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After a Polite Opening, Gurney and Dean Fence

After a Polite Opening, Gurney and Dean Fence
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June 28, 1973, Page 34Buy Reprints
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WASHINGTON, June 27— The Senate Watergate hear ings turned into a verbal fencing match for more than three hours today, but if any blood was drawn it could probably have been sopped up by a Band‐Aid.

In his 245‐page opening statement on Monday, John W. Dean 3d, former counsel to the President, dropped something of a challenge to the political manhood of Sen ator Edward J. Gurney.

Today, the wavy‐haired Florida Republican picked up the gauntlet with obvious relish, subjecting Mr. Dean to the longest interrogation that has been indulged in by any committee member or coun sel since the hearings began May 17.

As Mr. Dean, in his re marks Monday, recalled the White House discussions of the potential danger from members of the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, no one was much worried about Mr. Gurney.

‘A Sure Friend’

“Senator Gurney was con sidered a sure friend and pro tector of the President's in terest,” who “would help the White House,” and “would not have to be told to do so,” Mr. Dean said.

Most of those following the hearings have speculated ever since about how Senator Gurney, after that rave re view from the White House, would deal with Mr. Dean.

So the crowded Caucus Room of the Old Senate Of fice Building was quietly abuzz at 10:22 this morning when the two faced off after Mr. Dean had presented a series of documents on the White House's “political en emies project.”

It started politely, with Senator Gurney, looking cool and photogenic in a light gray suit, blue shirt and pais ley tie, saying:

“Good morning, Mr. Dean.”

“Good morning, Senator,” responded Mr. Dean, equally well turned‐out in a darker gray suit, striped shirt and red tie.

Things went downhill a bit from there until 3:50 this aft ernoon when Senator Gurney thanked Mr. Dean for his “pa tience.”

Questions ‘Very Good’

“I thank the Senator for his questions,” Mr. Dean re plied in what may have been a final thrust for a touché. “I think they were very good.”

Senator Gurney, speaking with barely concealed sar casm or incredulity, took Mr. Dean slowly and carefully over his accounts of pre Watergate discussions of po litical espionage and sabo tage. He then gave special attention to the 34‐year‐old former counsel's recollections of the cover‐up, particularly the meetings in which he said he had discussed the affairs with President Nixon.

But some of his sharpest inquiry dealt with Mr. Dean's handling of $15,200 in Repub lican campaign funds that were left in the counsel's White House safe.

Mr. Dean has acknowl edged that he “borrowed” $4,850 from the funds to pay for his honeymoon last Oc tober and other personal ex penses. He says he subse quently put in a personal check to cover the “loan.”

“How were you going to spend the $4,850?” Mr. Gur ney asked.

“To the best of my recol lection,” replied Mr. Dean, his brow creased, his demeanor serious as it has been all his three days on the witness stand, “I had made reserva tions for an accommodation in Florida that was going to run $100 a day. I had hoped to spend about two weeks down there.

“I also had Mod expenses —I was going to have people come in and do the serving— and travel expenses and I as sumed that just $5,000 would cover it.”

Senator Gurney looked doubtful.

“It seems like a lot of money for a honeymoon,” he said, bringing a ripple of laughter from the spectators.

Had Yard Done

“Well, sir, as I say,” Mr. Dean said, still unsmiling. “I also was having my yard done that day and I thought I might have to pay having dirt delivered. My patio had been repaired. I had a whole thought I was going to be hit with that night I walked in.”

“You can't give a better explanation of how you were going to spend $4,850?” Mr. Gurney pressed.

Continuing his apparent attempt to discredit Mr. Dean as a witness, the Senator finally elicited from him that he had never had time to go on much of a honeymoon.

“Well, what did you do with the $4,850?” the Sena tor repeated.

“Well, as I said, at one point in time,” Mr. Dean said, “Well, I began using it for personal expenses.”

Mr. Dean, still unfaltering, later conceded that his check ing account at the time he took the money would not have covered the funds. He also said that he had put the money back once and then taken it out again, finally replacing it in April.

“Do you know this is a crime, Mr. Dean?” Senator Gurney asked.

“I am not aware what crime it is, no,” Mr. Dean re plied.

“Isn't it embezzlement?” Mr. Gurney wanted to know.

“There was no intention on my part never to account for the full amount,” Mr. Dean said.

A few moments later Charles N. Shaffer, one of Mr. Dean's lawyers, took ex ception to Senator Gurney's characterization of his client's action.

“Mr. Gurney says that is embezzlement,” Mr. Shaffer said. “I disagree with him.”

In a remark that could have been aimed at Senator Gurney, a lawyer as are the six other committee mem bers, Mr. Shaffer added:

“I think there are enough lawyers in the room to know what embezzlement is, and do not plan to take the time now unless the chair ex pressly asks me to make that definition.”

Wants a Recount

It was that sort of a day. Thrust and parry. Parry and thrust. And while it oc casionally made decent thea ter, it didn't become so all absorbing that it kept the predominantly young specta tors from craning to get look at John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, who were in the fourth row of the specta tor section.

Nor did it keep Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina, the chairman, and his Re publican Vice Chairman, Howard Baker of Tennessee, from stealing the best laughs of the session—as usual.

Noting the long list of names on the “enemies project” papers that Mr. Dean had submitted to the committee, Senator Ervin said he could not under stand “why the Democratic party was so lacking last year.”

“I wouldn't in my wildest dreams think of trying to im prove on the Senator's story,” drawled Senator Baker, his pixieish face alight, “but he told it better the first time.

“He leaned over to me and said, ‘I think I'm going to demand a recount. There are more names in there than we got votes'.”

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