to the fact that his lawyer was concerned about is that the memory problems mr rose called me back on march twenty ninth after a return from camp david after

he had talked with mr liddy i requested o'brien make a memorandum of a call as he was witnessed or morose when he made that call i've submitted to the committee a copy of these documents are that number thirty eight which most advise me his client could not make such a statement because it might result in a waiver of his fifth amendment right which is that is such a statement could be detrimental to others but that that he did which invariably is reason for not providing such a statement was not because he disagreed with the fact that because of the advice of counsel it was the day before i'd receive is called march twentieth parliament have called me at camp david and request and return to washington he told me that there was a meeting with him that he was meeting with mitchell magruder that they wish to meet with me i told parliament and i really did not wish to meet with mitchell magruder but he was insistent that i work with him to camp david about three thirteen went directly to holmes offers he told me the mitchell

magruder waiting in another office for me i ask him why they want to talk to me and he said that they wanted to talk to me about my knowledge of the meetings and michel's office i told haldeman that they were both aware of the situation and i was one alive ask about those meetings altman said he didn't want to get into it but i should go in and work with mitchell magruder before discussing me and meeting with mitchell magruder high viewership comment on their reaction to the discussion i had just had a restaurant knowing how freely and openly we had discussed these murders in the past i could tell that he was backpedaling fact that he was now in the process of an involving himself keeping others involved this was of this time to me that mr holman was not going to come forward and help them this problem it was beginning to protect his findings with my reaction to this meeting

with mr holman and we haven't changed our attitude and my earlier dealings with brooklyn where we were you told me how i could handle various areas of my testimony shouldn't be called before the grand jury that made me decide not to turn over to them the report that written at camp david i have submitted to the committee a copy of the camp to report exhibit thirty nine which was type o my secretary camp david the remainder in longhand which i had not put in final narrative form because i was called up to washington after departing mr collins offers i went to meet mitchell magruder after an exchange of pleasantries they told me they would talk to me about how i would handle any testimony or pensions were going to january twenty seven and february fourth meetings which had occurred as i told them but we have been through this before and then well my understanding of the facts as they occurred at that time mitchell indicated the device so testified it could cause problems

the group analyzed the fact that it previously agreed to a meeting with all the testimony approach that they have taken before the grand jury i told them i will call the meeting to regroup and said it then it would suggest that at the meetings they treated his dealings with a real election laws and that explain my parents at this point in time i decided not wish to get in with a favorite regarding that meeting they both repeated to me if i testified under the knife rather than they had only caused problems i said i understood that i told him that there was no certainty that i would be called before the grand jury or the senate committee if i were co might invoke executive privilege so the question in my testimony with joe miller i do not want this i did not want to discuss the senate further so i tried to move them off of it they're obviously both disappointed that i would be reluctant to agree to continue to perpetuate their earlier testimony the only other matter of substance it came up during that meeting was when i made the point that out and i had never asked

michel about his involvement in the matter and i had no intentions about him at that time i said that i said to this day i cannot fully understand how the levee plan got into operation can only speculate they selected bits of information i know i then after my hypothesis of what happened is that at some point after the second medium into office there had been pressure put on to get the plant approved that have been approved without anyone really understanding its full import mitchell said something to the effect that my theory was not far from wrong or they thought it would be three or four time for move from the committee being terminated after it was not a lengthy meeting this was rude or image or concerned it was her less than satisfactory for them on a march twenty eight or twenty nine of cocaine to my office because he happened to be in the executive office building he said he had come to express empathy for me as a result of the adverse publicity had received during the gray herons he then began telling

me that he had not himself had a good day since his own confirmation hearings may be haunted by his experiences at the white house it was a very likely possibility the senate watergate committee could stumble into the altar gregory i told him that there were documents in the possession of the justice department which had been provided by the cia in connection with a watergate investigation which contain pictures of waste any economy ellsberg doctor's office in california is a poem in atlanta in the cia that the pictures have been left in the camera returned by the cia in the cia developed the pictures so they did not believe that the justice but the new at the pictures were all about but that any investigator with a solar powered track down the incident as a result of the pictures i told him and ehrlichman had requested that i retrieve the documents from the justice department get them but the cia where they might be withheld from the committee investigators that the cia had been

unwilling to do so crowe was very distressed to hear this new percent that maybe with best in that he had been honored by the incident for so long they would like to get out in the open with men entered into a discussion about the incident and i asked him if he had received his authorization to proceed with the burglary knowing well the quote will not undertake such a mission himself responded that no he said i was gonna do that no he could not believe what had been aware of the incident until shortly after it occurred whether he had received his orders right out of the oval office i was so surprised to hear that i said you must be kidding he repeated again and he receives his instructions of the oval office mr cuomo also indicated to me that he thought he might have perjured himself during the confirmation hearings was very bad about that he said that he thought that he had been asking questions about the

