COMENTS Air.o ORGAli7.ZATION for "I A11 ii0r. A CROOI{" (6/25/74, Howard Roffuktri)

I havo zikt; oonplotoci virtuo.liy all of this jtAxtai.lottivz Llut;or.1.1t1, with tho ft.ii..coption of thirirr I r.ir,itt fitld lit 1:1,y filch ‘41,,on it X (lonst oxpcot very ruoh

mon) at 1Ui. o that you 4I1OW wlwro to juxtzlp000 thil now 1.1.4c,or4ito tuiti b0 you. CUIi Cat -

c;1 1E:ki1 o P.Z1 1,11 do 1.1,..iletEbk; which ray Lo 'out will be imIlpful.

typu oat A 'Jury plot Li i m+abio c,f COntcnt::" which 1:l1.1 oul; or4;,/,%111.1..b.Lis-it

by to! t:n.b.!..1.vifi.'.o.'1!: !'n'. c.,..,.,nti.utf.1 of

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*for uao 'faith cove'-up ox.corl.tto frou1-,Earoh, 13,73 i )

OP ,;6vLa.tle (11G-17, 120)

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.'.71-..".e'Oltr2 213, 215) nu; Dail footnoto

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Elat'S IlilaVIG.VI:11 (339) (3r/j)

•:,.airuaLaiLlir (370..72) .L1iv_.;:i:GA-2I.11 (417, 42'..:)

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a - 513_7 645, 69? serciAt. Peoscturost •

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Li Cala DT? 376 DYIX2:CRI A C0712 mtza OJ Zit: com U? 399.400

OCAMitlai Use Tt3 a,.A.T coTa, RAP 405 NOONN - 413

STRATJa TO OMR UP TH74 COVER UP - 43436 TT:1i; COUR UP

495-96 COV7.1a.LiCr TI-43. COVER503.10 CUr.a.P. .7.) COM UP 510

CITLWELITY 516.47 532 COY-1'R TOaiii TO Rvro - 521, 525 50.A.TEGT l O COVER TIP CVER U -rj2G-,23 COVER sir_: GU S CO :.a UP — 533 EMATIXTY CONLR TrZE Cowa 618, DEW EIDOIITINE =ELME COVLR UP 1EX2, T S RAP CUF2 O °= *BT..TLIG TZE, DRAGT.GIG IT OM =LIG Tires WE=I DIMIT RU CAF canze.

OFil SiTC11.34 B.CS. IDFA BIG 'ra i TliAaDY OF LIME MS21 FIG FISH SAVE _ *EMI tho 13.1cIng of a cover story oliUYA Eara *Laza tic.L.—s/tua ft ow it — Eizon account of tape COVER Up - WE CAN EAUDI2 =I IitIMY RAP HUM EMIT - 147-i3

OIST —footnote - EMU LUZY - 154. 156, 160....

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I A:1 NOT A aRCOIC

FROil iiiroats queriVain-analic,..x DOLiZiOri in OrLtrid.0 • Ma., limper:bop 17, 1973z

X vant to sry this to tha toleviaion augionoa—I ado r r mistakoo, but is ell of o4y

yoaxn of public life, I have novel. profitad navor profited from public On sordoc.

I have cupacd awry cont. LaA in all of lay years of public lifo, I have novur obotruotad

juotioo. A L I think, too, that I could say that in py yoaro or publio lifo, that I voloamo thla kJ l2 of ommination, bocause peoplo have got to know whothor or not emir

Proadant is a crock, W811, I are not a crook. I havectrarnad everytling I have cot,

QUESTION: Mr. President, to follow up on the tapes

question earlier, you have told us that your reasons are based

on principle -- separation of powers, Executive privilege,

things of this sort. Can you assure us that the tapes do not

reflect unfavorably on your Watergate position, that there is

nothing in the tapes that would reflect unfavorably?

THE PRESIDENT: There is nothing whatever. As a

matter of fact, the only time I listened to the tapes,,to

certain tapes -- and I didn't listen to all of them, of

course -- was on June the 4th. There is nothing whatever in

the tapes that is inconsistent with the statement that I made on

nay '2nd or of the statement that I made to you ladies and

gentlemen in answer to several questions, rather searching

questions I might say, and very polite questions two weeks

ago, for the most part, and finally nothing that differs whatever from the statement that I made on the 15th of August.

