1973 Watergate Hearings; 1973-08-07; Part 2 of 6

a piece be i'm sure he thought what a way to think that the justice department's going back to a region trying to get some special consideration for the government that's very significant and i don't think i have no recollection of mr olyphant every indication yet that mean that he himself was going to talk to her because of it throughout his trial if mr obama had indicated to me that he was going to do that do you

think that in any event when i first learned of the fact that that contact the judge for i don't know i have registered a few years ago such a meeting occurred i don't know that he did nothing improper influence over the leading those meetings to really prevent anybody else to to put in a situation of impropriety any health care drama just about a way to come to a conclusion we evidently just about it was eerie and because the light had already heard evidence that kind of a problem for ray was continuing to act is the acting director of the fbi and i thought great distinction that is what i recollect finance

so i just want to root you in the subsequent events are briefly at this time however important issue in detail about them i correct that on the early morning hours april fifteen nineteen seventy three you had a meeting with mr peterson not turning out by december prosecutors at her oh it was just one of the prosecutors who that was at this meeting following that meeting mr kirk that you wanted to see the president later in the day on april fifteen nineteen seventy three at the knesset approximately one o'clock in the morning and turning around five o'clock morning i was up in a thirty as a result that mean you read that i had to see the president i put a call in the white house with a thirty percent return my call at nine thirty i thought it was absolutely imperative that i see him right

away he said that i have the sunday service at the white house an eleven i told him to go to church with my wife and children i go up there and pretend that service eleven and be available to see him after that was over i think the reception last until approximately one o'clock i'm interested in is one of the decisions made why you would be that you would in effect withdraw from the supervision of the prosecution of the watergate dance hall meeting was devoted solely to talking about me information that i have attained that night and the consequences that inevitably must flow no one is i like to show you

the bottom of it dated april fifteenth nineteen seventy three first pages typed written this the eight hundred is self and then ask if you can identify the isi i phrased it to the committee the document underneath my handwriting is a document that i wrote up in my office in the persians a mr peterson after he and i met with the president of united states and which i set forth the reasons why i have to recuse myself from any further contact their involvement in the watergate days and which i did two is substitute for me as the attorney general of united states anything for concern or further requested that we communicate this decision of mine who

in the context of this moment of unity state security and to acting director ray of the fbi cyber nine and mr peterson simon indicated the time it receded it was important for me to establish the time when i no longer have any states copy of my hand written statement and gave it to him and i kept the original this is at least the top document that enemy is the type that was the chairman a request that the document they didn't use it's a technical word used by lawyers and particularly those in government service which signifies that for one reason or another usually ethical

reasons that you withdraw from any further protests attention in a particular manner mr klein is when did you first learn of the fact is that all the white house employees or persons working to be as the white house ablaze the office of the psychologist dr miller i learned that amazing bit of information some time in the morning on wednesday april twenty fifth nineteen seventy three mr peterson called me and said that he had a very urgent matter he came up and handed it to me

that's a think a copy of a memorandum dated april sixteen for mr silbert to himself a bobsled from him to mr kevin maroney deputy assistant attorney general for the internal security section of accommodation and eight at the same time that we are calling that would've been after the sixteenth of april and before people i read it too after i had recovered my composure and have uttered some of my remarks united began to discuss the dire syria's major this amazing revelation we discussed for

some time and a fantastic potential effect upon the trial the health care cases it certainly a fantastic potential with respect to the constitutional rights mr ellsberg a defendant and i believe our conversation just before noon to go with the solicitor general for the department of defense and be with him at a luncheon in his honor outlining a hypothetical situation to be graceful as a means by which as i did quite often get the benefit is

his advice i want to be in it right that difficulty and simultaneously of two conclusions number one that we have and transmit this information immediately to get through our chief prosecutor ms jamieson in las vegas without delay and number two that because of a policy just because of the nature of the situation that i should i should immediately contacted president and inform him of this situation and also what i was going to do before then usually when a caller see a president they want to know what you want to talk about