cubans that he probably could've answer was afraid to open up the whole area the plumbers operations so we did not properly answer the question he had never really studied his chat with the chairman of the head or have not put himself was concerned about it i told him i might be a possible solution to this problem if there was some way we get and immunize on national security basis and get them out of the open on that basis with some sort of procedure that would remedy is like i said i did nothing specific in mind but here's something we might talk about dr henry peterson about sometime in future shortly after grove left my office i had a call from the pope made a quota of them and to see him about the management he said he was convinced the coconut record himself but he requested that i caught peterson to explore how we might deal with coke situation i come out and i did not think it was an appropriate time to call right now but that maybe we could

call in the near future is what a senate committee came across the documents the justice department here in at the justice department on a novel entire matter i never called peterson on this matter it's bleak follow in my meeting with mitchell magruder on march twenty eight i realized that i was under pressure from both within the white house and without to either not testify falsely testified i ever discussed with ehrlichman if i was called upon to testify but i would probably be asked questions about the dean investigations might be delays of the fbi the hammonds of the material on how safe you know i recall testing of reaction to my testimony and got grizzle i expected he asked me for example of a polymer and i didn't tell him that i would only have to explain their way of money or materials to the fbi for months i said the reason that i have the ladies

because of his instruction it the sex and showed the evidence and told me that he didn't think that i would have to explain why that way but i can say that i was making them employee i told him that i had not made an employee said well i'm sure you can think of something i've mentioned that i receive what i considered an indication from holland when i met with him regarding karen michel's me on the twenty eight and that he was protecting himself i also realize that when no one called me after the conversation with gurley was trying to tell me what probably might not be correct and i felt that he was somewhat unhappy dakota given me the information he had at a march twenty ninth ehrlichman and haldeman fully realized that i was not playing ball and in fact the prison a serious problem for them was also evident to me that they were doing everything they could to protect themselves against my knowledge i had been in continuous contact since march twenty fifth with my attorney thomas hogan forgetting whom he felt was the best

available man in the criminal law field and mike discuss this entire matter where we're talking several occasions about churlish after whom i met several years ago and regarded highly as a criminal lawyer on march twenty eight and twenty nine however i made seven other calls to the princess never suggested names of novel crum lawyers decided on march thirtieth the thirtieth retain mr scheffer if i if you are available mr hogan family that he was and we arranged to meet with him the president along about minimalism and we're going to be in california for a week or more in connection to president clinton is that meeting along with the president's meeting with president to south vietnam and i felt that this had given up and decide how best i could come forward and this matter i decided that i was going to inform the prosecutors' what the case is all about that before i get so i thought i should consult with kosovo determine the scope of my own problems on march thirtieth shortly after

lunch i met mr hobica mr scheffer i spent five hours telling them everything that i could remember him telling them i was unwilling to continue to cover up mr schaeffer advised me to avoid further conversations regarding the subject and said that he would like to talk to me again on monday morning priorities seem to prosecutors accordingly we met on monday morning april second he discussed the matter for several hours more that afternoon my attorneys want to the government prosecutors and tell them that i was willing to come forward with everything i knew about the case there then followed the number of meetings between my attorneys in the prosecutors' and myself and the prosecutors myself and prosecutors in which we began to unfold everything i knew about the case from the outset i was confronted with the problems of executive privilege attorney client privilege in national security that's it was a great until these problems were resolved that i would exclude matters involving the president from these conversations i'm certain many of the

dates and details of the facts that i had general knowledge of celebrity and reconstructing the chronology of events and each section session progressed i was able to provide more information more leads and more explanations of the animation fits within the white house and the relationships of persons who are involved during the period of april second until april fifteenth meetings ahead of the prosecutors were initially focusing on the activities which had led up to the june seventeenth wakin of the democratic national committee and all the knowledge i have regarding events before june seventeenth but as our discussions of alderman began telling them more and more to cover up their interest began to focus more and more narrative and as i began explaining what i knew what i knew it was evident that the prosecutors had no conception of how extensive the cover up was struck it provide them with all the details that i could remember also as the conversation regarding the cover began getting into more and more specifics

we moved into areas it came closer and closer to the president april fifteenth i did not discuss any of the areas of government during the time i was having conferences with the government prosecutors i was avoiding conversations with mitchell holliman as much as i could however on several occasions i did talk with early on while he was in california at one point he called me asked me if i completed my report that i've been working on camp david i call them was still incomplete he said that i should send him whenever i had completed my poem of the section dealing with cigarette these activities which have been nearby bit more that which i had not repeat myself was complete as far as i was concerned with senate to him he said i decided to california immediately on the decks by shane he said that holman was interested in getting these facts out now because the timing might be right i said the report had been written by more a copy which had submitted to the committee exhibit number forty

