(Post
FEB_5
1974
Nixon Counsel Say8
Tapes Refute Dean
Warren sidestepped questions
aboutavhether a decision had
been reached. He said only
that the, question, will, be dis- tapes -and documents by imcussed in "confidential conver- peaching Dean's credibility.
sations" between St. Clair and While Scott has been
at' the
the special prosecutor.
center of the challenges of
"I'm sure Mr. St. Clair and Dean's Senate testimony,
By William Claiborne
he
his office will be in touch with has also led an increasing
Washington Post Staff Writer
President Nixon's 'chief was first brought
up on/ Jan. the special prosecutor's of- number of appeals to the
Watergate defense lawyer de- 20 by Senate Minor
President to settle-the quesity Leader fice,"'Warren said.
.
clared yesterday that the pres- Hugh Scott (H-Pa
Warr
en
stress
ed
that
tion by • making public the
the
.). Scott said
idential .tape recOrdings "do he had seen some Whit
e White House has already pro- tapes of several key Waternot support" the testimony of House evidence that would re vided the special prosecutor gate-r
elated conversatiOns.
fired White Hon*, counsel fute Dean and exculpate the
with "new and additional" evi- On Jan. 30, after Jaworski
John W. Dean III.
President.
dence'', including 17 tapes and had defended Dean's testi
"The evidence dRes, support
orvids fir4 (min,. ems
what the President
said on about Dean's reliability were more than 700 documents rela- mony, the Senate Repdblican
this matter," said James D. St. not made until Jan.
leader angrily told reporters
23 in U.S. ting to Watergate.
Clair, referring to Mr. Nixon's District Court, accor
The
ding
speci
to
al
prose
cutio
that
he will not "be a patsy
n
repeated statements that he
knew nothing of the plan to
James - Doylef spokesman for force is believed to have asked for anyone," and that he had
cover up the Watergate scan- the special prose
the White House for about 20 renewed his demands to the
cutor. Doyle
White House for release of
dal until last March.21.
more
documents, including one any
relevant tapes.
The 'Watergate special pros- said the response was at the tape.
Vice President Gerald R.
ecutor's office said yesterday proding of defense lawyers for
Jaworski is known to have Ford also has urged that Mr.
that it stands behind its court- former White House aide
made it clear to his staff that Nixon make public taped conroom declargions of confi- Dwight L. Chapin,
and was
dence in the veracity of
if the White House refuses to versations that could reflect
made
in
the
form
of
a
written
on the credibility of Dean's
Dean's sworn testimony before
honbr the requests for more testimony.
the Senate Watergate commit- memorandum to the court.
tee. Special Prosecutor Leon
Last Thursday the issue evidence, he will take an ap- In his statement yesterday,
Jaworski had said the 'same came up again when Jacob peal to the Senate Judiciary St. Clair said:
"I can say categorically,
thing in- a television interview Stein
, Chapin's attorney, Committee. Committee mem, however, that the tapes
Sunday..
and
bers
had
suggested to Jawor- other evidence
Dean, a chief witness asked Assistant Special Prosefurnished to
ski
that
he
discus
s
with
them the special prosecutor — at
cutor Richard J. Davis ' in
against the President, told the
Senate panel last summer that court if there was any chal- any , problems he encountered least as far as the President is
concerned — do not support
in diluting evidence.
he believed Mr. Nixon was lenge to bean's verac
ity. If
sworn
a are of the Watergate coverThe
option
s, an aide to ,Ta- Senate statements before the
select committee made
up as far back as Sept. 15, there was any, Stein said, it worski said, would be
to seek by Mr. Dean as to what the
should be raised.
1972.:
the documents during the President knew about WaterDavis replied that the speThe White House yesterday
gate, and especially when he
gave no indication whether cial prosecutor's office had no course of upcoming Watergate knew
it."
trials
,
or
to
delay
reaso
the indictn to doubt Dean, and
tapes or documents that could
support Mr. Nixon's version planned to use the former Ments and subpoena the Presiwill;^ be made public, or presidential counsel as a wit- dentlfor the evidence now.
whether:-. the President will ness in, prosecuting Chapin for
The latter course would set
honor Jaworski's request for allegedly lying to a federal the stage for a repeat of the
gra nd jury.
additional evidence.
constitutional confrontation
,Moyle noted that ithe
St. Clair, in a two-paragraph
special created when former Special
statement issued at the regu- prosecutor's office declined to Prosecutor Archibald Cox sublar White House briefing, obli- to comment about Dean even!: poen d tapes 'and docum
ents
quely raised the specter of
from r. Nixon last summer.
after
r
S
cott
repea
ted his
possible perjury charges
Cox won in the federal discharges at a White House brief- trict and
against Dean.
appellate courts, but
"I.dro not intend, nor would ing last week.
was fired Oct. 20 by the Presiit
-#Rpropriate fore. me, to
Jaworski was traveling, in dent when he refused to promdistuthe'technical issues of
Texas
yesterday and could not ise to give up further court
'perjury. I suggest that the
pursuit of other evidence.
time and place for discussing be reached for comment on St.
After Cox's firing, the Presihich matters is in court,,,, or Clair's assertions.
dent turned over seven tapes
The division between the to U.S. ,District Court Chief
'A,`See,_14VES, A4, Col. 3
White
House and the Water- Judge Jahn J. Sirica, one of
TAPES; i'rom
gate Special Prosecution which had an 181/2-minute erasure.
perhaps before the Souse Force also appea
red to widen
Some Members of the proseJudiciary Committee, not in yesterday over Jawor
slri's re- cution force said they did not
the public media," St., Clair quest for further
doc enta- expect the White House to
completely shut off access to
said.
tion.
other tapes and documents,
St. Clair was critical of JaIn IV weekend
a 'sion but to stall as long a,s, ossible
worski, saying that the special interview, the specia
l
secu- and then release evid e in a
proseeutor and his staff "have tor said St. Clair had ld
him piecetheal fashion.
seen fit to discuss in public on Friday that "on
Atlie same time, ,a staff
Monday
their views" of Dean's verac- there would be a final deci- member said, the.White House
sion" on the request for more would continue to divert atity.
Obviously angered by St. evidence, and Doyle said yes- tention from the issue of the
terday that Jaworski would
Clair's assertions, staff mem- stand
by that statement.
bers of the special prosecuHowever, White House deptor's office said that the sub- uty press secretary Gerald L.
ject of Dean's truthfulness