John Dean "The Nixon Defense"
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- čas přidán 8. 09. 2024
- What did the president know, and when did he know it? That was the iconic question of the Watergate scandal and Dean, who served as Nixon’s legal counsel, argues that it remains to be answered. Using his own transcripts of conversations with Nixon and his circle as well as drawing on archived documents, Dean resolves the outstanding mysteries surrounding the break-in and cover-up. (Penguin Press)
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The ONLY person who got no recognition for the major part they played in the Watergate break in is the Black Man who discovered that there was something wrong and called the Police. He is not mentioned What-So-Ever. His name was Frank Wills.
Yes, I remember him, not by name, he discovered the rigged door in making his rounds.
Why would this matter? No disrespect to the gentleman but as a security guard he was just doing what goes with the job.
@@NGC6144 Because he did his job and it mattered. A lot of other people also did their jobs after him and it mattered.
@@johnries5593 I'm sure the janitor did his job and that mattered. Woop-di-fricken-do.
You diminish him by identifying him as "the black man who discovered..."
For all the time John Dean spent transcribing, we owe him a very Big Thank You. For example, at 16:13, he says that he sometimes spent 8 hrs on 1 minute of conversation (just to make sure he got it right). That's dedicaton! Hopefully, it wasn't all arduous work, and that maybe he had some fun with it too.
Dean had an excellent memory and kept precise notes, which he was able to call upon during testimony, and, although he took part in the coverup, which he admitted to taking part in, and which the tapes showed evidence of, Dean's truthful testimony about his conversations with the President were corriborated when the tapes were released. The turning point for Dean was when he refused to write the fictitious report denying White House involvement in the coverup. This is when he "made the choice" to begin cooperating with Federal Prosecutors. For those people criticizing Dean, and accusing him of "trying to save himself,"what would anyone caught in this web of lies and deceit have done!
@@opaulamorgan4265 An excellent summary Opaula Morgan (with amazing insight). Dean was the consumate lawyer (dotting/crossing all i's and t's). And he was extremely deliberate with his words, oral and written. You undoubtedly share this skillset. Thanks for your post - it was a pleasure to read.
@@attsealevel I lived through Watergate, saw it in the news everyday, but really didn't process it until years later. I see comments about John Dean and Watergate
Ya, I’m sure like each and every lawyer he’s telling the exact truth on that…🙄
Just re-read your post opaulamorgan, and you're right, those tapes were the best thing that coulda happened to Dean - cause as you say, they corroborated his testimony to a tee. Although viewed (and hated) by lots of americans for being "a snitch", his honest assessment divulged the truth, and made things go a whole lot easier all around. Thx again.
Mr. Dean! I am a Vietnam veteran and want to tell you I have the greatest respect for what you did and continue to do! Best of luck and thanks!
Joseph Stokes Welcome Home Joesph 🇺🇸
Thank-you Joseph Stokes for your service. My Husband as well Is a Vietnam veteran.
A young man works for the WH, and of course he is proud about it. When the projects he has to work on get more and more weird, he says: Stop! He tells his boss (Nixon), to save his ptecidency he has to fire himself (!) and the 2 "german shepards" Ehrlicman and Haldeman. But his boss continues, in fact, he tries to make him the scapegoat.
It needs balls to go the Dean way, and I have the fullest respect. The reason he had to spend 3 months in jail is quickly told. The Justice Department could have immunized him as an important witness. But it worked for the Nixon administration and was not interested in the truth.
If a patriot is a person who lives the values of the constitution, Dean is one.
John Dean did not go to prison, after surrendering to authorities he was diverted to the witness protection program at Ft. Holabird, Md. Where he was released four months later.
@@opaulamorgan4265 Wrong. Wikipedia:
His guilty plea to a single felony in exchange for becoming a key witness for the prosecution ultimately resulted in a reduced sentence, which he served at Fort Holabird outside Baltimore, Maryland. After his plea, he was disbarred as an attorney.
