1973 Watergate Hearings; 1973-06-25; Part 3 of 6

by sunrise and salmon to the best of my recollection was in early july when i called ray discuss the matter receiving reports from the fbi they indicated he was going to be his office on a saturday night members of this and take a look at the report from his office i told them that i thought it was unwise for me to be coming in another justice department because since most forgotten people just by the nummi accordingly we arranged to meet later at his apartment and he said that he will discuss the matter with them i recall it took a stroll to the side apartment building set an invention from the reverend talked generally about the case and i waive with him the night of my receiving some of a lot of the i bet regarding an investigation they said that he would have to check one chance on me that this information would be reported to the president and that he that was vital purpose of the requests i showed him that was being reported to the president you know i was not directly reporting to the president i was aware of the fact that hurricane and hollande

had any discussions with the president i felt certain because all in all to make notes of my reporting that about the information i was bringing to their attention that this information was being given to the president i do not recall when i actually received the first briton information from the fbi that i believe was the twenty point to july when i receive a summary report that adam had an investigation that state would also like to now sometimes to the bottom of the page and indicate that when you indicate that get possession of the documents the fbi files later mr martin mr parkinson mr ryan came over my office and read the reports and money and now they always the same conclusion and i

recall at martins reaction was at the documents indicated that the investigation is to vigorously news quite critical of gray and asked me to call lead to slow down but i never made such a call summarizing the first of that on page seventy three and also note that i never showed any of these reports many persons who were interviewed by the fbi and they were only given two more of the white house staff when he was working on the security matter for mr ortman in her home john dean has been explained his role as white house counsel during the post watergate investigations annual mike sticks twine a plan to involve the central intelligence agency in the cover up and public television's coverage of the watergate hearings will continue after this fall's for station identification i don't read coverage of these hearings is provided as a public service by the member stations of pbs a public broadcasting service fb

terry and black

continues its coverage of hearings by the senate select committee on presidential campaign activities here again correspondent jim lehrer former white house counsel john dean now explains a plan to blame the watergate on the cia our plan out of the first feelings i had with the cia was doing the media megalopolis i'm twenty thirty or twenty four at that money in first raised the proposition that the cia could take care of this entire matter if they wish and it they weren't working appeared very knowledgeable as a result of this conversation which was prompted by my reporting that they thought that the cia might be involved mitchell suggested it or with adrenaline and having the white house contact the cia for assistance i was also argued that the individuals involved in the war against them as former cia

operatives might compromise cia in some manner of the cia would be interested in this should the aggressiveness of thing on monday morning june twenty six i spoke with leonard and the suggestion he thought was a good idea and with exploring he told me to call the cia and exploited i call them and i've never dealt with anyone in cia did not know that their homes a few days earlier in relationship to the investigation he was not specific he told me that i should do a gentle waters because he was a good friend of the white house and the white house have put him in a deputy director position so they could have some influence over the agency he told me i should tell them i was i was calling because he had requested a follow up on the earlier meeting that there hadn't

been a wonderful column after my meeting i telephoned <unk> request on another delaying his previous discussions with i would like to have him visit with me a possible he seems somewhat surprised an uncertain about my call smartphone you might like to chat with mr auletta and he said he would get back to me later any big effect and it would set up a meeting for about a minute that day window asking them out the cycle again that i was meeting with american requests by mason general comments about the watergate days and it was from my discussion is really gentle comments with water is that i became aware of the fact that i'm in harlem and disgusted already mexican money we then discuss the fact that some of the leaders of the fbi was pursuing were pursuing that in my understanding were unrelated to the watergate could

result in person's totally about being embarrassed i dislike and the counsel for the air some of this is different than me the original definition of my bet that i lost and we're here i also told him that i understood them the fbi had about three possible theories of the case which i explain and then ask if in fact many of the men arrested for persons who were working at the cia memo was assured me they were not i then told him that i've been asked to explore every possible means of dealing with this rather embarrassing and troublesome situation because some of them involve were looking for assistance i asked him if there was any possible way the cia could be of assistance in providing support for the individual in our waters told me that work of course be done he told me that he knew the director's