i was very insistent in this instance to say that it was a matter of they didn't see but i couldn't distract you know the reason i want to believe there's woe soon thereafter i receive a white house event like a criminal right away i could see that that idea that i gave him and those memos those papers with me and i have some cup of cases in line to discuss little notepad i don't begin those citations he without hesitation one moment's hesitation said in the course of action i was a person who was the only thing he has to be yeah so he kept a copy of the memos and i left i mean didn't

last very long because there is no problem in his mind or my mind anybody else's mind as to what we had to do in the war did you have an impression that one way or the other whether this is the first time the president learned of these events i don't know if i can they didn't say whether this is the first time and i just would you know the fact that he was so devoted the language that he uses it is then in a given at the vietnam war never knew that there so i don't want my asking

that it wasn't my haven't been interrogated i know on our very very powerful and was an announcement at the well it was at the president's office or when i think that the memos were teletype to muster innocent it can't hear what scientists and mr peterson and then after they had instructions to weddings or to do i believe those instructions were used to give them decision the reason people sixteen and twenty i think one of the important things that have to be determined by the department of justice before a disclosure of this information would be made to judge burns was whether or not the fact of

the polarization dr ellsberg's psychiatrist was known to anybody in the department of justice at any time before or during dr albert straw because that will be one of the most significant increase that the judge and the other side of that indeed if it could be made known that any of it they would've been guilty of contempt of an order of a judge and they would also been guilty of dereliction in their duty as a prosecutor get onstage that matter mr williams i think probably so nobody in the justice had any advanced knowledge of this before where very macabre ways i think mr peterson

here's the thing in no way was this case is resolved yeah i know one or to counsel fred thompson begins his questioning of former attorney general findings and just a moment of television coverage of the senate watergate hearings will continue after applause for station identification on a bridge to coverage of these hearings is provided as a public service of the member stations of pbs a public broadcasting service fb the pay

fb the point from

washington and that continues its coverage of hearings by the senate select committee on presidential campaign activities you again correspondent jim lehrer fred thompson miley counsel for the committee findings about counting and an

n mr thompson representational he made to me and to mr peterson throughout was that he was doing this for the president of the state and then it was reported directly to the president and president hu throughout the course of the investigation did you have any social contact with him and get more than it was going on while i had no reason to doubt that assertion i didn't until i met united states a sunday afternoon on april fifth detail more than one occasion that he was recording i would say this to continue

that's what he would be doing this you answer the service situation no reason to question though mm hmm but mostly in which you consider in relationship with viagra he wasn't that

i don't know why i think of that life i have a lot of sadness about some people think that occupies one part of that gray had been aware of the fact that john he had made a surprise to me and i had said no work he had raised the question to me and i have said no i'm certain that that will comply with my direction the way i can explain it is that i think that's justified in his own mind that i think there's a basis for justified in his own mind he had no particular reason so i guess it's just a subject matter that you're

busy director the fbi and state says it just didn't come up i know it's informing that i would've specifically directed him not for forty years he did and based upon revelations made here i assume that that's one the callers tate on saturday april fourteenth on sunday anyway

he was arrested in september mr olyphant is that i want you to come down to the white house and see him this afternoon nice agenda that sought with me if i can come down right now because i'm going to the white house correspondents dinner and i have to be a receptionist at a plot on a visit to be delayed we're going to be fine i rushed home from running three take my clothes and was decimated over the device it's an app that make my six o'clock pacific and again i think it's a general manager

we need to give you a report that i've been too busy and i have been able to do it but i got a report of it and i said well what's that johnson well i have been conducting an investigation before the president with respect to a possible involvement of white house campaign personnel underwater situation for the past couple weeks and i said johnnie mean you've been interrogating people with respect to their confidence and yes i think i remember saying well you talk to anybody who indicated to you that they might have been involved in the conduct that he said yes that's true and i said john that you want to be very careful i think that's kind of information should know that the fbi interviewed don't turn over to the us as you might find yourself in this situation it might be an accessory after the fact for obstruction of justice or purpose was helpless or

give an indication of what the law was and what happened to do certain things and he said well it doesn't really make any difference anymore so why not well mr mcgregor has been over at the white house this afternoon and telling us that he has been meeting with the united states attorney's office and giving them testimony and evidence that would implicate people it and wallow in the white house and in the campaign committee it's been fantastic indications surprise and then he abruptly terminated calderon by sam have a good time at the white house correspondents dinner and the phone went back needless to say i really enjoyed dinner sometime i mean i don't know mr peterson and told him i had to see