Thomas Kossatz, That is basically what I said. After pleading guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice, Dean, instead of going to prison, was rerouted to Ft. Holabird Army Post near Baltimore. Md. where he spent four months, many days spent on the witness stand or in the prosecutors office. His sentence was reduced to time served because of his testimony to Federal prosecutors. Jeb Magruder and Herb Kalmbach were also released early because they had also given testimony. Judge Sirica felt that the three had been "sufficiently punished,"had given testimony, and there was no move by the special prosecutors staff to oppose early release. Dean was disbarred from practicing law in D.C. and Virginia, and never sought to practice law again. I lived in northern Virginia and member this case as it played out daily!
Why do all Watergate participants refer to the other players at how awful the others were and say nothing about their own crimes?
Good point especially in respect to Dean. A lot of his fanboys don't seem to understand Dean is intimately involved in the cover up. But somehow, he is not held to a similar level of accountability in the court of public opinion and certain professional circles as everyone else involved.
Remarkably judicious and restrained summations,..packed with intriguing detail, to boot,..from a man whose entire life could easily have been completely buggered up by his boss. Well done, John !
37:15 Dean describes the contrast between how Nixon dealt with Halderman & Colson in contrast to how Nixon treated his daughters and John Dean. That speaks well of Nixon. Now so well of John Dean.
Thank you for putting this timestamp on this. I listened to it and you completely mischaracterized what John Dean said.
Dean said that his conversations with his daughters were very nice and seemed fatherly but that they’re completely different from conversations with his staff especially Haldeman and Colson. Nixon’s conversations differed from person to person and how he approached each person. And certainly at the beginning, Nixon spoke to Dean in a professional manner. But it seems with Haldeman and Colson, Nixon went to another place, a paranoia or an aggressiveness or a baseness that he did not take on with other staff and certainly not with family.
Thank you for the timestamp but you got it all wrong. You should re-listen to that segment.
@@Jasper7182009 I did re-listen. Maybe someday we'll see Nixons dark paranoia in the context of the JFK, RFK, and MLK assassinations that occurred in the 60s.
I was 17yr. In 1973, I wish I had interest at the time. Now after all these years, I am a retired Nurse. I have time, to re- visit all that transpired. I have a basic question, why didn't President Nixon disconnect the taping system? I am sorry if this seems a Ludacris question. Thank-you for everyone who tried to make sense of this important part of history.
I think he did sometime in 73. So, why didn't he do it before? Well, I would assume he never thought it would be revealed. IIRC, the only others who were aware of the secret taping system were Haldeman and the few staff in charge of operating it.
Miss Livingston:Ludicrous is an adjective while Ludacris is an idiot rapper
As noted by Dean, Nixon just wasn't good at small talk.
And Dean wasn't the only one who expressed the same sentiments about Nixon.
Alex Butterfield, Haldeman's aide, also described Nixon as the oddest man he had ever met.
Nixon was great with 100 million people. He was lousy with just 10 people.
Even with close friends, there was distance.
Bebe Rebozo, one of Nixon's' "closest" friends, would often call him "Mr. President" instead of "Dick" or "Richard".
Ok, his 4 months in prison were really nights in an army barracks and daily driven to DC office to work on his book. He never went o any real jail.
He made trips to D.C. to offer more testimony.
I greatly admire John Dean. His testimony before the Senate investigating committee was riveting, and he was the only witness who came across as candid and truthful. His book, "The Nixon Defense" is probably the most complete description of Watergate available. Some of the tape transcripts have already been published, but they are difficult to read and follow. Dean puts all the conversations into context, which finally makes the conversations understandable.
Did you know that prior to his testimony, a grand Jury in New York dismissed charges against John Mitchell and others because he was not deemed credible. This panicked the prosecutors and tailored his appearance before the Committee and cameras. He had his hair cut and wore glasses thereby going against the image he spent years creating. John Dean is not as cleancut as people have made out, He stole money, gave prosecutors information pertaining only to what would make him look the victim. In short, Dean is the key to knowing exactly what Watergate was about, Regarding The Nixon Defense, it should be retitled The Dean Defense.