i also had a conversation with mitchell about pop i'm going out of this parliament in california that automatically want a rhyme to go out and visit with holland and that he had worked out the meeting i felt like telling mitchell but i thought that when i learned the meeting had been switched from home and ehrlichman the plan was being set up with him on everything he knew about natural pain and anyone else involved i did not know that if this in fact occurred but knowing about women alma mater busy protecting their finds i would have to believe that it didn't occur that never talk with o'brien about what did occur during his meeting with obama but then also asked me if i knew when i would be called before the grand jury recommended not my lawyers were discussing the matter with a prosecutor's i did not tell him but i met with prosecutors that he told me he wanted to know what i was going to be called because we want to talk to me before i appeared i believe

that the president returned to california on sunday april eighth i was scheduled to meet with a prosecutor's that afternoon my attorneys had been discussing my testimony with prosecutors and they had worked out an arrangement whereby i could give the prosecutors my knowledge is directly and what i tell them would not later be used against me and they should prosecute me i felt that i should tell them that i was going to meet with the prosecutor's person and so i call him in california on the morning of april eighth before they departed for washington i made the call from a few chapters office and when i told him this he said that i should not meet with the prosecutors because as he said once the toothpaste is out of the two day it's going to be very hard to get back in after this comment but in a calm and what i would i would not meet with them and that the meeting went forward during the meeting anwar east i received a call from her fourth one from mr higby

bless me to be in wisdom development code main office at a certain time for a meeting of the meeting was set for four five o'clock i departed from the meeting with the prosecutors to go into the white house i want your relatives office there i found ehrlichman and haldeman who had just arrived a manager for space and were and we chatted for a brief moment about that trip i raise the fact that i had read in the paper that morning nicholson take a melodic protest i said that i hope everyone is willing to take such like a lot of our protest because will probably be necessary now mickelson has taken the test they asked me about not yet with the prosecutors or new one i would be called before the grand jury i avoided direct answer the question by saying among lawyers are still having discussions with the prosecutors about my appearance before the grand jury was asking questions about testimony on our ears but i gave him evasive answers even he's evasive answers which related race matters which relate to them but for the responses that they did not remember

quite as i did during the week of april ninth april fourteenth i had several conversations with oliver kuttner avoided as much as possible i recall some discussions however regarding getting mitchell to step forward a theory that have been discussed before they went to california a was becoming the policy et michel takes the rap the public or another person and be satisfied in the madoff i'm liane i felt during each encounter i had with him that i was very much a problem for them that they did not want me to know that they felt so however after having been involved in for months on end in this matter was very easy for me to recognize the change their attitude on occasion they were almost patronizing in dealing with me on monday april ninth mitchell called me and told me he's coming to washington want to meet with me and formed hallman of mitchell's request and they both want me to meet with him i also discusses the council and it was some discussion with the government about the meeting the prosecutors were interested in my

taping the conversation but i told him i thought that was most unfair to mitchell and i would not going to set him up after discussing his father with my attorney and rejecting a suggestion and i record the conversation i greeted me with metal but i've been instructed by counsel to prepare a memorandum of a meeting as soon as the meeting was over i agreed to do this and i had submitted a copy of the memorandum to the committee to the number forty one psalm and substance of the meeting was that if and when i recall would testify i would testify fairly and honestly michel said that he understood and not suggest that you otherwise he did however believe that my testimony would be very harmful to the president and said he felt that i should not testify at all possible i would put my meeting with mitchell to haldeman ehrlichman later there were the discussions that we can withhold an eloquent talked about having internal matter and mitchell a lesson with some interest because i did not feel that they would succeed at this and i felt that also they would have to be thinking about

how to have a look of work like activities and felt that i would undoubtedly be a target for them and everything with regard to the cover up on that harman and eichmann began to discuss more and more about getting michel take the blame for authorizing his plan in the first instance i began to increase my conversations with prosecutors about the cover up the more i told the prosecutors about the cover up of mortgages they became a man at this time when american with the word my direct dealings with prosecutors on friday april thirteenth when the rule came to my office to see me before you arrived in my office i can contact my attorney to advise him to rule want to see me and ask me what i should do and what i should do he again said to me what are you not to get in a testimonial areas that make a memorandum of the meeting i had submitted a copy of that memorandum to the committee exhibit number forty two when the ruined i met breuer told me he thought he was going to be called before the grand jury shortly anyone

