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H: But so what?
P: I said, what in the world John, I mean, I said John you can't [unintelligible] on this short notice. What's it cost [unintelligible] I sort of laughed and said, "Well, I guess you could get that."
E: Now is he holding that over your head? Saying—
P: No, no, no, I don't think Dean would go so far as to get into any conversation he had with the President —even Dean I don't think.
The discussion turns to the constant pressure and unceasing disclosures.
P: The point is can we survive it? Can Haldeman and Ehrlichman survive it? The point that I ... I know that as far as you're concerned, you'll go out and throw yourselves on a damned sword ... Damn it, you're the two most valuable members on the staff. I know that.
On the basis of his talks with Petersen, the President knows that the prosecutors are paying a great deal of attention to the $350,000 that was raised for the convicted burglars, and to the roles played by Ehrlichman and Haldeman in that effort.
P: Have you given any thought to what the line ought to be—I don't mean a lie—but a line, on raising the money for these defendants? Because both of you were aware of what was going on you see—the raising of the money—you were aware of it, right?
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E: Well, Mr. President, when the truth and fact of this is known, that building next door is full of people who knew that money was being raised for these people.
P: E.O.B.?
E: Yes, sir, just full of them.
P: Many who know but there were not so many actors. In other words, there's a difference between actors and noticees.
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E: I want you to think very critically about the difference here between knowledge of the general transactions going on, on the one hand, and being an affirmative actor on the other, because that's the difference between Dean and me. Now on this business on whether Dean should have immunity, I think you have to ask yourself really, the basic question, whether anybody in the White House who does wrong, ought to get immunity, no matter how many . . .he implicates.
The President agrees that Dean should not be given immunity and notes that Chuck Colson feels the same way.
P: I can call Petersen in and say he [Dean] cannot be given immunity ... Whether he'll carry that order out —that's going to be an indicator that that's Dean and [unintelligible]. And then what do I say about Dean. Do I tell him that he goes?
E: Well, you see, the thing that precipitated Colson's coming over is that he found that Dean was still here ... Colson called and says you've got an ass at your bosom over there, and so, today he checked again ... and discovered that Dean was still here ... He came in and he says, "You guys are just out-of-your-minds" ... He was fit to be tied.
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P: But you see if I say, "Dean, you leave today," he'd go out and say, "Well the President's covering up for Ehrlichman and Haldeman."
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P: We've got to remember ... he's going