Dean Alleges Nixon Knew of Cover-up Plan

Most of the 35 conversations took place in the President's office, though some were telephone conversations between the President and Dean, according to the sources' account of Dean's version of events.

Dean, who was fired as presidential counsel on April 30, attempted unsuccessfully to get some of his files and records from the White House, especially "chronologies" that he dictated at the end of each day summarizing his activity, according to the sources.

The sources said that Dean was to visit the Executive Office Building yesterday to review some of his papers. Associates of Dean said that Dean was skeptical about what records might still be in existence.

According to the sources, the "chronologies" would allow Dean to more accurately reconstruct the alleged discussions about the cover-up. The sources said Dean told investigators that the chronologies relate only to orders from Haldeman and Ehrlichman about the cover-up and do not specifically discuss the President's alleged role.

Dean, the sources said, told investigators he never mentioned discussions with the President in the chronologies because of the danger of committing such matters to paper.

Four White House sources told The Washington Post last week that Mr. Nixon and his closes aides regard possible charges by Dean as the biggest obstacle the President will have to overcome if he is to demonstrate his innocence in the Watergate cover-up.

Two of the sources said Dean has told them before he left the White House on April 30 that the President was involved in the cover-up. They declined to discuss the specific allegations Dean made to them, but characterized them as a "circumstantial case" against the President, unsupported by any documentary evidence known to be in Dean's possession.

There is agreement among The Post's sources in the White House, Justice Department and Senate that Dean has been the dominant factor in the White House response to Watergate developments in the last two months.

Dean's decision to break ranks at the White House and tell his story to the prosecutors, beginning on April 6, directly led to President Nixon's decision to fire Dean and reluctantly ask for the resignation of Haldeman and Ehrlichman, the sources said.

President Nixon's three recent statements on Watergate -- on April 17, announcing "major developments" in the case; on April 30, announcing the Haldeman and Ehrlichman resignations and denying his own involvement; and a 4,000-word defense of his own actions, issued on May 22 -- all appear to be abased on staying one step ahead of Dean, the sources said.

In citing national security grounds as the reasons he ordered creation of a special investigations unit in the White House, Mr. Nixon on May 22 spoke of plans for covert activities that were spelled out in the top secret documents that Dean removed from the White House.

"There would have been no presidential statement (on May 22) if Dean had not walked off with those documents -- period, no statement," one White House source said last week.