You have the right to be ignorant
Ignorance is not a right @@glenrnewd It is ignorance. Doing one's best to become informed is all anyone can do.
@@coreycox2345 Typical liberal. Can't argue with the issue so you argue with grammar and spelling.
It seems counter to the survival instinct @@glenrnewd
Whoa whoa whoa... 11:53 did he just say they drilled holes in the _Resolute_ desk to accommodate a fucking tape recorder?
I was thinking the same thing; a Black & Decker in one hand, boring away history like a paranoia-driven termite.
No the Resolute was on loan to the Smithstonian at the time.
@@erichaynes7502 Three years later and I send my genuine thanks for this update. The thought that they drilled into the actual Resolute Desk has never ever ever sat well with me. I’m thrilled to learn it was safe at the Smithsonian!!
The meeting in the OO in March, revealed to RN that JD had figured out what he had been doing all along.
Oh, the irony. The fact that John Dean, of all people, was ahead of the pace of the Nixon Archive staff when it came to transcribing the tapes long after the fact. Yeah, they're really stomping on the gas down there in Yorba Linda.
Great video....thanks
Dean created the mess ((hell he hired Liddy) then turned around and pointed the finger at it, thereby gaining immunity for himself. What a piece of work!! Mark Felt was just trying to torch Louis Patrick Gray III because Felt wanted to be named director. Dean was absolutely despicable.
Mitchell really deserves the blame since he was the head guy over these matters. Despite Dean putting together the intelligence operation from CRP, the record shows he was very much against Liddy's illegal ideas.
Dean did not hire Liddy. Geezz….
You Troll ….
This is the best Watergate I have read to date.
I remember thinking how beautiful Dean's wife, Maureen Kane Dean, was, and if you look up her history she is as smart as she is beautiful
She was one of the reasons John Dean wanted to break into the DNC, she was one of the girls that was offered up for dates with VIP’s. Her picture was among the other girls pictures, he wanted her picture removed so she wouldn't be involved in the controversy of what was going on with the escorts. I'm not saying they were “prostitutes” but she was part of the “escort service”. Well I shouldn't say it was her, it was John Deans girlfriend at the time of the break in.
John Dean's talk starts at 3:10
Best book by far on Watergate.
I've always admired John, and he became my hero when he stood up like a man and did the right thing by coming clean with everything he knew. Nobody on this earth can criticize him for his deeds, we're all human and fallible, it's how and what we do to make up for those mistakes that defines who we are. John, unlike some of the obvious losers of the era, could have been relegated to the manure heap of history, but his humanism, intellect and drive would not accept nor allow that. History is going to make note of his contributions, both during the Watergate period and since, for his untiring efforts to chronicle and lend insider perspective to the events which to most of us seem almost beyond comprehension. It was a historic period in our history that those of who experienced it were lucky to be alive, sad as it was. Thank you, Mr. Dean, for everything you've done.
Hilarious revision of history. John Dean was the only really dirty one, evolved his story to get the “big fish”, and was a true criminal that never served a day in prison. The entire thing was a political one sided farce.
@@dtmjax5612 Wow...talk about revisionist... well, you work and Dunning & Kruger, so you must know. Nice chatting to you, troll. BTW, John Dean was sentenced to 1-4 years for obstruction of justice, and served 4 months. The rest of your opioid-inspired rant will be disregarded. Buh bye.
im starting to rethink this whole watergate event
Let's continue to pray!!!!
Nope. Moving on.
Mr Dean, why did your story evolve so much over time and why did you never really serve a day in prison even though you were the dirtiest one of all? Weird huh? 🤔
He never served a day because he was a useful rat for the Democrats. His freedom was his reward while Nixon was crucified. Guess who were the young and upcoming players in the Democratic Party?
Samuel Dash was the Inquisitor General for heretic Richard Nixon
Yep, Dean is great at deflection. He was knee deep.
