1973 Watergate Hearings; 1973-08-01; Part 6 of 7

it's been provided the field from people who live in other areas that we ought to be checking into this or that that kind of question their lives back in january one were not aware maybe not things like that the caribbean tourism has been without them and i'm like this would be the kind of thing i was talking and

then the moment i read the memorandum january twenty eight nineteen seventy one jon the sonic youth of iraq you're welcome once you with its final report also get together and come up with a lightly i can i can't see any way analysts agree however alert we evolve and be out until well the environment has an identity that memo has to do with a letter b eon that i haven't looked at the backup power and that's that's the set

became a look at a few of the big league you made that one this information is information mr riedel thank you want to offer long that obviously supplies information regarding little lambs run relationship with the reviews of those nations envoy that argument piece of the hughes action in las vegas and if you consider that that might be politically advantageous to live

really the prime one had that they'll get an event that were going to be the case those who are providing information considers and i was also in your role as a history that something like this is a very much an incidental i was not general concentration of the president's activities obviously around it and why weren't all these documents show the wetness ahmadinejad all right

the with their arms in the air while well you're right i think you know those are my understanding and again i don't know when i do it the astronaut was was brought in to the white house as a result of his of mr golson having known him the white house

but only on the basis of my knowledge of history and your statement on payday leading of the president you think that he had the vision of the argument on a lobby cycle that possibility you visited your responsibility to provide the president will make you have involving an important matter why a decision that the president tonight the information i have

regarding a matter that would be related to a string on which he was making a decision yes i think you know what why not mr cook mr golson was special counsel to the president he had a range of responsibilities over greater times that the responsibility was a liaison in contact with outside organizations and groups of people labor business agriculture education religion and so one of my view so that might be pending with the president or presidential decision reaction would you

know that would be my usual procedure of your statement and relatively well the youngest of the new meeting of the mid july extending the intel plant that indicates that you know there in that that meeting with the president innovative is it the finding during an interview where we're fighting regional campaign as possible now i'd like to show you thirty nine i wonder about

a broader electorate in time around personally think the vegas of the nineteen eighties not so far sending humans as attacks there were two cases dated january twenty six nineteen seventy one obviously is not a complete please rise i know

i think there is i don't know what doesn't do that the way one man's the plate thats all made up oh yeah

liam neeson remains i know things both those be i think this is going to make money

this is big mr wilson yeah i think that well yes and there's a deal

obviously as you've read it and said in polls that might be coming or the hearing confirmation i was actually the list i'm rachel martin understand the problem only revealed in myself in a fully example of documents and recrimination that we get now summary of some of these is that burnout the attacks on and you look at the very next day but

there is a line in a memo dated june thirty nineteen seventy one which had received a day of it he fell setting for the four hundred thousand dollar range with it video this man out what the attorney general at a minimal on constructed notice at least of the i think the commitment at that time and before the settlement facts which he has been i know we don't know whether we haven't recovered all the top now this would be considerably more damaging than recipes favored recruiter believes it is possible at transmitted unease about the road rivlin doesn't have a copy of the receding and you know the xerox enjoyable despite this surge this memo that asserted this not ultimately lying around anywhere at seventeen a while

no one being the president now that i think it was kind of explosive information that come into your possession on march thirty nineteen seventy two five days before you met the president you know so that that has gotten more like it you bring that matter to the attention of the president that i don't know i don't think so i don't i don't know that i receive your rent this moment is not familiar to me or certainly be attachments the yeah there was discussion of the problems of the findings nomination and nine as he spell out here in the meeting that morning with reverend warren johnson with the

congressional liaison people at that time and then also there were letters that they disagree with the on the analysis of the nineties nomination i don't know what that was an experiment i didn't interrupt again say i thought i receive information from you this morning from those witnesses not only calls a little gem well i don't recall the recall was a lot of information out of the nomination and the maneuvering that was going on to what the nomination i was not open again as this in almost any of these cases was not a principle only has this memo indicates an effort to work out the problems of the nomination

