1974 Nixon Impeachment Hearings; 1974-07-29; Reel 6 of 6

fb and so citizens as an issue that is particularly up onto a democratic people the illegal activities of the plumbers is the subject of a third provision which we are we have to force a motion to strike and over several a lot of talk on this on this particular paragraph and i would tend to be brief the new york times published the first installment the pentagon papers the president through directed mr colson took their memo and i'm stating as recommendations on the pentagon papers issue the memoranda mr colson dated june twenty five recommended that the investigation successful prosecution of those bert was an opportunity for political gain and for the president by publicity discrediting themselves are

as you know also mr was invited on june twentieth the genesis i suggest to all three plumbers was the pentagon papers in the meeting between the president of development of the mitchell on july six we have a discussion of forming a quote non legal group in connection with the pentagon papers of fear there is no question here all presidential knowledge the question has been raised and you really raised again however that the issue was national security from the start this legitimize the formation of the book the promise and the effort to publicly discredit mr daniel ellsberg that jenner i've asked you during his break a few minutes ago to find for me

certain citations i recall conversations ms mater the show for me clearly that it was a public relations effort that in mind and that national security in the pentagon papers case is not the issue that you refer to the following items which by the way it will be i want it seventy one a meeting in the convent in memoriam of recalls prayers item number it reads

leak stuff out this is the way that it's also aired july first at one pm meeting with president bears the following every label item number one espionage not involved and vote for a case of twenty nine and says this case raises security will hold its closure without intent to commit espionage same ad later note number thirty timing there and not react to a birdcage don't think in terms of spies july six nineteen seventy one

president the attorney general and ehrlichman note number aloud the president is saying let's put a non legal team and the conspiracy i recognize the gentleman from the michigan this kind of reform that mr chairman and members rise of course in opposition to the motion for a strike and a mass observed that for the second time in a row we've had clauses that have attempted to persuade the american people and our colleagues in this game but national security what the justification for these illegal activities and donating directly from the white house very very different from the other party

and the combination of the president of the united states and so and i think that we cannot be here today to make this record two ripley with the documentation that firms once and fall that the bugaboo of national security will no longer suffice to intimidate the congress or scare the american people into condoning activity of the kind that we have heard here in article two and these proceedings i want to a certain i'm sure my other colleagues the army will that the president was in fact directly responsible for the creation of the plumbers it's documented in our evidence the president publicly admitted that he approved the creation of a special investigations unit the palmer for the first time in our history the people of this nation we're treated to the spectacle

of a secret intelligence unit operating not india the eye not in the cia or the secret service but in the white house under the direction of white house employees reporting directly the president of the united states john ehrlichman and his own trial the domestic affairs advisor of the president testified that he asked the cia can you imagine our foreign intelligence agency to help and that how are you at the direction of the president of the united states and he said in my personal experience my request of the cia were always a specific instance of the president i never did make a step to ask the cia to do anything about the president having authorized

me to do so and events so the fact that the president could an expected that the plumbers a planned this thing secret organization would in fact operate illegally the president had you may recall approve the houston plan only a year before knowing full well that it session admittedly illegal activity according to further through the notes of the president's former domestic adviser of his meeting with the president on july six nineteen seventy one the president has put a non legal team on the conspiracy that we've learned across these months and be euphemisms of whitehouse harlem that stonewalling modified hang

out at the significance all its own and a nun legal team so that's precisely that an early humans notes reflects the assignment of david young co chairman of the farmers to a special project mr erlichman testify further before the grand jury that the president of the united states had prior knowledge of the first trip by mr levy and mr hahn i'm sure you remember those names from june seventeen nineteen seventy two california case the viewing audience wanted to the gentleman fired in the share of attention the fact that there isn't a roll call vote and the chair will recess the committee and killed seven thirty in the chair would also like to observe that this time eight minutes of being consumed by those in opposition the amendment than five minutes

and supported the amendment and that i thought of the power of these arab i want to go on recess until seven thirty to a page dale more like war in the impeachment the day before the house judiciary committee you could say most of the time of the thirty eight committee members was taken up today with two things first of all perfecting amendments designed to refine some of the language in article two of the article the charge the president with a broad abuse of his presidential powers and second amendment offered by those republicans defending the president resigned a month by design to tone down some of the language in the amendment but the outcome of the significant votes at least was to provide fresh evidence that the pro impeachment forces remain firmly in control and the second article would be approved

and in fact it was approved later on in the committee's night session the vote was twenty eight to ten tomorrow more proposed articles of impeachment will be introduced debated and some of them probably voted on tomorrow none of them are expected to receive a large bipartisan support of the article one or two i may not even pass that that's something we'll have to wait and see about a lot of the results will be back tomorrow night with our gavel to gavel coverage of the house judiciary committee proceedings are now where all the brand back and mr thank you and goodnight from washington you have been watching video taped double the gavel coverage of the house judiciary committee proceedings production funding provided by public television stations the ford foundation and the corporation for public broadcasting there's a web ad

you're only in new tune when