NIAON A•;•,1 11(X;CI: '1'1 Til • CUM.'1,1C '.1 ' 1. • I% ' I I I I 111 I I o a 1..1 •

from Nixon proon oonfon.onco of !;optcnbor 5, 1973:

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■ • From Nixonen TV And main tvldmon of 29, 1974:

. In these transcripts, portions not relevant to my knowledge or actions with regard to Watergate are not included, but everything that is relevant is included -- the rough as well as the smooth, the strategy sessions, the exploration of alternatives, the weighing of human and political costs.

As far as what the 1'resident personally knew and did with regard to Watergate and thd cover-up is concerned,these materials -- together with those already made available -- will tell it all.

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. _ To anyone who reads his way through this mass of materials I have provided, it will be totally abundantly clear that as far as the President's role with regard to Watergate is concerned, the entire story is there.

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Z-1 could—Two options: One would be to say that (unintellie.ible); the other would be to say the (un-intelligible).

P—(unintelligible) Well, if you say (unintelligible) permission—What do you think, John? You tell him. Well, it is easier to get out of it if you say well that is not a matter (unintelligible),

2 y

/"(/ te7 H—That's the thing we've worried about all along,

that somebody will get (unintelligible) what we do but we cant live by whether we --inintelligible) the (un-intelligible).

P— ( Unintelligible) 337

P—I les obviously thought this through. Isn't it

worthwhile to find our---1 think we owe it to ourselves

to find out about John Dean, for example, what he

—now understand that he thinks (unintelligible) this

is true from (unintelligible).

H—Alright. E—I think that's right. Ths is probably a golden op,,

portunity in a way. P—Right. To find out—let me put it this way.

You've got to find out what the hell he is going to say.

(unintelligible) which is frightening to .me, (unintel-

ligible) rather than (unintelligible)

H--Right. .

P—I wonder if you'll (unintelligible) then—(unin-

telligible) I think, Bob. - I-I—I can't reach Magruder. There's no answer (un-

intellitzible) over something. 11 he arrives here they'll

let us know. P—We better get the other things out of the way. I

think we're going to be—I don't want to be hammered

—(unintelligible) I don't want to—I don't (unintel-

ligible) they'll hammer the hell out of us anyway, but

I don't (unintelligible) that's a—that's just a (unintelli-

gible) all here. We'll take—we'll take a hell of a beat-

ing (unintelliEtible) in the next thirty days, a lot of

heat, we'll tak-e with regard to why we aren't appearing,

why we aren't going to appear before the Committee.

Now, how do we answer that? .3 LC

H—I still think you can. Maybe it can't be done,

but there ought to be a way to turn the Grand Jury

thing strongly our way, which is that this proves the

rightness of the President's approach of full coopera-

tion with the proper process of justice which is bring-

ing people, even at the very highest level, to account.

P—You (unintelligible) cooperation.

E--Yeah. I think we should do that.

H--And cooperating on the (unintelligible). And

the value of that. P.--(Unintelligible) first man out on it should not be

favored. You understand the importance of that and so

forth and so on. Then I've got to (unintelligible) and

get (unintelligible). Trying to think of how to use

you effectively in this too.

31, 1

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P—Does (unintelligible) know Bob. Aren't we real-ly sort of in a position where it would be better tO know whose (unintelligible) in that damn Grand Jury. At least, pull the (unintelligible) on somethirvl there. I really think you do. And, they're (unintelligible) happy. It seems to me that a hell of a lot of the. issue about do something involves our inability to (unintel-ligible) back that we're willing to cooperate. That we're willing to waive executive privilege and keeping our people silent. Now that's what I'm really trying to (un-intelligible).

E—We will get- H—I've always heard that that's the right—that's

the point—that kind of argument. P—Is that (unintelligible). H—(Unintelligible) one day plus story.

/

P—Then you—the way I would handle that, I would say, "Now let's take the Segretti matter—no —"First, let's take Watergate." You say, "I had no knowledge—"(unintelligible). "Let's take the Segretti thing. Now, here are the facts."—Then I would point out—(unintelligible) point out (unintelligible) incrimi-nation?

