Charles Colson, Special Counsel to President Nixon, Issues Early Denial (1973)

for ideas and competition for different viewpoints, and that's healthy in our society. - The Watergate trial, at least the stage of it ended this week with the conviction of two, the other five defendants having pleaded guilty. One of those who pleaded guilty was Mr. Hunt, who was your friend who was brought into the White House by you. What did you bring him in the White House to do? - He was brought in as a consultant, Liz, to work on the Pentagon Papers project, the classification of the Pentagon Papers, the security aspects, of the fact that highly classified government documents had been stolen and published, and that was in 1971. - Did you keep track of what he was doing when he was there? - No. The cases now on appeal from the two defendants, the two defendants who were convicted, five pleaded guilty, it was tried by the Justice Department, by your own Justice Department, the U.S. Attorney, the judge professed some frustration in learning what had really happened.

Is the case closed? Is the American public to assume that they are never going to know really who ordered this breaking and entrying of the Democratic headquarters? - Well, I don't know whether the case is closed or not. It would be inappropriate for me to comment on the judicial process. It may well be that on appeal, the case will be reopened. I really know very little about the case. As I've said publicly, I knew nothing about the Watergate, had no involvement in it, and what I know about the case is what I read, and I assume I can believe some of the things I read. Senator Ervin is going to hold hearings on the Watergate incident. If he calls you to testify, will you? - I'd be happy to tell Senator Ervin or anyone else exactly what I've just said to you, which is that I had no knowledge or involvement in the Watergate. The delicate question of executive privilege and separation of powers between the legislative and executive branch is something that has to be settled, but if I... I have spent a few

hours in civil litigation that was brought by the Democratic National Committee telling them everything I knew, which I think disappointed them greatly. I told them, under oath, in a deposition with Bennett Williams, all that I knew, and it could have been done in five minutes or less, I've never been reluctant to say what I knew about the Watergate or didn't know about it. - You raise a point of the possibility of executive privilege, and you are leaving the White House on March 1st, is that right? So you couldn't call, use executive privilege after that, could you? - I think the question of the confidentiality of the relationship of a personal advisor to the President, or a personal advisor to a member of Congress, is something that survives whether you're still on the White House staff or not, or still on a congressional staff or not. There is a well-established doctrine of separation of powers in which we have recognized

the right of members of Congress, members of the judiciary, members of the executive branch to receive confidential advice and counsel from close advisors. That has nothing to do with when you give it, or when your relationship begins or ends. - That's something that you'll be fighting out with Senator Ervin, I'm sure. - I know that I will be. - Well, if you try to use executive privilege... - It's not a question of the individual using