feelings about such a matter of a director would only do it on a direct order from the president he then landis say that do anything for the most unwise and the ability of all what's most persuasive connecticut which was a revelation as the discussion ended i asked him if he had any further ideas and automatically get the benefit of his thoughts i thank him for his coming over in his candid answers me on subsequent minute in our waters have reported that it was headed for me any of all about a serious matter impossible i recall when i reported that mr tenet we said very interesting he told me that i should talk waters further and push him a little harder to

see of the cia could help out investigative leads we'll use today i'd like to skip the fun that on page seventy seven during the call really in terms of a leftover from seventy seven on the morning of june twenty eight eileen jimmy jenna waters i was thinking that the request made in years even most explicit commencing to me that first meeting i told him that i requested a meeting that has to further discuss the problems of all heard a mexican checks i told them what i knew about the matter and add to the best of my knowledge they were not related to the watergate and so i then asked him if he had any suggestions he expressed sympathy of the situations that said there was nothing his agency could do he can explain the reason some of his earlier comments regarding the cia

involvement and i've got my understanding i then asked him if he had any idea that all and he said that he did it might be possible to explain the madison anti castro activists we had some general discussion of this but nothing concrete emerge from the discussion before i assumed i assured him that i read that with the most unlikely of all the cia i thanked him almost apologetically for coming by again at no time that i push him but i've been instructed the conclusions mean i was told the convention hasn't happened earlier that the cia could not and would not be brought him to solve problems and when the white house to re election committee as a result of the watergate i certainly informed ehrlichman and haldeman that unless the president directly ordered the cia to provide support for those involved with the cia was not going to get involved i told them i agree with walter's but they should be and they both agree

many material and say to the fbi as i noted earlier shortly after the fbi interview and twenty seconds of mr colson and my little instruction from are going to be six the briefcase and shredded documents the fbi tucked away in the implication of hurricanes instructions to destroy the items either side i would not engage in any such activity myself really pushed into it when i asked david young to return the state department cables my office had already returned the briefcase for my car trunk my office received several calls from the fbi request material but i have not yet figured out how the talent management and destroy the material i knew i had to develop a good argument to give ehrlichman as the wind chill should not be destroyed

on the twenty fifteen twenty sixteen and explain but i thought that the men who had grown to say probably seen every case the secret service agent who had been posing probably seen some of the material that the union sam and what would happen when all those people were laid out by the fbi about the contents contents of the site then i said i thought we must turn over materials to the fbi with regard to sensitive documents i suggested they be given directly to play i told them at the fed window and be able to testify that my mom and everything from the state has been turned over to the fbi the agency at the items into my office i believe on the twenty sixteen twenty seventeen i gave him one box which of them back and hold them somewhere that the other material the meeting iphone that you're feeling and ask him about the remainder of the material which i believe was a state department cables in the bleep is heated so i'm turning over maternal the

fbi with the exception of the two envelopes which contain the political sense of materials out there i spoke with oakland on the twenty eighteen inform him of the mature been sent to the fbi or with the exception of politically sensitive documents he told me he was meeting later that they would play and i should bring materials over to him at that time i want your weapons office just before mr gray right place the animals on a coffee table in his office and breyer i've been told him that we had some materials for him to come from unsafe erdogan described it as politically sensitive not related to the watergate i comb gray that feeling and i had gone through and stalk humans and i turned over all the materials to the agency accepted documents in these two omelets i said i did not believe that they related to the watergate anyway but they would be political dynamite an election year