H—No. E--Well, we don't know that. H—Huh? • P—(Unintelligibte) OK, John. (Unintelligible). with

Segretti? H--Well, he was clearly (unintelligible) which is

totally (unintelligible) that Scgretti—Segretti's instruc-tions were that he was to do nothing illegal. And, well then answer the question how could you launch a guy out-

3y,

P—I do feel that we should get this ready and really bounce it and I think that's the day to do it and I'd say (unintelligible) and I'd say-

H—It's ready. Oh, no, it isn't ready but it's close.

But it's awful long. . P—Will it be alright? H—I'm not so sure that (unintelligible). P—Pcrfcctly alright. Grand Jury, (Unintelligible)

the damn (unintelligible) down to it. And if it says if the Committee doesn't, I cannot allow—I cannot allow —the (unintelligible). I mean the—"My effectiveness as an Assistant to the President will be seriously dam-aged." "Eroded by fake charges and so forth and con-

sequently I am making this statement now. I will make 375

this statement under oath. (Unintelligible) I will make this statement under oath and answer questions under oath when the Ervin Committee finally gets around to hearing me." How's that sound to you, John?

E—Sounds pretty good. P—All right. Now I think—I will say—point out—

(unintelligible) it is (unintelligible)---"I do not suggest

that—" 1 have only tried to cover in this statement questions of charges to date. That's what I have said and it has not been—and I am sure that others will be made." And (unintelligible) - •

S

P--The reason that f made the call while in Dean's presence last night was that he said Liddy was saying how he knows Liddy had told (unintelligible) or some-_ thing like that. 1 said he must (unintelligible). Well, he • thought he ought to stet ahoid of his attorneys. Liddy said will not (unintelligible) hiIther authorities. (linin-

lligibIe) not the President, (unintelligible) Mitchell. And 1 said. [called Petersen (unintelligible) where to IN) (unintelligibie) Liddy's attorney. The President is not asking for any type of (unintelligible).

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(2p4, A.; /773 -

P—Yeah. Let me get to two quick questions before you give me whatever you've got. Three questions—one- very funciamental that (inaudible) perhaps the first two are related. 1 (inaudible) Dean, first Magruder, with the information that i know, it 'seems' to me that I've got to tell the (inaudible) something about that's been done (inaudible) where it would be worse. What's your reaction to that? We got to be sure that when people ask 'us later that we didn't—these people that are out (inaudible).

) 39

P—There's this. This is something, that we're going —you know—probably great difference of opinion in the Department of Justice (inaudible;. More impor-tant for the Department of Justice is (inaudible). Presidency have (inaudible) as a result of some diligent efforts its own (inaudible). Now with (inaudible) I don't have to announce the (inaudible). We have a situation where the U.S. Attorney, in effect, the (in-audible) thing when the President has to go in and explain (inaudible).

HP—(Inaudible) for a purpose. P—Yeah but—see—I don't—(inaudible) the

damn sure (inaudible).

P- I want these men to be (unintelligible). I know there is. I really.

W—Quite so. We (unintelligible) • P—The second point, however, I have (unintelligi-

ble) And they know that. And if—if—uh—you con-clude that the best thing to do is for Haldeman to step forward and say, "you're not guilty of a doggone

g. thin" They have released the Grand Jury notes. I've been attacked by the press; I've been (unintelligible) all this (unintelligible) outside of this office including (unintelligible). In it, one (unintelligible) regard to the (unintelligible) as to whether it affcc.s their (un-intelligible) too in regard to the President.

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Nixon utateraent immod Augunt 15, 1973:

It is also truo, as I pay on Nay 22nd, that I took no part in, and wao not awaro of, any' oubooquent offorto to cover up the illeGal acts aaoociatod with the WatorGato break—in.

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from Nixon statement of April 17, 1973: ,

Am limy° paid before and I have said throughout this entire Matter, all govornmcnt employeos and especially White Houno stuff employees are expected fully to cooperate in this matter. I condemn any AZIAX.X.6 attempts to cover up in Wu case, no matter who is involved.

from Nixon statement isuued AuGust 15, 1973:

My consiotent position from the beginning has been to get out the facts about Watergate, not to cover them up.

from Nixon press conference, March 6, 1974: .