Your comment reveals you did not read "Blind Ambition." Dean, 34 years old at the time, got in over his head. He was appointed by the President to investigate who knew what in the White House. The entire reason he was assigned to this task is so he could be the fall guy. Dean had nothing to do with the Committee to Re-Elect, or the break-in. Your analysis that he was "dirty" is simply inaccurate. There's a lot of research material out there for you to be better informed about Watergate. And remember, nobody in the Nixon administration ever claimed Dean lied. The tapes affirmed everything he testified about at the Senate hearings.
@@petecross22 It was quite self serving, just as he is today. Mr. Liddy pegged him accurately.
@@N2Dressage001 ah yes, the very normal and sane G. Gordon Liddy. The man more responsible for bringing down President Nixon than any other Watergate figure. Liddy was unhinged. Just for kicks I’ll ask the question: in your opinion what benefit was G. Gordon Liddy to our country?
Interesting guy and great information… ok I’ll say it, any time I’ve ever watched his testimony, I never saw his face if his wife was in the shot…
Dean lied under Oath.
He did not lie under oath. On the contrary, he was the only official who told the truth.
Dean was charged with 6 counts. Dean took a plea deal in exchange for leniency. Ultimately, Dean was convicted of obstruction of justice. Dean was disbarred in Virginia and the District of Columbia.
@@petecross22 His testimony about his meeting with Liddy after Watergate broke is suspect. Ehrlichman, Coleson and Liddy's accounts point to Dean as the one suggesting Hunt to get out of the country where Dean testified Ehrlichman told him to say that. Dean left out of that testimony that Liddy had told him Gordon Strachan (aid to Halderman) knew about the break-in and the plans to go in a second time. Dean later admitted at the trial over the Silent Coup book that he purposely withheld that information. Haldeman emphatically denies Dean ever had a conversation with him where Dean said to stay away from those people (Liddy & gang), that they were trouble.
@@NGC6144 I really appreciate this information thank you. Yeah John Dean definitely got in way over his head. One of the phenomenons I think happened during this period was what wasn’t said in meetings but implied. President Nixon created such a paranoia atmosphere that people behaved at their worst.
@@petecross22 If you are interested, see Geoff Shepard "The Real Watergate Scandal" and "Mysteries of Watergate" uploaded here on YT. He worked under Ehrlichman and the administration transcribing many of the tapes the prosecution was demanding at the time. He portrays Dean in a much more serious light that isn't what the general public seems to perceive about his involvement.
Well, I'll be the bad guy here. I cant and wont laugh along with this man. He didnt enter into the watergate crimes in the thoughts of later "cutting a deal'. But now seems all is forgiven and he got an amazingly lucrative book deal....he skated on what I feel was the first attempt of insurrection of our times. Somehow, years later he has a networth of over ten million dollars. Slime pays.....
Was he talked about in office? They have such big deals..
I found some of the people asking questions to be quite rude!
You are correct!
I have listened to another person who has transcribed the tapes as well.
Dean went through all the tapes. All of them. No one else did it. John Dean did it.
"Didn't you used to be Cheney"😂😂😂😂😂
Someone should say that to Dubya.
He was way worse than Cheney.
Actually he does look like Cheney.
And in another week or so, it will be 50 years.
🤣 This guy organized the coverup... Still milking this for decades! As bad as WoodStein.
John Dean did not organize the coverup!
@@opaulamorgan4265 Sure he did... He's on tape doing it and describing the steps to Nixon. Once he figured out they were likely to get caught (Nixon making him the scapegoat) with all the people involved he turned... He organized the coverup from the very early beginning.