they played but tomorrow at no time when i was president reagan erlichman was instructed by myself or destroy the documents whether he was really told they must never really were made public either return amounts next i'm the fact that in these documents that they came up with before the family clout in january of this year feeling troy and i were being interviewed by the prosecutors regarding the naming of materials and pants saved one point in the interview wisconsin with the three also work if i can speak with him privately that time i felt like i had a top peterson but not all the materials from ponce had gone directly to the relative to almost material contents of which i could not itemize in any better then than i can now anyway

you have to be terminated i was not not because of i think my knowledge of it because of other nra events on a motion mr bittman and file not being pursued that but as we have an educated the trial shortly after this meeting edition's office when i disclosed is that peterson i calculated that justice luncheon appalachian he came up to me and tell me i must hang tight and that has received the documents i talk about this show me up and they told me that he had destroyed documents and call me just before the president selected raises nominee for director of the fbi academy of it from the brain are reminded him of the destruction of the documents indicate that this was not a problem i was

at the i commence my informal interviews with the watergate prosecutor's in early april of this year the sunday rose again i think my story is i have this committee and then forming the gray than i had ever received such documents which i did as of now public knowledge and not to my surprise because i believe that they will vote on a comparable man he has admitted that he had received the documents back in nineteen seventy two for the senate to attend other business that we continue to about two or thirty research like that's agreeable with you how to judge then you might have a ten finish this a club standup versus them a little more for co authored

melissa he can get them to give as twelve point five here to witness only has about one of the statement given by the committee this morning i understand there's another part that's another hundred and fifty pages or so let's just go as long as we can which had been living now for tonight at our home also another ten minutes as i mentioned i like and turn back again in the seventy two to seventy two actually mining maternal waters in subsequent meetings with master of all american chocolate that you know cia assistance that's the question there was a discussion of the need for support money in exchange for the silence for them in jail and at the cia could not do it they would have to find

the money somewhere else that's true indicated that stands at only a small amount of action i believe you said seventy or eighty thousand dollars more will be needed after some discussion with me get the approval of all the women are like when he used to come over come up to raise the necessary money before any american instrumental in the cyber minute only will meet at the white house he was eighty white house such as the al franken i conveyed this request of all i'm an american and they told me to proceed to contact with tom goldman come out on the twenty eight and told them that holman ehrlichman i'm actually requested the comeback was this possible he told me you pick the next light and that's how bartok the mayflower on the twenty nine

the fire station competitive fund raising activities but in april seventh nineteen seventy eight and i would engage in any further fund raising activities so i told them everything i know about the case that i'm entering my concern it might involve president himself but i don't know that for a fact i also told him that the woman american image of felt very importantly raise the money i tell them that those instructions he should contact the role as the emancipated and the timing and a comeback was not happy with the simon and he was and he said he was i'm taking it on a little island and obama had some requests but i cannot come out discussed this with anybody these persons that given the nature of the

request of an unexpected take my word alone many are pledged to him subsequent to a meeting come out and for me that he was planning to raise money but that he wanted your last words to handle any deliveries because mr loesser with was young and many were cut he said he did not help his telephone number and requested it california may be requested in the region within a week or so and requested it i meet with him in lafayette park which i did he said i could report that all women an opportunity and raise the money and in fact he had it in his previous within the best of my recollection people of means and welcoming us with the one he didn't know the child was done following that

meeting several days later he called me again seth vs aston villa to come to my office to get in the details and lives to get how much of a positive meaning to the mountains but i was on the telephone while the ruined karbala were going over the figures and i've answered no recollection the details of the discussions and out of the room at the figures on a sheet of paper for the moment but he told me later that it happened once again it will remain at the reelection committee as i've indicated i think discussions with women also with that report back to him on information they had requested the report

information on the sea was sometime during the last ten days in june but i recall meeting in mr holland's office in which they asked me for my recommendation regarding removing mitchell magruder from the reelection committee at that time my knowledge of the meetings which the images are genuine reason your proposal a poem i did not know for a fact that niche whatever prove that these plans that had recently employed immediate mitchell was aware of the operation i told him i never discussed it with mr mitchell and so and the only observation i could make was that the watergate matter appeared to be consuming most of mitchell's time which campaign the academy i also said that i thought there was a real chance he could be indicted on the tuman river thought that matter might be stopping it

