Dean Alleges Nixon Knew of Cover-up Plan

Initially, Justice Department and Senate sources reported, the Watergate prosecutors and Senate investigators were skeptical of Dean's versions of events and believed his statements might have been motivated by a self-serving attempt to obtain immunity from prosecution.

However, "everything we have gotten from Dean that we were able to check out has turned out to be accurate," one Justice Department source said. Senate sources commented in the same vein, and, as one example, said that Dean was the source of information that L. Patrick Gray III, the former acting director of the FBI, had destroyed items taken from the safe of Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt Jr.

The disclosure of the break-in at the office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist was directly attributable to information supplied to the Watergate prosecutors by Dean during an April 14 meeting, Justice Department sources said.

The next day, the sources reported, President Nixon was informed by justice Department officials that Dean was cooperating with investigators, and on April 17, Mr. Nixon made his statement about "major developments" in the case.

In that statement, the President attributed those developments to his own investigation of the case, which he said began on March 21. Mr. Nixon announced that he had asked the Justice Department to deny immunity from prosecution to any high administration officials found to be involved in the bugging or cover-up.

Senate investigators and sources close to the Watergate prosecutors say they now feel it is possible that Mr. Nixon's position on immunity represented an attempt to keep Dean from testifying before either the Senate or grand jury about his knowledge of the Watergate case.

Although Dean recently said he would not testify fully before either body without first being granted full immunity, he has since decided to tell his story regardless of whether such immunity is forthcoming, sources close to Dean, and in the Senate said this weekend.

According to Dean's version of events, he sought a meeting with President Nixon on March 20 and, on the following day, reviewed with Mr. Nixon details of the bugging and subsequent cover-up, the sources reported. They said Dean believed at the time that Mr. Nixon was unaware of some details relating to the case.

At the meeting, Dean contends, he told Mr. Nixon that, "to save the presidency" it would be necessary for Haldeman, Ehrlichman and himself (Dean) to fully disclose their involvement in the Watergate affair to federal prosecutors.

"After seeing the President, Dean was feeling high because he finally thought they were going to do the right thing," one source said. "It was his understanding that an agreement had been reached. Then everything collapsed because Haldeman and Ehrlichman said they didn't have to drown themselves to clean up the situation."

According to Dean's version of events, Mr. Nixon met with Haldeman and Ehrlichman almost immediately after the March 21 session with the former presidential counsel. Following that meeting with Haldeman and Ehrlichman, Dean told investigators, Mr. Nixon informed him that he would not tolerate any break in the White House ranks and warned Dean that he would stand alone if he went to the prosecutors.

Last month Newsweek magazine reported that Dean was prepared to make at least two other allegations about the President's involvement in the Watergate cover-up.