At all times it has b(xn my Goal to have a complete disclosure of this whole situation because, as you low, I have said there con be no cloud over the White House. I want that cloud removed; that's one of the reasons we have cooperated as we have with the special . .

prosecutor. We will also cooperate with the Rodino committee. The facts will Come out.

from Nixon question-answer session in Houston, March 190974:

It should not have been covered up, and I have done'the very best that I can over the past year to see that it is uncovered.

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for wie with cover-up excerpts from V15/72 tape

.from Nixon prom conference of Aug ist 29, 1972:

And with regard to who is investigating it now, I think it would be well to notice that the FBI is conducting a full field investigation. The Department of Juotico, of course, is in charge of the prosecution and presenting the matter to the grand jury. The Senate Danloing and Currency Committee is conducting an investigation. The Govern-ment Accounting Office, and independent agency, is conducting an tnvestigation of those aspects which involve the cariptien spending law....these investig;ations...hav© at my direction had the total cooperation of the--not oily the White House—but also of all agencies of covernment••••

I think undertheso circumstances we are doing everything we can to take this incident and to investigate it and not to cover it up. What really hurts in matters of thin sort is not the fact that they occur....What really hurts is if you try to cover.it up....

We have cooperated completely. We have indicated that we want all the facts brought out end:that as far as any people who are guilty are concerned, they should be prosecuted. '

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P--Oh well, this is a can of worms as you know a lot of this stuff that went on. And the people who worked this way are awfully embarrassed, But the way you have handled all this seems to me has been very skillful putting your lingers in the leaks that have sprung here and sprung there. The Grand Jury is dismissed now? D--That is correct. They have completed and they have let them go so there will be no continued inves-tigation prompted by the Grand Jury's inquiry.

- I learned today, incidentally, and have not confirmed it, that the GAO auditor who is down here is here at the Speaker of the House's re-quest.

P—That surprises me. H—Well, (expletive deleted) the Speaker of the

House. Maybe we better put a little beat on him. P—I think so too. H—Because he has a Jot worse problems than he

is going to find down here. D—That's right. H—That is the kind of thing that, you know, we

really ought to do is call the Speaker and say, "I regret to say your calling the GAO down here because of what it is going to cause us to do to you."

P—Why don't you see if Harlow will tell him that.

h' -6y

S111111' 1* 1110 t`!!'•:: ,1! ■ 1. ■ g• u. in iii st.o „ - • , ..11r.t. I think

. • • . 1■ 01 crest- , a.!; w.r,h•-• the eivil rights cases in advance. But Wrii.!ht Patman's hearings—his banking and currency committee—whether we will be successful in turning that off or nut I don't know. We have a plan wlwre 1.1■ 0111:111 Yr1101 Vicrt: coLn;11 for 1)“:

itM• !s tf • ;:t 11;. :44

vkit the live top memhers and say that if you commence hearings you are going to jeopardize the civil rights of -these individuals in the worst way and they will never get a fair trial.

P--Why not ask that they request to be heard by the committee?

1)—They could say, "If you do commence with these hearing we intend to come up and say what you arc . doing to the rights of individuals." Something to that effect.

P--They could even get a motion in court to get the thing dismissed.

If—Going the other way- P---Getting the criminal charges dismissed on the

grounds of civil rights. 64

D—We have someone approaching the ACLU for these guys—having them exert some pressure because we don't just want Stans up there in front of the cam-eras with Patman asking all these questions. It is going to be the whole thing over and over again. I understand too, or I have been told, that John Connally is close to Pat man and if anyone could talk turkey to Patman, Connally could. Jerry Ford is not really taking an active interest in this matter that is developing so Stans is going to see Jerry Ford and try to brief him and ex-plain to him the problems he has. The other thing we are going to do—we are looking at all the campaign reports of every member of that committee because we are convinced that none of them complied exactly with the law either. If they want to play rough—some day we better say, "Gentlemen, we want to call your atten-tion that you have not complied with A,B,C, and F and we are not going to hold that a secret if you start talking campaign violations here."

P—What about Ford? Do you think so? Connally can't because of the way he is set up. If anybody can do it, Connally could, but if Ford can get the minority members. They have some weak men and women on that committee, unfortunately. Heckler is alright.

D—Heckler was great. P—Widnall, et cetera. Jerry should talk to Widnall.