i did they thanked me they told me they would take my recommendations and invited the next time i heard anything about the subject was when we publicly announced that mr mitchell was resigning i was somewhat startled the recruiter was remaining it was clear that there was the only link back to the white house and it might not stand up and let it fall hollande asking me if i thought of it would stand up and i didn't i said no i said i always assumed it was that i've always assumed the decision of the river on the reelection committee following this decision and hollande indicated greatly increased interest in magruder problems they were the strategy to stop involvement with it as i reported them on this river would tell that is that he did not know that he was doing differently as revealing a relationship with the fbi and the grand jury investigation i also

recall some <unk> be a few years yes i do not know when i proposed testimony but i do know that i'll get all informative when i first heard it i've long haul manure about one of the stories we discussed it and no one was sure would hold up this this discussion that occur before mn to resign we of course knew it was a fabricated story when i met a man a reporter would cooperate with regret his testimony and one prominent part of that mr ritter story in full detail until just before a grand jury appearance in mid august nineteen seventy two when he asked me if i would be a devil's advocate and question him the voyeur before the grand jury a reader came to my office as i recall the day before the second grand jury appearance the company that he had made the decision himself as to how he's going to handle his testimony i wanna meet ask him any and all questions like that i spent about an hour or more questioning him shortly after i had the settlement later he called me to tell me

and to see him in the hall and now that he was ready and before the grand jury i received a call from the requesting information for parliament as to how mcgregor had done before the grand jury i subsequently called mr peterson said he would find out a callback edition called back and said that he had made it through by the skin of his teeth a column and selling point and subsequently informed mitchell and mcgruder are called qualified please because this point man but the investigation will not go beyond that in early september or biking in my office and for me that there was an outstanding subpoenaed from retiree plans have been retiring reflected the meetings in mitchell's office in january and february with it dean anne mitchell a ride also inform and there had been discussions of this trial in the valley but he did not think much of that i read it although it would be impossible because of the discovery by the fbi laboratory remember talking with the reader and asking

him why he kept very been somewhat facetious iphone recruiter and he should know belli a reason i talk with michal about bullies in january february and dolphins i told him it shouldn't be necessary but he had not anything at these meetings it was at the ballet being subpoenaed and again the recall testify before the grand jury that mitchell requested that aaron mcgruder to discuss our reader should handle this matter before the grand jury eliminating at which this was discussed i quote legitimate reader that i had no idea what they had discussed before i arrived late at the second meeting in february i said why recall there was some weapons to the election last meeting and that could explain my lessons with it at a meeting that reason the fact the

intellectual discussion rather liked the idea and said that that was how he would handle a later learned the ritual testified that one of the meetings have been canceled that the meeting that did occur with interviews willie mitchell that with the election law as these refinements to destroy or alabama or because they were not discussed at my meeting with mitchell mm hmm as you're doing that would seem to be a convenient writing plays a notice on the next page ninety one that as a parent as white house personnel before the grand jury so the committee will stand in recess until two weeks before former white house counsel john dean has been telling the watergate committee about the cover story concocted to explain the meetings early in nineteen seventy two when the campaign

intelligence plan including the watergate incident was approved is next topic will be the testimony of white house staff members before the watergate langella public television's complete coverage of the hearings continues after station identification on a bright coverage of these hearings is provided as a public service of the member stations of pbs the public broadcasting service the terry mr pike continues its coverage of hearings by the senate select

committee on presidential campaign activities here again correspondent robert mike knew john d now continues his testimony of the activities of white house aide during the watergate investigation you have to be like that i appreciate that very much mr chairman chairman of radio