and i do not recall reading of the information in the memorandum i don't recall any of them all over europe i did not in that receive this spring is now which investment at the ripple of his magician and if you receive this memorandum which in the woods with the information that the attorney general may have been perjury in line with this memoir that you have taken of the president i would be taken up with the president were ascertained that someone who had direct knowledge of the situation to take president yes i

thought association meeting this morning richard russo a lawyer with course with her as a witness so there was no or giving of information to any of the committee of the smell is going to be gone into this memorandum this came as a total surprise to us during the idea is this time as busybody i thought it would have been much fat we have this before is just another bus because mcconnell for their weapons or a lot of the lower and he decided that he would not appear it seems to me its highly unfair and highly irregular to bring this matter up now we should have waited until mr paulson came before the momentum

our interview today secretary rice might have received a memorandum i would just get upset just because shortly before giving it to the members of the committee and as the hall in this year that what the senate has a memorandum from the solomon on the matter in which he doesn't participate it didn't matter statement and a request for seven witnesses you know myself very strongly that we should have been here as a witness because he has always been considered as one of the principal witnesses along with the almost the beginning of this hearing it's an extremely important pieces of evidence there was to be no evidence that paulson told me and nicholson had a meeting with a growth in the united states and which the matter of executive clemency was discuss

though is the evidence that paulson made a phone call through they're pressuring him to go on mobility plan those are important evidence was a meeting between the hall and mr colson been concerning a discussion of what they ought to do about talking to hustler these are well what's really important pieces of evidence of his main case well the united states is involved and not for the life of most gazans not brought here as a witness in the major cities now we have this is i knew nothing about almost more reason why we hear an incident i understand that wallace recalls his lawyer writers come before the year is a time for cars that his lawyer is not going to be available later date they'll be tied up

committee reconsidered the anonymity libya the nation evans

was saying they are there was a point to and that's what happens at a conversation with my agent thank you and we can take right now this is it it is the chairman of the committee don't want this extremely important evidence brought before this committee in this nation now the

president will rogers the main issue here before and it was now that is a problem the two main reason is to be a victim or perhaps with delay of proceedings july of one number and you're willing to stay engaged as long as it takes to get the main evidence has to the presidents of all right you think to live on these little pieces of evidence were talking about it shouldn't take her along we don't have to do it in a very direct the problem or anything like that simply the main issue of whether or not the president united states and blow thank you

and as you know as this morning this is all right michael pollan in europe

it is true that you and i of the reagan democrats or forty eight hundred more nineteen seventy nine at the station and the cover up their act that's true that is as i describe it is nice boy genius bar well mr best ways for a senator to return to continue the hearing we're going to take a break on their televisions coverage of the senate watergate hearings will continue after a pause for station identification on a bridge to coverage of these hearings is provided as a public service by the member stations of pbs for public broadcasting service

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from washington and vibe

continues its coverage of hearings by the senate select committee on presidential campaign activities here again correspondent robert macneil as they go back to that hearing is chief counsel's and dashes concluding his examination of a child you ready and there's a really important part of it the committee

i mean i'm sorry villanova mike and mike is with the vice chairman if i didn't respond very briefly listed as his very recently there is a substantial question of interpretation as well as questions of that in the discrepancies that you cited between my testimony and that of the other witnesses did you decide i will not attempt to characterize any individual other witnesses' testimony in terms of either its discrepancies from mind in terms of facts or discrepancies from it in terms of job rejection or complications for infants i would simply not want however your statement to rest with the impression that it always cases all the

differences are clear differences of fact because in fact they are not biopic if they thought and i don't think it's appropriate that we're going to it's not going to make this is the responsibility of the committee will have to deal with questions second amendment was wrong you were when one of them in one was a taping system and fall and you go i have to go on the basis of the information supplied by committee by the best information that you receive me treasury department or the secret service and security division whatever they have told live show with the most accurate source my