After all, if we ever win the House, Jerry will be the speaker and he could tell him if he did not get off - - -he will not be Chairman ever.

D—That would be very helpful to get all of these people at least pulling together. If Jerry could get a little action on this.

H—Damn it Jerry should. That is exactly the thing he was talking about, that the reason they are staying. is so that they can run investigations.

P—The point is that they ought to raise hell about these hearings. I don't know that the counsel calls the members of the committee often. I think if they have to have this blunderbuss in the public arena then this is ull it is.

rhe 'ant tc,rarn where we have the least problem right now. Kennedy has already said he may call hearings of the Administrative Practices sub-com-

mittee. As these committees spin out oracles we used to get busy on each one. I stopped doing that about two months ago. We just take one thing at a time.

P—You really can't sit and worry about it all the time. The worst may happen but it may not, So you just try to button it up as well as you can and hope for

. the best, and remember basically the damn business is unfortunately trying to cut our losses.

Ter

P—Tell Ehrlichman to get Brown and Ford in to-gether and they can work out something. They ought to get off their -- and push it. No use to let Patman have a free ride here.

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.• ...11.•••••••■■•4•.•

Bugging

Hearings Rejected

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0/1/72, House Panel Defeats Bid By Patman

By Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein

WasItIngton Prig Slat Writalli

The House Banking and Currency Committee, after a week of heavy Republican lobbying, voted 20 to 15 yesterday against holding public hearings on the Watergate bugging incident

; • and alleged Irregularities in President Nixon's re-elec-lion campaign financing.

All 14 Republiesins be Attend- . • . ance. low- Southern Demo.

ersts *Ad Sm other DelrioalkiS voted against C ommittee •

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. COV1-:P. UP Vattnan hoorinen turned off ( ho ju.s.tni4mod talor lonatlq tyxcorptu from :opt. 15 tstpo on doing ox/iotly that).

Washinclon Pont • 4, 1972

ClaIrman Wright Patman's re- : .- quest for the hearings.

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. • -, , - an interview that he worked with the Justice Department and Rep. Gerald FL Ford (l-

- P. '.. , , '• • i Mich.), the House minority leader, to bloek the bearings.

Brown denied a charge by e • - - : ' • Patman that the White House

1. , I, , , v brought "all kinds of pres- sure, but added: "I would

.. but to presume that the : , White House weskIn't 'lot

-: • . They thus apparently ended Inv chance of a full airing be- /

-fore election day of issues stemming from the now cele•

. brated break-in and alleged ' attempted bugging of the

. ' Democrats' Watergate head- ,' quarters in June.

-• the key figure in engineering ... ' ■ • -• the defeat, acknowledged in

Rep. Garu Brow:kat-Mich.),

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from Nixon News Confenince of August 29, 1972:

Within our own staff, under my direction, counsel to the President, Er. Dean, has conducted a complete investigation of all lead° which might involve any present members of the White House staff or anybody in the governmmt, I can say categorically

' that his investigation indicates that no one in the White House atAff, no one .in this '- administration, presently employed, was involved in thin very bizarre incident.

from !axon TV and Radio adar•ons of August 15, 1973:

From the time when the breakin occurred, I pressed repeatedly to know the facts, and particularly whether there wp any involvement of anyone in the White House....

krew that the Justice Department and the FBI wore conducting intensive invc,stigations. .--as I had insisted they should. The White HOUse Counsel, John Dean, was ausigped to monitor those investigations, and particularly' to check into any possible White House' involvesiont. •

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Now what has happened post June 17? I was under pretty clear instructions not to investigate this, but this could have been disastrous on the electorate if all hell had broken loose. I worked on a theory of containment-

P—S ure. D—To try to hold it right where it was. P—Right.

61 -/y/

ap":, /7i iT73 g H—Didn't you at some point get a report from Dean

that nobody in the White House was involved. E--Didn't we put that out way back in August? P—I mean, I just said "Well, that's all I know now."

It was never in writing. He never came in orally and told me Dean—John Dean I never saw about this matter. You better check, but I don't think John Dean was ever seen about this matter until I saw him, when John Ehrlichman suggested that I'd better see John Dean.