when we stop for lunch lovers is melting on page ninety one of the terms of the white house personnel before the grand jury i came out from the murder of appearances before the grand jury the pensions of members of the white house before the grand jury henning of appearances the white house that were a grand jury acquitted very similar procedure that didn't follow regard to their interviews by the fbi by that i mean a feeling or myself what's really innovative before i went to the grand jury likely question cbs the unrelated area that we didn't feel was necessary for univision to get into when colson learn that he was one of paul before the grand jury he was outraged he felt that the us had been rather hostile toward him because of his association with mr khan in his

appearance in the courthouse before the grand jury libby most detrimental very insistent that something be done about the situation as we see if i can do anything to help him i called him and asked him if there's anything to be done the patient load meeting with explore the vision call that and said he appreciated the palm or the white house that people coming down on the court not to appear before the grand jury and he had what that arrangement whereby they could come to the department of justice be interviewed by prosecutors with council president and the prosecutor would take a sworn statement without powerful person as if it were a secret grand jury room and later the prosecutors would read a statement to the grand jury this procedure called for mr carlson well mr young mr chabon and that's just wrong when secretary stands learned that he was being called where the grand jury he expressed similar outrage

requested a procedure like that which even given members of the white house that i that i discussed this again with petersen he said he didn't feel it will be possible to follow procedure that he spans outbreak continued and finally he raised directly with her opponents meanwhile i couldn't do in again with petersen about this and i tell them that peterson had done that that he could but there was nothing he could do about it because the grand jury wants fans to hear and could not accept my explanation and col peterson was very harsh and telling peterson he should honor the white house request the stands not be forced to appear before he appeared the courthouse and go before the grand jury called peterson and felt he was wrong in doing so i thought that peterson had been more than accommodating and if he could've done it he would but obviously the grand jury want to see these people and peterson was not happy with the procedures that happen to follow the others didn't marry an accommodation

recording i called mr peterson and apologized for the call to receive the only other significant matter that i can recall in connection with a grand jury appearances was in connection with mr colson grand jury appearance also after colson returned from his grand jury interview he sent me a mom i'm a copy which i've submitted to the committee exhibit number sixteen which he suggested i might would descend on the prosecutors i've been present during cole's this interview with prosecutors before the sworn statement was taken i could not find anything significant in the memorandum that he had failed to cover during his interview i'd also received information from every year that he had been pressured by colson and numbers of calls and staffed and authorizing the adoption of these plans on several occasions this information was not reflected the memorandum nicholson prepared i thought that memorandum was rather self serving in the caution i was not convinced it was totally factual memorandum also came to my attention almost a week of recalls an incentive to me

because immediately following his appearance before the grand jury at the end of august the san clemente i did not know if everything was consistent with his testimony and that we actually one of the loan he agreed accordingly i found about them and rather than fourteen and mistress over which was in san clemente at the end of august that the president announced a press conference the so called the report which cleared everybody pleasantly employed at the white house or any administration in any complicity in the watergate matter the statement was made on august twenty nine nineteen seventy two olympic committee what the white house had publicly said about this incident prior to the august twenty nine statement the president on june nineteen sixty reported there was no inquiry being made by the white house and the murder on june twentieth is it to say that the case is something that the president will not get into it all despite the fact that mr khan had been of agreement

on june twenty first graders david calls had assured him that he was not a ball the white house repeatedly statement the president would not call on june twenty thirteen the president stated that as leader had set in the white house and had no involvement whatever in this particular incident on july third when i was in california people out a special prosecutor is head of the fbi and other authorities will pursue the investigation early incomplete and therefore the report on that day that the president would not be getting special reports on this politically sensitive case since that would be an appropriate suddenly came auguste the august twenty nine statement citing of the investigation i had no advance knowledge of the president clinton indicated i had investigated the matter and funnel complicity on the part of any one at the white house or even pleasant as an employer the administration that