this is one aspect of it that i'm not precise like you to tell me that he's very sly always believing he called mainly i'm at the white house correspondents' dinner the state has an opportunity i have so many things i had a conversation with him he said it's important that we get together with you tonight oh that was around twelve o'clock of about playing ian time since the river thereby by one o'clock conversational vote winners to the findings in this investigation they'll give

the president now the conversation about it say that it was going to give you incentives they thought that was routine at ten years as white house stationery and they are copious notes what they tell me so i can report to the president of the new level of the week we want to get old well at an effect summarize the testimony of statements are pointed statements a routine which you played mr mitchell roussel

this is the first time since june seventeenth nineteen seventy two these people were involved in any way the victims of those things like that right nate dimeo looking for a knee

injury for immunity and that his statements to them were on a conventional basis with his attorney indicated that he wants to get to know him what it will do to the best of my ability because i took the notes that i had with my wife stationary and i have them in my pocket and i i read that he was you know he was very upset because he's very upset religion into the views are threatened so we knew well i was very upset about this mr thompson i don't think since my mother died when i was just a young boy then as consuming emotionally with

such silence at this is as the situation they considered it means you know what i mean and i had a conversation with him it was about that is you've got to have a complete investigation as the republican convention

i didn't have any conversations with the brightest and specifically recall i've had two meetings with stimulation we didn't have to tell you what i was doing when i was in the same town angelica pickles been you're welcome this conversation continue

well i would say that the information when a composer attention contemporaneously lesser entities talking to the day before i would i would just assume i'll organs a certain would've made a report like this to the president i went to a meeting with the president yeah i mean now you agree with that you need

this information the plea and well heeled the seventeenth nineteen seventy two and the typical nineteen seventy three as president chairman i would agree to the president there's been no it is animal politicians that's

essentially i think mr peterson will be a better witness as a conversation between the serenity i was my attention lee wasn't so much consumed with what americans said that peterson and beaters and said i was interested in not giving directions to people in my department danny welcome they do no i mean it you do mr pearson made that recommendation of me and i will take full

responsibility for the center of the law will sizzle this is all all time the region we have and harmony many point but definitely the germans i think one the things mr peterson seventy one is the system was that if the grand jury when he received his written testimony had any reason for wanting to interrogate <unk> stands directly that then has to stand would be required to go oh

oh oh i think the debate you take the situation the context in which i found that there was no reason to suspect mr stanford illegal conduct i know that in this administration it's a very important democratic officials at a procedure like this do you exercise that's why are still taken responsibility persuade iran not trying to impose a

responsibility for that decision on anybody else but myself thank you both the disclosure of testimony before a grand jury testimony will know that was that was testimony taken for the purpose of a grand jury and it was given to the grand jury i don't know i

am the proposal demonstrators who interrupted general at this point attempted to read a statement protesting alleged cia involvement in domestic intelligence operations couple places for the nine men and women demonstrators at a peak it's

been able to put the person doesn't need to pay this week has been in the polls because he's been ms

bishop has been listening i mean is this about that now is by march right in with the non western local this question this morning and that his vision of the and it is possible

that for some in prison in nineteen seventy two and this nation nomination mr rosen that's right the political combination of all the fbi investigation into an investigation that's right who had his campaign well where the man who was only permitted i'm fine

and because of the nature and seventy two it was with great climate i would probably say in all the most basic nature of our investigation i think i refer to the fact that as of that time in the summer before they went to the grand jury or fourteen thousand an hour seventeen hundred witnesses three hundred and thirty eight and fifty three out of fifty nine he was somewhat this is intended to three times but everybody can think many people the white house i thought that was a remarkable achievement to do that i think but again

for the people of the federal bureau of investigation in an unusual situation i have nothing but pride and admiration for their professionalism and they're seen as i say it in the congress it still given the press it's to getting the judiciary and gets a record it's true i'm sad to say that not enough has been given to the career people of my department and the fbi for what they did in the situation i was one of the year to make that testimony for them we do that money i'm going to destroy him