to know what i was going to do it if i was called i tell them i was going to tell the truth i tell them i do not believe we should talk about testimony because we could be asked that very question in and of itself before the grand jury or you said let me just ask one question he asked me if i've made any decisions on the money and i told him that i had not learned that message along and return messages he said that he had assumed that to be the case and asked me how i was going to have all the questions about me to involve i called him again i was going to withhold nothing from the grand jury in a fast i would respond mr weisman suggests that rather than getting it's from a video to get independent counsel i liked red rover a much publicized her and realizing that this is probably the last conversation we cover some time and he was in the middle the modern unassailable as own choice about the circumstances if i'm self and the time the strategy that we are now developing

was a partial uncovering of a cover up that is to get mitchell to step forward and friday april thirteenth i want heroic wins office workmen haul them you were questioned and discussing the meeting they had just had with kosman is a tiny mr shapiro in for me because of that develop a plan to deal with the matter in and mitchell should be swapped out and so the calls and had concluded that obviously much would sign off on this matter and if he should take responsibility for and this time for quinn also said the calls and had maybe had some other ideas including the perpetrator and have been very damaging to me publicly and i said we should not take any position out and found that dealing with you in committee hearings because of this i might add that are open in harlem in most cynical about calls a suggestion and said to me that he was really scrambling to protect himself after discussing the paulson plan they told me that mitchell be coming down to talk about this entire matter there was some discussion as to how to smoke mitchell out

by the week's end had been decided that the pope would meet with mitchell and ask him about his knowledge and hope that the president would be able to get michel come forward i told them i've got a very seriously of mitchell would say anything to anyone about this matter while these discussions were going on the president called them and they had a brief discussion about the matter i also recall that one point in the conversation a lot and said that he's right here referring to make on saturday april fourteenth i request my attorney mr schaeffer become a mild years ago the mitchell is coming down to me with a puzzle and there was going to be an effort to smoke him out i asked him if he had any ideas and write them in harlem and asked me if i had any ideas mr schaeffer gave me a former prosecutor to answer that what mccain needs a good cross examination i told him i did not think was possible by the president because a president was not the cross examining tight he also made a couple of other suggestions which would have resulted in a president heading to appear before the grand jury he got any admission to michel i pass the

suggestions along subsequently to parliament but they were not viable suggestions mr scheffer and i then set out of the interviewing all the facts that relate to him i told him i wanted his opinion based on conversations with the prosecutors in his own knowledge of the criminal law as to who have problems and who could be indicted and who were targets of the grand jury mr sheff when i discuss this for a while and then i put out a list of who is likely to be indicted as the investigation proceeded i had guests for lunch and was after month and that would get more i had a list in front of me and thought that i would see what morris reaction to it was because pancake syrup and haul them later i showed the list at that moment of them that had been prepared based on conversations with my attorney and his knowledge of the involvement of those persons i kill myself but everybody on the list was a potential subject of an indictment when i showed more the

list he was quite upset he said that if indeed that occurred it would be a tremendous tragedy to this country he was shaken by the list and the seriousness with which i discussed it with him and i was very serious and my desire to stop the cover up what i can and holland so appreciated more of reaction i had submitted a copy of the document i referred to this committee and forty three later that afternoon i went to relatives office workmen haul them were discussing mitchell's visit i learn that mitchell have met met briefly with her like man but not with the president and said that that was not talking and certainly that would not surprise me and i certainly was not surprised it would not talk with another island pulled a list prepared out of my pocket and told them and i discussed everyone's problem with my lawyers and my lawyers have had conversations with the prosecutors as well and i thought that the falling persons would be

indicted i then read them the list i told them that my attorney learned from the prosecutor from his discussions with the prosecutors that not only was deemed a target of the grand jury and haldeman were also very much part of the grand jury and said that he had just talked with climbing few days earlier about the grand jury and that he had no knowledge we had no such reports from climbing i said that my lawyer appears to know more than the pentagon how does because it believe he's probably more informed him that he has had direct conversations with prosecutors i did not tell him at that point that i had had private meetings with the prosecutors quote i told the prosecutors and the extent of the involvement of all american and that meeting ended it was like i was quite confident that i've gotten the message through direct involvement that they had a serious bout on themselves and i put them on vinyl notice that i was a blank of work in the cupboard

gain any longer it was like that night but i realize that indeed my message had gotten through about one o'clock on saturday night or sunday morning i received a call from mr schaeffer he said prosecutors had called him in and they're going to have to reach the agreement but they have made regarding keeping all my conversations with him and the prosecutors had reported mr schaeffer that the attorney general had called mr peterson and then while the full report on everything that was going on before the grand jury and where the grand jury was headed the meeting with the attorney general was took her about two o'clock heard about two am the attorney general's home the prosecutors also reported that the reason they thought they had reached the agreement was because it again i was being summoned the president's office the next morning to discuss the anti matter i told mr schaeffer that i had hoped for the president personally that