recollection is that it was in nineteen seventy one but i'm not sure of nineteen sixty eight nineteen seventy one there were there was no system for you know i'll correct that minor bases from nineteen sixty nine january twenty until nineteen seventy one it was one that i did it was not that i know i understand that was prior to january twentieth nineteen sixty nine others that's right that's that also is a question that can be determined by by far more with far greater ability from people would be familiar with the judge as the technical security division the secret service because any

installation of any kind in the president's office would have to be done with the knowledge of if not by the actions of the secret service and we think that possibly indigenous and occasional conversations recessions with other individuals it is relevant to this discussion should be held accountable yesterday an executive session basis or should not be done in the most willing

to do so is because to suggest that the uk consistently installment of all you'll be all right i'm not sure whether it was my suggestion and the president's suggestion that grew out of conversations between the two of us regarding the problem of accuracy of record of the conversations swirling in his office that were not his immediate staff a physical my understanding was that is that that they were in the custody of the chemical security division on who you know

the investigation what if you only think that's probably why on the other hand when asked why you investigated nyu mali is that there are some areas which white house for environmental pollutants or does not expect jim goes on an occasional look well i have a question i would think that that has not only the case of investigating but in the

case of the really almost any other kind of matter that the white house we're not and should not become directly involved unless or until it developed that whoever was supposed to be and we had not or was not handling of programming adequately sufficiently far that ultimately became the case in the watergate matter but not till later it ultimately became the case in terms of monumental weeks just critically important national security information at a time when that information some of it was related to a war in which this nation was currently engaged and the necessity for moving fast and the necessity for moving falling in that kind of

situation a matter involving the brain really it's the start of the one passing and the integrity of the nation and perhaps ultimately the survival of the nation those investigations and repetition over the last few weeks seen as if they were something that that that was about the only thing that was happening in the in town during those three years any different once a week the nation's security or somehow moscow and even be smarter and so intensely about that in japan that's right

oh man expect well done except in the sense that i thought about him at an animal in a period of time with regard to the national security considerations the investigation going beyond that and others portugal have any reason to expect

anything less than a couple of job you have the attorney general and acting director of fema and in retrospect of course the role is just a lot of pokemon made about the extent of the investigation and how many agents roam investigation been interviewed in the collapse of their original finding out that we have the fbi a federal grand jury yesterday that's

right and i was in that thing stop those four people on that grand jury i have great sympathy for because they've sat there for a long long time now hearing for hours and hours and hours on end the questioning the very very many people like you want to give any information about the water senior assistant united states attorneys in two other assistant united states attorneys and three members of the grand jury so i would not say that in any way to any investigation or the determination of facts was learned through to the fbi and the grand jury was very they are pursuing this process and there was a trial in federal court where the federal judge who pursued the

process thank you well information competition it is over the average us is maybe not as much

i have no reason to believe that the fbi user was at that time anyway politically influenced thank you a number of the people are political or a presidential appointee appointees there is a substantial change and this goes the federal investigation to my knowledge no change in personnel at the time that this administration took office and no major change in personnel during the time that this administration was in office up to the time of the death of the director when of course there

was a necessity to avoid acting director and the process of selection or that even at that time there were any any wholesale changes there were some changes in personnel course but also what you do you know they were new and i don't know for certain at this i don't i don't know any other than an administrative structure that bill is that it's my understanding that they were not going to change that the men who were there were like oh now i have to investigate

ok vivian runs the group and flow of this is that there is an examination of day it is what i will like that puzzles until the time of the

festival so this is on what we love or you are making and it was that decision that i understand the rules i made that tend to cover in my opening statement everything that i know i couldn't but unfortunately with the economy the only response into the questions put to me and to open anyway for the innocent heart and i will continue this has been a