VDCJR, within days of the breakin the FBI had already connected the burglers to E. Howard Hunt, Intelligence officer, CIA, who reported directly to Charles Colson, Attorney, and political Advisor to Nixon, and who, also served as his special counsel. Nixon decided to instruct Bob Haldeman and John Erlichman to direct the CIA to thwart the FBI's investigation. This is when the coverup began! Dean, as he admitted, took part in the coverup, but saw what could happen if the coverup continued, he tried to warn Nixon that the White House was becoming deeper involved in the coverup, and that if it did not stop, it could result in the downfall of the President, but Nixon did not listen! Nixon named Dean to head a special investigation into possible involvement of White House personnel in the coverup, Dean, realizing that he was being set up to take responsibility for the coverup refused to write the proposed fictitious report denying the coverup, and when implications of White House involvement became stronger he had to make a choice, and began telling federal investigators what he knew. Dean was aware that he was already implicated in the coverup when he began cooperating with Federal investigators, but knew to continue with the coverup he would have further implicated himself. John Dean when testifying had an excellent memory, and had kept precise records, but was unaware, but suspected, that there was a recording system in the oval office as well as other places connected to the White House. When Alexander Butterfield, Deputy Assistant to the President, came forward with knowledge of the taping system which he had been ask to have installed, and which had been carried out by the Technical Security Division of the Secret Service, John Dean's testimony about his conversations with Nixon were corroborated. John Dean, after pleading guilty to a single felony was sentenced to 1-4 years, but instead of prison was rerouted to Ft. Holabird Army Post near Baltimore, Md. He spent four months there, many days spent on the witness stand or in the prosecutors office. His sentence was reduced to time served because of testimony he gave to Federal Prosecutors. Reduced sentences were also given toJeb Magruder, and Herb Kalmbach because of their testimony to Federal prosecutors. With regard to reducing their sentences, Judge John Sirica said, "I did what I thought was right, I felt that they had been sufficiently punished for their transgressions, they had cooperated with Federal prosecutors, and the lack of any move by the prosecutors staff to oppose early release." He apparently felt that the inexperienced Dean, the naive Kalmbach, and the malleable Magruder had largely been exploited by the shrewder trio of Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Mitchell. Judge Sirica was a wise man and I think he made the right decision.
@@opaulamorgan4265 In other shorter words your hero worked with Haldeman, Ehrlichman and Mitchel to cover up. In a later time they could have done like Obama-Clinton-Biden thugs and just used the FBI and CIA to push buttons to do their spying. Maybe like LBJ using agents to plant bugs on airplanes to spy on Nixon for stalling Vietnam ceasefire so his hand picked guy could win. They are all crooks and so is the clown John Dean. A hero because he switched sides, smh...
WoodStein!!😂😂
This should be teach in school or college
Close your eyes and pretend Chevy Chase is speaking. Even the laugh is Chevy Chase-esque.
I never noticed this before! You are so right!🤣
What did Trump do and say, and when did he do it and say it? SSDP.
Some of his comments on Nixon apply to Trump.
Apply to any of the Biden Crime Syndicate
@edwarddesoignie1194
Especially to Obama, Biden, Clinton and the Cackle Harris. Reality is they are and were far worse than Nixon in every way...
Dean overall did our country a favor. Without him and his testimony, the outcome of Watergate would have been different. Kudos.
The problem with America is unless your born rich, you have to use lawyers to win the lawsuit lottery. The problem with America is Too many Shady ass Shysters.
Aka lawyers
This guy is a liar. Read " Silent Coup " written by the late Len Colodny. Colodny won a a substantial amount against Dean who settled out of court after a long , drawn out lawsuit.
I can see John victor of a lawsuit because the book is a fringe conspiracy theory naming John as mastermind behind Nixon's obstructionism.
@@higher_pwr8178 dean lost the lawsuit.
@@johnpodlesnik1030 Not much difference in the long/short of it.
I think it's the other way around, Dean got an undisclosed settlement while both sides declared victory. I'm not a Dean fanboy but Colodny's theory in regard to Dean is bonkers.
I did read it, but while the allegations about John and Maureen Dean are compelling, they are not substantiated elsewhere. I will note that the Deans are still married after all these years. I note also that despite the book's background info on Bob Woodward (which is interesting), there is nothing that calls his actual reporting into question.
This guy deserves no respect. Yes, he told the truth. But to save his own butt. He admits he helped in the cover up but somehow always tries to claim righteousness because he fessed up. Bull, he fessed up because he was being granted an immunity deal at the time. Although if memory serves he did end up serving a little jail time. But in the end he got a slap on the wrist.