i don't know well yeah you have to have evidence to indict somebody we don't put people on the spectrum don't crush their fingernails are the moynihan and prosecutors have a responsible way they shouldn't it seemed to me on their mission season eleven you

do i'm waiting on you you know like a little like old people and john wayne and certainly he would be planning to me and i make my mistakes and have my family's center right here remember what the chairman is just said as a matter fact that atlanta and what i believe to be a series of facts and circumstances that would suggest either about what this committee has taken her mother witnesses that seem impressive to make in the context of questions about this it appears that way in on june seventeenth nineteen seventy two long time to get these

and be treated like everybody else a palestinian teen this video when you receive information and when on april fifteenth nineteen seventy three the us attorney's office and others came to the late hours tonight and laid out a detailed case of extraordinary mr white house officials apparently in the committee to reelect officials

apparently you'd probably set up a meeting with the president goes and delivers robert john mitchell and other responsibilities desert and the lettuce is mr klein join in the chairman's vague but i think if more people had acted in that way on a great trauma that we know as the watergate might very well not have happened on the continued at least not go into the workplace now let me move on to israel the things the gemini danger there

and at the time the matter first came up i confess i did not no legal precedent for taking prove outside the residence of the grand jury that their president was caught my attention sowers says it's not illegal to take depositions and submit them to the grand jury at the end because just a matter procedure nevertheless that way the circumstances of the time thank you

no problem and the commissioners and i think to my mind to be or the more detail rather more detail about the conversation mr thompson ask about with the president a conversation for each company takes possession

in wisconsin and he takes that they have a position between the major mr all right the people's business you know not for a hero so i wasn't trying to stay sharp from april fifteenth april twenty ninth and i don't know what happened to the instant of acres burned was a little while no

no you know what i mean it was the same week growing up with respect to particular individuals primary cast of applause many to do to cover up the cover up no to obstructing the fbi investigation of the watergate incident to describe these meetings from one interview with mr mitchell the three mi nina gregory was telling

them information was completely inconsistent with everything it must have been was nominated and june seventeenth up until it was sure to be four to fourteen pretend remembered all the listeners are really wanting because the perry and in this area oh nice the

information in the benefits in any way implicated president announced that you've mentioned september mean it's a big day oh no this is the moment yeah yeah here's a collection of the information that he got at a

school meeting i mean one year when he gave the impression of a person who you receded from a different time or at least contemporaneous and the reason why that is is a result of this or telephone call me the evening before either and i would guess and i'm now speculating that based on the proximity of history and it really was a parent of white house saturday afternoon telling them what he didn't tell us attorney's office and i just got to leave it better than all of them said that if the

information flow but i know that the president's attitude in response to the information i gave him was said that it was at least a contemporaneous now and no no no so he was very concerned about it did you make any statements of the united states is the first time ever wondered about a family in the car this

legislation of your recollections of president get impatient receiving information for the first time or having received lots of information sure yes but when i was twenty two and he requested i mean you it was just a combination of

myself on the afternoon of april fifteen i suppose the most pressing important significant matter before the private investors as of that day was this water situation which meant that i have the attorney general could not have the attorney general and in our most significant that then came the health or psychotic nerd and then at a situation with respect to mr gray and the documents that he received and subsequently just go by the time those events that unfolded in my life i really had arrived at the conclusion in my own mind that i could no longer function as the attorney general is that this weekend

and i remember talking to for people out there who i know and i respect a great deal to sunday morning and told them of my decision actually agreed with at one disagreed one b in my mind one of my senators i needed to leave impossible situation member states disgust with

me resignation the big question you can't i think the standpoint of our fellow citizens maintain an appearance that justice is be evenly and impartially of ministry when you have a person such as i was in the office you know i refuse to be involved investigation in the criminal justice process with respect and men like mr mitchell and mr mario proximity i have a plan i have a very close intimate relationship for some point it just

seemed to me that that business standpoint the visitation privileges states that richard says that is there was a certain angle they could steal that's true last year and the remaining serbs

again you indicate no previous knowledge that's the senate they might have a sense of the year going back and wife twenty one i have no recollection of that and it i don't think that i would be a reliable question with respect to resign fifty five the precise events of that thank you

what you doing ms bee