437

.1:1Voi,vpAtis'e

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from Ifixon statement of April '50, 19731 (referrior, to the tori od prior to Rarch 21)

Au the inveutiotiono went forward, I repeatedly nuked thono conthiotinc tho in- vootication whothor there won any reonon to be Mutt mombero of my odrainintrotion were in any way involved. I received repeated nesuraneou that there were not.

from tootimony of L. Patrick Gray before Senate '..:itterL'ate C:ir.L'itteet Aus:uot 3, 1973 Book 9, p. 3462

Thirty-sr/yen minutes biter, at it :28 a.m. on Thursday, July 8. 1972. the Prysident called me. Ire expre5t9ed his congratulations to the FBI and asked that I express his enngratulatinns to the agents in San Franeisen who aneten.mfullv terminated a hiinekina there the previous day. I thanked the President and then Raid to him, and to the very best of my recollection thew. are the words:

Mr. Prealdent. there is something I want to speak to yon shoot. I}ick Walters and I feel that penuls on your staff are trying in mortally wound

you by using the CIA and FBI and by contusing the question of CIA Interest In, or not in. people the Fill wishes to Interview. I hare just talked to Clark MacGregor and asked him to speak to you about

this. There was a slight pause and the President said, "Pat, von just con-

tinue to conduct your nagreasive and thorough investionition."

• Gray tentimony, Auguct 6, 1973; Book 9, p. 3498:

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1972, was sufficient to adequately put him on notice that the White House st a tT was engaged in obstructing justice f

Did-you think that your -conversation with the President on !July 6,

Mr. DRAT. I don't know that I thought in terms of obstruction of i

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, : justice but I certainly think there was, it was adequate to put him on ,, I notice that the members of the White !Louse 2tair were using the FBI

and the CIA. Senator TALMADGE. Do you think an adequate, do you think a reason- ,

• ,. able and prudent man on the basis of the 'warning that you gave him at .._:

that time, would hare been alerted to the fact that his staff was e:igaged in something improper, unlawful, and illegal I

Mr. GRAY. I do. beeause I frankly, I expected the President to ask t„ 1. some lierations and for 2 weeks thereafter, I think it. was on the 12rh and again on the 28th, I asked General Walters if the President had callt91 -him and when I heard nothing, you know I began to feel , -.I that General Walters and I were alartnistal

Quoted in NiTimon, 7/21/13: . •

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"Knowledge of tact' which would naturally lead es honest and prudent person to make inquiry conotitutse 'notice of everything .which such inquhy pursued good faith would &Selo... .

"Constructive notice its Information or knowledge of 4 fact imputed-by law to It person, (although he mit net actually have it), hecauee he could hers diatom*. thill fact by proper diligence and. his situition L yres pith to cut upon him the duty of inquiring into it." ,i„t •

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from Nixon otntement of Nay 22, 1973:

With hind:AL:ht. it lu apparent that I ohould have given more hood to the warning eignale I received along the way about a Watorgate cover-up and less tot the reassurances.

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J)— \Veil you Fobal;:y going to g..:t more gees- Cais ‘s,%:,:k. And tlyz Lot:•:,/,L Am..; s.-.'rnie

of th.an don't 1.4; ,..e eaNy answerS. 1:0: uJ 1:1;u11( ihat v.' .DS..i 04ti

there': TI:;:t...;.uestioa is Lle:y. 97

P—Did he? I don't Iznow. D—Yes, he, had knowledge that there was sonic:-

body in the 11:Id doing prankster-type activities. P—Well, I don't know anything about that.

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was Nr.itzheli vias goir,g to force our and-

P—Did he say t:zat'.' Die. he say that? 7.—Yeah. • P—\\'ell, v. can't- E—And I suid to myself. ":viv God. You know,

I'm a United St3tes standlng listening

to this. wha-. is Inv duty?" the point is you've now told raa. Thats the

problem. corre,:t. Ta.....t's correct.

the dir:.:rence is that the problem of tr.y posi- . tion up to this tirile has been quite frankly, notx-sdy

ever told me a dara,-1 bit of this, that Ivlitchell was .

g,uilty. E—That's right.

O.

P—T don't think there's anybody that can talk to cx.:ept son-,ebody that knows this case. There's

one of two people T can verse myself in it enough to know the thing, but I ara'slot sure that 1 want to know.