I don't blame him for not wanting to go down with the ship of fools like Ehrlichman, Liddy, Halderman, Mitchell, and MacGruder. Dean is still a convicted felon and a permanently disbarred attorney.
Nixon, Erlichman and Haldeman were going to blame the entire Watergate affair (the break-in and the cover up) on John Dean. Read Blind Ambition. He had to save his own bacon because he was on his own. Dean has never "claimed righteousness." In fact he remains embarrassed about his behavior for the one year period from 1972-1973.
Agreed, Dean is no hero. Was just as dirty as anyone. Just smart enough to save his own butt.
OCD? No P-Schizo!
Now here's a piece of shit you would not want in your corner
Troll that you are.
Trying to rewrite history.
Actually, he made history and in recent years, due to his tireless transcription of Nixon tapes, he has significantly clarified history.
04:33 :D
He's always had a Pollyanna complex.
Well? I hope this comment gets to you, John, but I have something I’d like to say to you and anyone who was involved with the watergate crimes. Whatever American trust or mythology I had faith in AFTER 1968 (I was 5)…you and your president, and your conspirators…destroyed it. When he was pardoned?…(I was about 11) I knew we’d get here now (2023). And here we are! So whatever good you may have done since…you owe that to mending the pain you caused a 10 yo that the president isn’t the man in the white hat like John Wayne, who also turns out not to be an American.
Witsec? Joking?
I think ivebeenkn
Just about all of Dean’s contemporaries agree that he is the world’s most skillful liar. A weasel, too.
Why don’t you go through the tapes and listen to them and show us how John Dean is a liar. But you won’t do that, will you!!
Would anyone watching this trust John Dean as your attorney or business partner ?
Bear in mind that it was those tapes, not John Dean's testimony before the Senate Watergate Committee, that brought Nixon down.
In a heartbeat.
Better do some additional homework on Dean credibility Pamela. He not only concocted the Watergate break in he created the cover scheme, told no one of anyone's involvement and lied to everyone to save himself.
John Dean did nothing but cover his own a**, while setting up alibi's to blame others for what was his break in plans and cover up plans. I would suggest that you watch the interview between Tom Clancy and John Erlichmann on You Tube.
@@1999glock These claims are absolutely false.
Pls answe me not brad… kN
What a liar.
As guilty as anyone, but the stool pigeon squealed because he was afraid of getting porked in prison.
Nice Frank. John Dean never claimed he was innocent. Dean told the truth because Nixon, Erlichman and Haldeman were throwing him to the wolves. They could give a damn about Dean. It was every man for himself. Nixon, a brilliant man, created a White House climate of deception, paranoia and deceit. An awful leader of people. Dean and Butterfield were the only profiles in courage coming out of this disaster.
Cohen is Trump's Dean 😀
His wife looks like nothing she does in the show not even close except blonde hair
Really? she looks different than 50 years ago ? that bitch ! it was all to fool you
What show, the Watergate hearings? Maureen Dean lent an air of elegance to the Senate Caucus room, dressed elegantly everyday with a flower pinned to whatever outfit she chose to wear. She was a huge asset to John Dean! Are you going to look exactly the way you do today 49 years from now?
There will always be different opinions about John Dean, and his motivations for cooperating with investigators. Yes, when he realized almost too late that the coverup was going to bring down the Nixon presidency, and tried to warn Nixon, and that he would be held accountable for participating in the coverup, and when he was directed to write the fictitious letter absolving White House involvement in the coverup, he decided to cooperate with investigators and tell the truth, of course, it was about "self preservation." No one here commenting should be disecting John Dean's moral judgments without being in the position he was in.
How naive! Do you think you are going to look the same in your 70's as you looked in your 20's! Maureen Dean, still beautiful today!
LOk
This is such a bore..
What did he resolve? Are you sorely misinformed or what? That bookstore is lame, horrible selection. Much better options in the DC metro area. May list them to counter your thoughtless plug?
Fiction
One word: SNITCH
Didn’t you take the oath to support and defend the Constitution? Well??