Former White House aide John Ehrlichman appeared before the Senate Watergate committee. Ehrlichman is charged with playing an active role in the White House "horrors", but insists that he will refute every charge of illegal conduct. He stated that John Dean's testimony was erroneous and dishonest.Committee counsel Sam Dash asked if Ehrlichman had a role in authorizing wiretaps. Ehrlichman confirmed that he did, and said that the wiretaps were implemented because of national security concerns. Ehrlichman recalled halting the fire-bombing of the Brookings Institution, but didn't remember who he called. He also recalled meeting with the President regarding G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt's roles in the Ellsberg break-in, and said that the President agreed with Ehrlichman on the action taken because national security was at stake.
Committee chairman Sam Ervin argued with Ehrlichman over the statute which permits the President to take such actions in national security matters, and asserted that the foreign intelligence activities mentioned in the statute had no relation to any files in Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office, which were just records pertaining to the intellectual and psychological aspects of Ellsberg. Ervin charged that the statute makes no mention of the President's power to suspend the 4th amendment or to authorize burglaries.
Ehrlichman insisted that there was no illegal purpose involved in collecting money for the Watergate defendants. Ervin sarcastically asked if the Nixon re-election committee gave $450,000 to the burglars and their lawyers merely because they felt sorry for them. Ehrlichman's testimony will continue tomorrow. If Ervin receives a negative response to the subpoenas of the White House tapes, he will go to the full Senate for backing. That action would constitute pre-impeachment proceedings.