legislative or judicial body to reach the facts as regina made know the truth in the watergate case and as a final comment i would simply want to reiterate my pride and having served as assistant to president nixon for the first four years in the service nation as president of the united states it is and i know that it will meet on one of my lai and i want to express appreciation to all of the people with whom i served in that white house during those four years you have given so much the dissenters set to close by the president

and by ourselves and i expressed my deep regret and sorrow that in a few instances there was a failure and everywhere i'm just going to use your arms i hope that that will be determined because only when it is it will also be known whether failure wasn't the one thing i am absolutely certain of from the bottom of my heart is that on the part of the vast majority a falling men and women who have served and are serving with president nixon in his efforts to lead this mission thank you three

days we don't know he might find and so there's i don't really like the barrier that seven iranians and you might find the nation and this morning in to this timeline by what i think about it i want to i want to i don't know

i mean is it we've got her on two responses are christians believe that question three years was speaking now since august wilson emotion or whatever it is relates to senator now and sends under any circumstances so that notion of law before we got matter the notion of self what i suggest as chairman and humorist wilson and if you do in fact have a motion mike mr spike will be glad you like it at the same time that humans are responsible for all of my patients years was

obvious that you feel very strongly about it you're right as hua fixed by missing from the wreck certain things i think you may have another room and that record will be typed up my mom wanted to be a consummate it's important that i get my motion before you before they record it they like to go out

on something of a recession but certainly things that were set and alan mulally we're going out in the world as a part of the record of this place so i live over national television and it will be a winner if it is necessary mr jonathan injunction motion we pick that up later as i really suggests mr wilson and then the polling that suggests the chairman that we see what he has in mind and reserve the right to treat it either in public session or an executive session as fact america's

me and you it has completed the testimony of a javelin and quickly as a result of its new procedures questions raised late in his testimony about the itt arrangement with the republicans the committee's work at issue once again is exactly what the giant conglomerate duck from the government in return for its commitment to contribute four hundred thousand dollars to help finance the nineteen seventy two republican convention and the specific question involves the role of john mitchell was first attorney general and later campaign director there also questions about whether or when the committee will hear another key figure involved in that controversy former white house aid charles colson this was a jar bob collins third unless there's a witness before the senate watergate committee and thus for the american people john lupton who is about to become a

syndicated newspaper columnist after three years is editor of money and first monday official publications of the republican national committee and jack murphy professor of law georgetown university law center here in washington watched it all with us today john this is your first time with us in these late night moments of brilliant so what are your observations about this particular day and turned what was accomplished well before today i've never sat and watched an entire committee hearing and interrupted by phone calls and work and i must say that i was somewhat surprised and shocked by the repetitions most and irrelevance of much of the testimony and the downright mean spirited nature of some questions that are being asked and i'm sorry to say by one the republican senators one senator like her a couple times senator weichert as i said he's using rubber hose are third degree tactics and that's when he pulled out of context about methods of its problems in trying to transfer that the whole watergate the situation generally that he tried to use guilt by association but taking a bernard barker quote in the contrasting companion to another former senator

obama's troubled and then i really feel compelled is republican to say that i certainly don't approve the type of tactics and i think that this is the kind of thing that causes more about the bias in florida than it does about the guilt or innocence of the storm many fill out this controversy that arose over the appearance of charles colson you think that's a partisan issue well i think it will be because i think it's obvious that the democrats on the committee want to hear the bad things about the president and want to hear things that implicate him and i think mr paulson is going to be a very effective and a very credible witness i've been told by friends of his who are familiar with his upcoming testimony that it will probably discredit john dean's testimony and support the president so i think that the democrats have a vested interest in the language to paulson's appearance as long as possible i've also been told that there's possibility that actually the recess of the committee hearings that television coverage really need to be reduced or completely eliminate even that the democrats in the latest recalls and spirits are hoping that