i go on to the prosecutors several weeks ago but that i had not that i had understood why this was occurring and obviously there was nothing we could do about it now it will scheffer that we certainly had gotten the message through a problem that they have problems and at the covert may now begin to juan manuel last on sunday april fifteenth i went to mr schaeffer solvers from all a meeting and then during the day that reichman had been trying to reach me bring about a part of the day but i decided not to return his call americana about seven thirty the white house operator called millions of american and i'm trying to reach me i then return his call he told me he was going back to his office to do some work that night would be in about eight o'clock would like to meet with me very much my column i would meet with him what were the reasons i wanted to meet with me was because it was sure that he had learned from the president what was going on as a result of the president's meeting with klein these computers and the fact that i had been to the prosecutor's in at obviously come out

as i have noted earlier had not had any time discuss presidential involvement with the prosecutors so discussions at peterson inclined you'd have the president obviously focused on involvement in haldeman ehrlichman the mitchell magruder strawn and others that i discussed after adams call i called mr scheffer we discuss the wisdom of the meeting i told him i did not want me with eichmann and he agreed to return to prime time emmy all of it has all been out of the office i called mr schaeffer back and told him i thought out to meet with the president and i should call rose my words and have to give a message to the president he said he saw no problem with my talking with a president to tell him why i had gone to the prosecutors i pledge to return to my words but she was out of the city i then wrote out a message for the president and phone mr higby and requested that it be really commendable haldeman ehrlichman and on to the president i had submitted a copy to the committee of the messages sent the president a fifteen sunday april

fifteenth driven over forty four inch short i told the president i hope that he did not interpret my going to the prosecutors as an act of disloyalty and not wish to speak with ehrlichman at this time and i would meet with him if he wished to discuss the matter with me and i thought that that he should get his legal advice from henry peterson within forty five minutes of sending a message to call him a white house operator and poignant the president wished me with me at nine o'clock but shortly after nine when i arrived at the president's you're the office and i was driving in the white house i wondered to myself at the meeting was a set up by a set up i mean was the president going to try to smoke out of me what religion and haldeman army zoe been trying to do that on a ballot do and knowing the fact that i would not play games of the present and that the information would come out

i decided i couldn't worry about that and i had a duty to explain to the president why i was doing what i have done me with a cousin on april fifteenth president of lakota when we met i was somewhat shaken i one enemy with him because i knew i'd taken upon myself in the cover up and what i was going to cause serious problems for the program i shall attempt to recall the highlights of the conversation that transpired on the meeting which occurred about nine o'clock on april fifteenth i told the president that i'd gone to the prosecutors and i did not believe that this was an activist wanted but rather the end of the an act of loyalty i've never had an unformed person but till the casket of my own involvement in the involvement of others at one point a conversation i recall a president asking me about allman's knowledge of the lilies of these plans he asked me if i'd told him earlier about the fact that i had met with hollande after the second meeting in mitchell's office and told them what was going on and

my reaction what was going on i told a cousin i had reported that spectrum are opponents and made some reference to henry petition asking about why hollande had not turned that off at that point and told me to testify that i told all about the meeting in mitchell's offers the president almost from the outset began asking me a number of leading questions which was somewhat unlike his normal conversation or relationships that have with him which made me think of the conversation was being paid and the record was being made to protect himself oh i became aware of this because of the nature of the conversation i decided i did not know it for a fact that i have to believe that the president would not they become such a conversation some question came up as to whether that immunity as best i can recall i told him my lawyers have discussed this with the prosecutors but certainly i have no deal with the government he told me that

he did not want to do anything to hurt my negotiations with the government i do recall not recall common on his comment regarding that i also recall a conversation turned to the matter of living not talking he said something about lately he's waiting for a signal and i tell them that possibly he was waiting for a signal from the president discussed with him the fact that maybe of libby's lawyer met with him nobody would begin to open up and i said i thought that really very helpful but he did talk with her in this part of the conversation the president picked up the telephone and call henry peterson and hannah peterson and i was not in the room but the matter at least coming forward and i'm talking in a written during our conversation the president relayed the peterson of libby's lawyer want to see him to get a signal from the president delivers the president also asked me about petersen and i told him that if anyone could give him good advice and peterson could the president also asked me if i remembered what day was in march that i had reported him on some of the