evening i was going to walk up their weapons and listen to the press conference that day because i've never been to a press conference on the west coast last minute i return to my room and later turn on the taliban and the state has begun for several reasons which i would go and i was aware that gordon strong had those days on mr mcgregor it carried information relating to wiretap conversations in the white house and latest book destroy incriminating documents holland's direction secondly i've never been able to determine whether all women have advanced knowledge or not and in fact and never asking because i didn't feel like i'd always suspected but never been able to completely substantiate my suspicion colson was far more knowledgeable than

i was very aware of mr colson separate disassociate himself on olson's continue production of documents to disassociate himself with john olson protesting too much i mean i was aware of the two meetings that i attended that report accused both holman and i've reported at all and as i mentioned earlier shortly after the meeting he's at the title knocked out the idea was that incredible until and i would have no connection a relationship with a murder a report of this development in june of nineteen seventy two shortly after the incident i never understood how an elite plan had been approved and mcgruder had indicated to me that there had been white house pressure to get the plan moving according to say unequivocally of the vote and so stay with that no one person employed at the white house had any advanced knowledge of the murder i do believe however that nobody at the white house knew there was going to be a plank in the democratic

national committee on june seventeen but i don't believe anyone other than those directly involved knew that was going to happen on that day i don't know the president's statement was meant to be a very little play on carefully chosen words whether he intended to give the public interpretation that it made a receipt however i would certainly council president against issuing a statement i was very unhappy to have my name associated with a statement without being so whatsoever and on the issue the issue of the so called the report was the first comedy and i think about the fact that i might be being set up in cases whole thing came tumbling are coming down at a later time i suddenly discussed this with other individuals mr moore mr feely mr mitchell and they assured me that night unanimously that i need not worry because they did not believe they want the white house to do that may in early september as the fbi

investigations began winding down the concern of the white house in the reelection committee shifted into very active investigation is being pursued by the democratic national committee through its discovery proceedings in a civil lawsuit against the reelection committee democrats are making daily headlines for their losses is that a little bit on september ninth resident fellow at the best friend's reactions being pursued by the democrats and the implications it we're spending the last wednesday that's right some call me repeatedly

and he reported it just come from the president's office and the president wanted action on this as quickly as humanly possible i'm working on it mitchell and parkinson and follow up another and mr parkinson for me that he was working on several potential counter actions but then he says that the memorandum to me as soon as possible because there was great interest of the white house including the interest on september eleventh nineteen seventy two memorandum to me and after some additional conversations with him about the memorandum i regretted his documents her submission i have submitted to the committee exhibit number seventeen thousand and i'm an imam i submitted you'll note that my memorandum september twelve

nineteen seventy two to mr holland has a little pee with me to you i mean a pleasing wonderful all of the items in a memorandum markings on the memorandum on mr holland's markings there's also a lot of time late july early september eleven during a media mitchell's office <unk> we were having private discussions with judge reggie regarding a civil suit filed by the democrats i believe that was known for mr mitchell mr the room online comparison i was not aware of the specifics and later the judge that he was going to be a couple whenever he couldn't talk to me about this as late as march second of this

year we told me was going to visit the judge and the judges rose garden over the weekend to discuss an aspect of the case on september fifteenth the justice department announced the handing down of seven indictments but a federal grand jury investigating watergate late when i arrived in the oval office the president and the president the president asked me to sit down but then appeared to be invited spirits and my receptions warm cordial in the nineteen eighties the president told me i had done a good job and he appreciated that van mchone was pleased that the case to the public i responded i could not take that think that others have done much more

difficult things that i had done that the president's message the president's status of a situation like that i've been able to do is to contain the case and assisting keeping him out of the white house i also told him that there was a long ago before this matter what an innocent me i certainly could make no assurances that they would not come when this matter would not start to unravel in our conversation the president said the native former fbi director hoover had told him shortly after he assumed office in nineteen sixty nine but his campaign in nineteen sixty eight the president said at some point you get the facts out on those uses to counter the problems that we were not around the president asked me when the criminal cases would come to trial and what it's not before the election i told the president i did not know i said that the justice department had no law as long as possible to return to the indictments much will depend on