he will be not denied an opportunity to clear himself in the press or plaster john wyden what would they have gone ahead with paul martin and both of them are also very adamantly support of the president's position as i understand it mr golson may have some things to sail ornamental specifically which will be a significantly different in what those two candidates agree that i stand on the subject of mr coleman for a moment jeff merkley how would you as an experienced trial lawyer howard to assess mr holmes performance and strictly witness terms like i get in very high grades to media when he has a splendid air about him at this particular point in time in these hearings following jonathan's know the belligerence and the cost of the restaurant in incomes surprisingly across as a man easy meehan journalist warmth the willingness to comply with the needs of requests of the committee a man who responds to work a difficult

question sometimes badgering questions with no apparent pain and with a great deal of patience and without responding to fashion songs are typically a difficult question so i given high marks however through forgiving and simplicity and in the fall and more discerning observer pointed you see some problem rivers and trashed it will warm and forthcoming to me on his part are certain facts of the city to do in whatever manner by melissa and whiter regarding certain memorandum to which all that was either pretty or an offer and which very unpleasant kinds of practices we suggest that the memorandum of the twenty nine of seventy three as part of a counterattack against the formation of a committee suggesting effort to trace all demonstrations and seventy two back to the democrats in october of seventy one a memorandum which he had written upon which indicated his

approval of the notion that the national has been made of the fact that demonstrations around the subway to be threatening to have to present sharp swallows toward billy graham and in addition to the specifics about his recognition of that time general problem i find in the lapses in memory he seems to suffer from an insecure scrupulous reputation as a record keeper a taskmaster i'm and define what had to be done i'm surprised at his inability to recall even some of very recent vintage which seemed to me a critical one in the setting would've been highly memorable but in general that positive image and one john mackey you've won five western ukraine of those who charge that the senate watergate hearings generally amount to nothing more than attempt to publicly lynch president nixon well i

think perhaps lynch is too strong a word but i think it's clear from anyone who's watching the committees closely with their certain members who are at least beginning to build the gallows or the alternatives to this kind of a measure which and alternatives to it the american public finding out what did or did not happen in watergate well i think that there's that there's going to be an alternative to a lynch mob into that sort of procedure i would just suggest something short of that i mean within our system what would it be what we're talking about here is demeanor and then i return again to center worker because quite frankly i'm somewhat upset by the way he's preceded it appears that he's appointed himself head of the committee's dirty tricks are some questions and methods is using quite frankly i would hope you would knock it off and that's the kind of thing that i'm talking about i don't think it's necessary in order to lessen information from witnesses to try to pull the little tricks that he's credible by super imposing quotes and the things like that that's what i object to personally i don't like very much at the close of today's testimony hr haldeman's attorney made some news on his own outside the hearing room john

wilson had comments about senator weicker and senator an hour that vastly they asked me how i thought about it the satellite innocent and one detail and then i said my dad was with a little tap on this analysis and you consider the construction of a maybe i can say it i said he accused the national guard and he has apologized for one of the committee that ended up on the site mr mr so the

thing that happened in nineteen sixty two in california and said that he was involved some illegal activities had been cited for it and they and i got here it was saying that that holman was a defendant in the case of that i missed it wasn't certain things in the cars that are out this morning i have the chairman's lot of video that they have another set of that annoying to get this evidence him i wanted some that i haven't gotten to women's voices on one i don't know senator nowhere literature that wilson's comments to what he termed summer heat for some closing comments and i recall then that's peter came from capitol hill the

second of the watergate committee star witnesses the part of today leaving us with two basic unanswered questions what more do we know and where we go a lot of the sensors pretty easy despite a combined eight days of testimony by john ehrlichman and bob haldeman we really don't know anything very new they gave us expected official answers watergate and its cover up or john dean's farmer john mitchell there's somebody else's and they knew haldeman ehrlichman were much too busy on important things to pay much attention but put together these two former top aides to the president there was a fascinating picture of the kind of witness richard nixon would be in the unlikely event that he ever showed up and testify before the committee and was aggressive and antagonistic like the next new sex craze fb fb