details of the watergate matter he said that he thought was a twenty first there was a certain i said that i could not recall for certain without checking at another point in the conversation a matter of the degree but discussions that i had had with the prosecutors came up and i am from the president and i have had no discussions with a prosecutor's relating to conversations i've had with him or anything in the area of national security the president of me but i could not talk about national security areas and i should not talk about conversations i've had i've had with him because they were privileged conversations toward the end of the conversation the president recalled the fact that one point we had discussed the difficulty of him raising money and he said the one million dollars with nothing to raise to pay to maintain the silence of the defendants he said that he and he had of course only been joking when he made that comment as the conversation went on and it's

impossible really recall anything other than the high point of it i became more convinced the president was seeking to elicit testimony from me and put in perspective but his perspective on the record and get me to agree to it the most interesting thing that happened or in a conversation with her and at the end he got up out of his chair i went behind the chair to the corner of the executive office building off office and inane nearly audible tones said to me he was probably foolish to discuss ken's clemency with colson another color respond in the conversation ended shortly thereafter as i was on my way out of the office after exchanging pleasantries at all the president and i hoped that my going to the prosecutors in telling the truth would not result in impeachment of the president he jokingly said i certainly hope so also and he said that it would be handled properly

if you were the person on the sixteenth i received word on monday morning april sixteenth that the president requested i come to the oval office about the loss of nine forty five and rather than going to the reception entrance mama used by other members of the staff and myself i went into steve major steve goals obstacles to one written for me that the president wanted to see me so i went to his office and chipotle have to wait a few minutes because the person was in another meeting a few minutes later haldeman ehrlichman emerged laughing from the president's office and when they saw me and vegetables office their faces trump i said oh they put on serious serious look they settle open on a serious book and i went into the president's office the president told me that even thinking about this entire matter and that might be good if we had in his draw a letter from me requesting that i'm

requesting he had a letter from a request in my resignation except my resignation or any alternative and then definitely the letters he said that he had prepared to letters for my signature and would not do anything with them at this time but that would be good if he had been impressed me a novel or with two letters and then the president said that he had prepared the letters himself and no one would know i'd sign him i read the letters and was amazed at what i was being asked to sign i've submitted to the committee copies of the letters add to that number forty five but since there were brutal even the first letter dated april sixteenth lead here mr president and you have my increasing involvement in the watergate matter my impending appearance before the grand jury in the probability of its actions i request immediate an indefinite leave of absence for my position on your staff the second letter which was even more incriminating read dear mr president as a result of my involvement the watergate matter

which we discussed last night and today i can tell you my resignation affective or wants after reading the letters and the president's quote in the eyes and tell them i could not sign the letters he was annoyed with me and somewhat a lot of the words he said that maybe i would like my own water i told him that the letters that he had asked me to sign a virtual confessions anything regarding the watergate i also ask him at home in ehrlichman and haldeman and sign letters of rest nation i recall that he was somewhat surprised at my asking mayors and said that no he said that they had not but they'd given him verbal assurance is the same effect he then elaborated the poem out and said that if they were caught before the grand jury that would seek an indefinite leave of absence they had given him their verbal assurance identical and yet my verbal assurance to the same effect was a

very tense conversation but i was not going to sign a letter under any circumstances as i sat there talking to the president and i had very much on my mind the laughter and ehrlichman and holmes voices when i walked out of the office before they realized that i was waiting outside to see the president to break the impasse the president said it would likely to grab my own mother report back to a minor he said that he was working on a statement regarding the watergate in a recent developments that come to his attention because all of his meetings with coining some peterson would appreciate my thoughts he said that he would also like to suggest like he suggested that letter for halderman ehrlichman or maybe a form letter that everyone can sign i told him i would that the letter the president called me come to his executive office building office about four o'clock that afternoon when he asked me if i've drafted a letter i said i had

as well as some thoughts first for a statement he asked to see the letter a copy which i've submitted to the committee exhibit number forty six but again shelley because for a brief here mr president you inform me that bob haldeman and john ehrlichman who probably ten or bill request to be given an immediate and definitely lessons from your staff by this letter i also wished to confirm my request of the uncertainty of absence from your staff after the military handed it back to me and said that was what i wanted i then told him that i would not resign was haldeman ehrlichman resign i told him that i would was not willing to be the white house scapegoat for the watergate he said that he understood my position was masking to be a scapegoat i've been given my recommendations of a draft statement before a red breasted and he said that

he had checked his records and had been on march twenty first that i had met with him and give him some are given in the report on the palms of the watergate and its cover up had submitted to the committee exhibit number forty seven a copy of the draft statement appeared the president the just the state and was truffaut first the president had learned of new facts in the case over the weekend as a result of this information coming to his staff and had directed and the peterson to take charge and leave no stone unturned secondly that he accepted requests from harlem and women being replaced from your absence the president said pushing nothing about the stamen and after reading it told me talking and i'm and we said was also preparing a direct stake in after departing from the president's office i called instagram and told him that the president requested i give him i am put on a draftee was developing <unk> common said he would come by my office which he did i