which was in the seventies the president then asked me about the civil cases that have been cover the democratic national committee and a common cause case and about the common sense we thought i told him about the lawyers at the reelection committee were in these cases and they did not see the common cause there's any real problem for the election because he didn't the reelection committee national committee because they've been making money and responding to the world the relations committee there's a brief discussion about the potential hearings before the committee

asked me what we were doing to deal with a hearing that i recorded at the globe who had once worked on the information that was working on the problem an indicator that we didn't need hearings before the election the conversation then move to the press coverage of the watergate incident and how the west was really trying to make this into a major campaign issue at one point in the conversation about government telling me to keep a good list the best people giving us trouble that the conversation and then the use of the internal revenue service to attack our enemies we have many missions and it would be very dangerous to try such activity by the instant someone unknown and seven democratic administrations have used this to well

after the election we would get people in these agencies who would be responsive to the white house response the conversation and election plans to replace people who were nineteen ninety eight and six elizabeth pointed mr holland remembers taking notes and he also told the president that he had been developing information on which people should stay in which should go after the election i would say that i'm a meeting with a poem and i was talking to ben kingsley who was in charge of developing political columnist of the people who should be removed at election in slate this matter came up during my conversation with the president and he said that he had wanted in the last few days the meeting ended with a president with a conversation about a book i was reading i left the meeting with the impression that the phone was well aware of what has been going on now the success of keeping the white house of the watergate

scandal and i also expressed in my concern i was not confident that the cover up to be maintained indefinitely i would not like to turn to the white house efforts to block we haven't committee as early as mid august nineteen seventy two the white house planned for the congratulations that an investigation is being conducted by the staff of the house banking committee and a chairman of the many aspects of the watergate incident the focus of the investigation at the outset was the funding of the watergate incident and other possible illegal funding that may have legal violations the white house can send people to the hearings would have resulted in more airports reelection publicity regarding the watergate and secondly they just might stumble into something that would start unraveling the cover initially the committee and over and the

reelection committee were handled by mr spencer mr robinson however as that preceded him i was aware of that when investigators have had numerous conversations with our concern the investigators themselves into the republican national convention interviewing mr stands on august twenty nineteen seventy two mr stan brand of the republican convention he met with investigators that happened committee which i believe the burden on august thirtieth he was accompanied though these interviews by mr parkinson investigations was a member of the banking committee the best of my recollection ends this may have resulted from discussions between members of the white house congressional relations with members of the room with the republican members of the banking committee chairman

who are the most help on the committee i'm planning to get his willingness to assess on september eighth congressman brown sent a letter to the attorney general and an appearance of secretary stands before that committee i have submitted to the committee a copy of this letter it had been a great thing which was in fact that the way that our concern for congressman brown it was my recollection of secretaries and the scheduled to appear before a committee for a formal testimony on september fourteenth prior to parkinson's trapped in a letter to congress when brown i had been asked to discuss the matter with henry peterson which i did michael peterson of the problem and ask him for his feelings about stands on others appearing before the committee and what effect that might have on either the grand jury indicted individuals once the indictments were handed down i recall a peterson and very strong feeling that it would be very detrimental to the government's ability to prosecute success of the

watergate hearings the senate have to give some thought to respond to the commission browns letter and later with the attorney general he did not think he could respond before disco dancer stands on september fourteenth the justice department of one individual the conversation bill it finally agreed the formal response was scheduled september fourteenth in terms of resistance and mr parkinson themselves on the committees and would not appear because he felt it would be detrimental to the principal and the solutions

