Here - Nixon Tapes

Ehrlichman did not Iike Caul6eld slDean brought in Liddy instead, whocame recommended by White Houseaide Bud Krogh on the basis of thesuccessful break-in at Ellsberg'spsychiatrisrs offi ce.s2 Mitchellapproved of Liddy. Next, Magruderinvited Dean over to CREEPheadquarters to discuss Liddy'sintelligence plan. Dean describedthe plan, which included "black bagoperations, kidnapping providingprostitutes to weaken the opposition,bugging, mugging teams. . . It lrasiust an incr€dible thing."53 41,"r ,n"initial meetin& Dean also attendeda second meeting to discuss Liddy'splan, which included "bugging,kidnapping and the like."r Dean,Mitchell, Magrudeq, and Lidd),werc prcsent at the meeting. Deansaid he did not hear anything aboutLiddy's plan again after that meetin&so he assumed the mor€ extremeelements would not be carried out.55Howevet Dean conceded that he andLiddy "had so many other things"going on. Dean said he thought thatHaldeman assumed that the Liddyplan was "proper,"s which resultedin Haldeman aide Strachan pushingMagruder, who asked permissionfrom Mitchell, who consented tothe Liddy-led Watergate brcakin.Dean noted that informationgather€d from the break-in wasused by Strachan and Haldeman.STAs the 1972 democratic presidentialcampaign took shape, Haldemanauthorized Liddy to change his targetfrom Senator Muskie to SenatorMccovern.s Once again, thismessage passed through Strachan-Magruder-Liddy. Dean noted thatLiddy previously infiltrated Muskie'ssecretary and chauffeur. "Nothingillegal about that," Dean said.Although he had not heard anythingagain until the break-in, when Deanleamed about it on June 17 he "knewwhat it was."$ Nixon then askedDean for an update on any periuries.Dean was not sur€ if Mitchell hadperjured himself, but he u,as surethat Magruder had, as had HerbertPorteq, a Magruder deputy.e Deanclaimed they perjured themselvesby testifying that they had thoughtthat Liddy was legitimate, and thatthey did not know anything aboutPosspofl April 2009activities r€lated to the DemocraticNational Committee. After the breakin,Dean "was under instructionsnot to investigate" and insteadworked on containing it "rightwhere it was."61 AII the burglars gotcounsel immediately and planned toride out any charges until the 1972election was over.62 However, soonafter, the burglars began makingdemands for money. Dean waspresent when Mitchell authorizedraising cash for them, which was tobe funneled through Howard Hunt.Dean noted that not only was itbecoming more difficult to meet theburglars' growing needt but thatit was "obstruction ofiustice," andthat Dean, Mitchell, Erhlichman,and Haldeman were culpable.6Dean summarized that the biggestproblem was a "continual blackmailoperation."fl Dean also expandedon other vulnerabilities, including aprevious plan to do "a second-storyiob on the Brookings Instihrtq whercthey had the Pentagon Papers."6Summarizing Dean said that wouldhave been too risky. "lf the risk isminimal and the gain is fantastic,thafs something else, but with aIittle risk and no gain, ifs not worthit." Dean also noted that there wereother "soft spots."6 The problem ofthe "continued blackmail," he said,is that "this is the sort of thing mafiapeople can do." Dean estimated thata million dollars was needed overthe next two years. Nixon responded,"l know where it can be gotten."Dean suggested that Mitchell shouldhandle the money, "and get somepros to help him."67These materialshould help us seethe Watergate cover-up in a new light.lf this is "Watergate revisionism,"then so be it. Perhaps a littleWatergate r€visionism is needed, andtechnology, as is evident in this briefarticle, can be hamessed in ways thatpermit us to reconstruct these eventsand come to new interprctations.The president of the United Statesis barely moved when his counselinformed him in these conversationsthat mo6t of the presidenfls top aideswere involved in various illegalities.Dean told Nixon on March 13 thatHaldeman deputy Strachan knewther€ was White House involvementin the Watergate break-ir! even whileDean concluded in his falsified reportfor Senator Ervin and the publicthat the White House had no suchknowledge. fohn Dean was not onlyinvolved in managing the cover-up,but by his own admission was part ofthe inner cor€ of planners who set upCREEP's "intelligence operation." Hestated that he and Haldeman initiatedthe planning that led to the Watergatebreak-in. Dean not only hired GordonLiddy, but did so on the basis of hissuccessful break-in at the office ofDaniel Ellsbery's psychiatrist. Deanadmitted that he began the coverupshortly after the 192 electionby creating a falsified rcport thatconcluded that the White Househad nothing to do with the break-in.He conceded that he was presentwith Mitchell when authorizationwas given to bribe witnesses. Deanrecommended to the presidenthatMitchell handle the bribes, but thatsome "pros" should help him. Dean,in his own wordt admitted to thepresidenthat he was involved in"an obstruction of iustice." Mostof all, neither Dean nor Nixon didanything to stop this reckless andillegal behavior. Paraphrasing thepresidenfs rnea crlpa during theDavid Frost interviewg Nixon mayhave "let the country down," but itwas the country that had to endure,paraphrasing again, a "long nationalnightmare." The nightmare is notover yet, not as long as we have stillmore to leam.Lulce Nichter is AssistantProfusor of History at Tarleton StateUn i v e r si ty -C e n t r a I Texa s.8Notes:l. Patricia Cohen, "lohn Dean at Issue in NixonTapcs Feud," Ndro Yo* Tirn6, February l, 2009,D. Al.i. st€ http: / / chrcnicle.com / rcvierv /brainstorm /katz/whats-news-in-thenewyork-times.3. see http: / / www. thedailybeast.com / blogeand-stories/2009-02-04/the-timeehaeloshthe|{atergateplot/.4. Sc€ http:/ /hnn.us/articles/6l ln.html#hoff.5. Stanfey Kutfer, Ahsr of Poto.t: The Nao NitottTnpes (New York, 197).6. Klingman's manuscript submisgion to theAutcricnn Histo cnl Rtoieru rvas r€iecH forbeing "too narrow in focus" for that palticularpublicatioD as wellasof insufffcient length.Page 7