i gave him a copy of the statement and he told me today you know i was thinking along some outlines that is that halderman ehrlichman and dana had to resign i told him i was ready and willing but only about an american resigned as well the next time i heard anything about the press dagan was on april seventeenth when the president called him for me he had a sudden not to request any resignations until after the grand jury took action and he would issue a statement very shoddily that statement on april seventeenth as a matter of public record i would like to point out one or two items about the statement the president said on march twenty first as a result of serious charges which came to his attention some of which are publicly reported he began at an intense new inquiry into the whole matter how many were for the committee's attention back to my earlier statement as to what the president did after my report to him on march twenty first have to

the white house's deep involvement in the cover in short potent commence no investigation at all whether the president haldeman ehrlichman commenced to protect themselves against unraveling the coverage secondly howard also like to raise the paragraph that have been put in a statement that no one in the position of major importance of the ministry should be given immunity from prosecution well a statement went largely unnoticed and the public was very evident to me what the person was saying he will not be a witness against anyone so the government might as well stop dealing with them a monday night in april sixteenth i learned that the president had informed the government that he allegedly had taped conversation in which i had told him i was seeking immunity from the government in exchange for testimony and haldeman ehrlichman i have no recollection of telling the president that i was still negotiating with the government and the president told me very specifically that he did not want to anything to interfere with any negotiations i was having with the government when i learned this from my timing i suggested that he

requested the government called for the tape and listen to that tape because i told him it must be a reference to to a meeting it head of the prison on april fifteenth and if the conversation would take the government would have a pretty good idea of the dimensions of the case it was dealing with whether it's kind of the fact that the president had mentioned them and our conversation and the fact that he had talked to colson about clemency for and i cannot in fact no such a tape exists but if it does exist it has not been tampered with and it's a complete transcript of the entire conversation at a place the president's office i think this committee should have that tape because i believe would be it would cooperate many the things this committee has asked me to testify about when the button issue to his statement on april seventeenth in which he was quite obviously trying to affect any decisions i was having with the governor got in my testimony about him and set in his ways they were going on and it combined with the fact that he had requested that i sign a virtual confession on monday that week i decided that indeed i was

being set up and it was time that i let the word out that i would not be a scapegoat accordingly on april nineteenth i should a statement to that effect after months of april nineteenth at latino contact with members of the white house i did an occasion to speak with <unk> or a call asking him who had placed no immunity paragraph of the president's statement tannin said that while he did not know for certain he believed in ehrlichman and place of an attack because it has not been there in earlier droughts and the person emerge from consideration and went over the final statement on april twenty second easter sunday president called me to wish me happy easter and what they refer to at the white house with the stroking call on april thirtieth one out of the city at a call from my secretary in which he informed me that the wire services we're carrying a story that my resignation had been requested an accepted and that halderman ehrlichman

were also resigning <unk> chairman this concludes our rather lengthy statement i apologize again for its length but i saw to comply with the committee's request to provide a committee with a broad overview of my knowledge of this murder without objection the city says it has been

well that is now the longest day of hearings yet came to an end the committee will probably spend many more hours questioning jaunty all leaked bombshells about presidential involvement in the watergate cover up where they are as predicted and there were a number of side lights that may be temporarily lost as the committee concentrates on white house involvement as the challenge that the judge hearing the civil cases against the nixon campaign apparatus cooperated with the white house to prevent anything major from happening before the election the judges issued a blanket denial there was an explanation of how top white house aides were spared the embarrassment of the hearing directly themselves before the grand jury and how one witness was handled very gingerly before that grand jury by the federal prosecutor that spilled the beans when questioned by a curious member of the grand jury and then also the recollections of how the white house tried to influence the senate watergate committee including ranking minority member howard baker who says deans recollections were generally accurate purser two

parts to that the white house has perception of that and then the strategic out of the conversation actually transpired by large mr gage recollection that account is essentially correct and how much material details the account of mr wally johnson of the white house staff calling me when i was in tennessee and asking if the white house could have a say so on the selection of council jointly provide records of mind expanding mr deans recollection of my week meeting with the president shortly before reception those attending at which time i recommended the curtain against the claim of executive privilege is essentially correct i do not recall the press of indicating that he would rely instead only on retainer auditors point beyond that i think that thomas gillian is pretty generally state of the situation is when he read a memo for a plan for a memo