it was september fifteenth meeting with the president and as a settlement activities of the patent committee became more intense at the white house became one wrong with that committee on september twenty five and announced that he would hold a vote on october third violation of subpoenas to witnesses with its announcement the white house congressional relations that began taking talking with members of the committee is one of the republican leadership of the house across several conversations with cannons and to cook forgotten this matter at lot of conversations with home cooking for me there was a there wasn't any change in the list of potential witnesses and the list was ever growing beginning to review the white house itself is that it he

suggested and the reason he said i'm in my seventies contributions i discuss this matter without him and we concluded that several republicans republicans who lived on the mountain at this time i could make a contribution and that i also discuss the problem some of the members of the banking committee would have themselves potential campaign act violations and it probably would be worthwhile to check out their reporting to the clerk of the house i told him and i would look into it on september twenty six that received report i had requested for mr parkinson after he had one of his associates kept the reports of the

members of the committee the house government from ferguson cop submitted to the committee exhibit nineteen a cheap shot given him anything this nature or any number of investment department's robinson submitted and i've never admitted to this date well i had received congratulations informal reporters who were likely to be subpoenaed chairman that would make public his list on october second nineteen seventy two in the individual for whom subpoenas were being requested was extensive included several people let me use of knowledge regarding the watergate related matters finance committee selling a mini version of the mr martin commercial ago our porter uses loans and tendons and

myself and suppliers submitted to the committee the names on the list the continued to fall it became increasingly apparent that the white house did not have not want the hearings to be held for example still ten months took a much greater interest in the project we realized early on with his name was among those with the call i said it's not the testament had any reason to have to appear not to appear because i don't know illegal activities on clement are whether he had been working to prevent the hearings from occurring in the first instance through his conversations with republican leaders members of the committee this indeed would have put him in an awkward position begin receiving increasing pressure from actual stands and parkinson and others to get the justice department to respond in september eight letter comes from brown's of the ability the common ground could use and persuading other republicans not to vote in favor of the subpoenas with this government in

hand he could he could give republicans another something that i continued my conversations with henry peterson an actual indictments in return he said that in the did you justice issues such a letter because of the potential implications on the inherent the letter was sent on october second nineteen seventy two had submitted to the committee a copy of commerce about whether an assistant attorney general peterson's response exhibits eighteen and twenty one a number of people working on getting the votes necessary to block apartment committee hearings mr thomas discuss the matter with the house republican leaders who've agreed to be of assistance by making in the matter of the leadership consideration which results in a direction from the leadership to members of the committee to vote against their parents and working seven members of the democratic side making the system so you can

imagine for me it also quite helpful in persuading the southerners on the committee not to vote for the subpoenas on the alternative not to appear at the meeting on october third also mitchell report to me that he had been working with some people in new york and the others on the committee to vote against iran's economy and i cannot recall now which members in the organization you referred to and he had assurances that they would either not show up or vote against iran's i intend that this information on clemens but i could not open source of the information in october twenty fifteen the white house on october fourth oliver callan that when requested the gao investigation and i was asked west

and what this would mean i told him that this would be primarily between himself and geo since gao no subpoena power to compel testimony the scope of the investigation you have to have moments he said that he felt that he could work with almost that was good fun and not let this metadata and video on october tenth can in that and decided to proceed without subpoena power and send letters to mcgregor stands vigil myself anybody who receives such a letter declined to appear i was hearing was going to end within the witness chairs and as i recall the press accounts lectured missing witnesses i turned into the store cause i've been informed by the committee counsel at the subject of the election of

alleged political sabotage will be taken up in subsequent years however i've been asked to explain and follow the pattern of government coverage which evolved in connection with a watergate related matters my explanations would be less than complete i'm presenting my knowledge of the subject if i were to admit so close reading matter he ran into the watergate what other parts of the general white house a rumpled father one of the incident i will not go and extensive detail as time leno the highlights of the pattern that without regarding dealings of the white house and mr cigarette i first heard of disagreement or destroying caught me and made you told me for the fbi