from h r haldeman and john dean our portion of the pieces of rigging for bring ninth and retain specifically he says obviously the key on your ribbon committee is a minority staff and more importantly the minority council we've got to be sure we get a real tiger not on all manner of soft hit and although we let the committee memberships slip out of our grasp we've got to find a way to be sure we get the best man we can for counsel does that pretty well judd also love with your recollection of they're putting pressure on you to get counsel then put the pressure on as a simple request by wiley johnson on the telephone he said that he want to come to tennessee to talk to me about it was it was not necessary don't need to come to town a seasonal can we have some input and the hiring of counsel i said no and obviously europe memorandum goes much further than that and i have an idea that ended the conversations for circumstantial that's the end of my personality are

they got up bright young man whose farm when the us attorney's office a national who is a trial lawyer who i knew personally and they'd ever heard of evidence the fact that the person asked me that same day two is fred thompson and lighter is a big fault of tennessee and he's got a good job i'm watching the story unfold with us today or former white house aides stephen hess and john creamer the georgetown university law center and we're curious of course about their reactions to what john dean said first postcard from a legal standpoint what a dean's testimony do to president nixon for any kind of criminal commissioner must be proof of the criminal acts and a criminal intent in this case the particular crime i think at stake is structured criminal investigation and then you have to show a willful endeavor by means of bribery misrepresentation prevent the communication of information relating to a violation of the statute here was far is the criminal act is concerned i think you have several factors that counting pointedly if you believe his testimony first of all the president was apparently involved

into discussions with mr erlichman mr colson about the role of executive clemency this trip but there was also the question of the payment of cover up money up to lead a million dollars and the president said could easily be done and the warranty others suggestions that perhaps the president was not very open about precisely what he learned about jon been learned about the cover up at one point a resignation letter that he gives mr bean he refers to an april date other times he refers to march twenty first day but that is only the criminal act to contact the willful endeavor is very significant and it seems to me that most of the testimony points up some question about the president's attack for example the president tries to indicate that the one million dollar effort was a joke another discussion about clemency or foolish that he wasn't there for intended to obstruct criminal justice and that raises some questions about his own mr hassell legal culpability assad what about the american public and the president will use to nixon has to do something i would think now in response to very serious charges that his due dean maybe make use of

the other hand i think that the time is on his side that the best thing to do is to keep a low profile as it regards to watergate after we did see a last week with depression of summit visit that there are tremendous for corporate of powers of the presidency they choose to take a legal stick approaches he do during his may twenty second statement four thousand words in which he talked about national security where he attempts at writing for those tipping point by point may choose a counterattack good strategy there were hints of that industry dean's testimony today the talk about mr nixon's campaign being loved the nineteen sixty eight my shoes only a couple feeling there was some of that tone in his may twenty second statement where he talked about jack how we should've listened more to the danger signs and less to the reassurances but i hope that what he does is respond personally and forthrightly to the american people mr kramer you said if you believe his testimony on those

beans stack up on the credibility scale compared with other witnesses oh we really have to go on at this point is what's come before us i would say that at least the early part of his testimony jobs almost completely with what we heard last week or week before last from the students on that score we have some corroboration it's gonna take the rest of the hearings really to corroborate piece by piece every other leading he describes why this critical it certainly is that tape if it exists the president's intimate with mccourt there was a lot of the record i don't really see any significant insistence he's yesterday was made about how you feel about the credibility issue i think mr dean was an attractive witness he spoke for six hours today low most a monotone voice he's an attractive man used to be personally i think that will be very hard to want to paint him as some sort of villain or or or demon that police based on

his own presentation won't do what would you think of tomorrow's hearings in terms of who worked for tomorrow's session who would really go after and as a political observer he kind of threw down the garden to senator kerry think anybody would go after and maron who would you guess it would be well i don't think he's in for an easy time for any of the members of the committee that will develop the different style of attack but it's it's been a very very useful sort of our committee was very interesting regional contrast than differences in ways of getting at it mr baker has opened up questions of the morality involved own and so i think i think we're not going to see any any surprises in the avenue of attack only thirty seven percent on the committee jonah thank you very much by the question of course is what more is there to say at this point regardless of the time zone really know it's very

light on the testimony of john that he'd been the third has been very hot despite the several gallons of water deep concern well reading that lengthy and very historical document appears tomorrow the questions began now let's talk about that march fifteenth meeting with the president some senator will say and on and on it will go and even more details that that's possible come up john dean's memory will be tested and retested and challenge and worked over like a piece of pottery and when it's all over tomorrow or the next day a lot of people in this country including all of us and all of you and most importantly the president of the united states and i just enjoyed what john the median of their head and we'll all decide whether or not to believe it right now may be the best thing for all of us to do is to go on the bed still be fresh from art and tell them for robert macneil and be gay and jim lehrer thank you and goodnight from washington you been watching gavel