John Dean 568270 225714223 2008-07-15T01:17:49Z WadeSimMiser 170099 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/121.1.33.163|121.1.33.163]] to last version by 98.212.217.157 (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{otheruses}} {{Infobox Person | name = John Dean | image = Dean 30-0124a.gif | caption = John Dean, [[May 7]], [[1972]]. | birth_name = John Wesley Dean III | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1938|10|14}} | birth_place = [[Akron, Ohio]] }} '''John Wesley Dean III''' (born [[October 14]], [[1938]]) was [[White House Counsel]] to [[United States of America|U.S.]] President [[Richard Nixon]] from July 1970 until April 1973. As White House Counsel, he became deeply involved in events leading up to the [[Watergate burglaries]] and the subsequent [[Watergate scandal]] cover up, even referred to as "master manipulator of the cover up" by the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI).<ref>Federal Bureau of Investigation, Office of Planning and Evaluation. . ''[http://www.watergate.info/burglary/fbi-files1.pdf FBI Watergate Investigation: OPE Analysis]''. July 5, 1974. File Number 139-4089. p.11</ref> He was convicted of multiple felonies as a result of Watergate, and went on to become a key witness for the prosecution, resulting in a reduction of his time in jail. Dean is currently an author, columnist, and commentator on contemporary politics, strongly critical of conservatism and the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], and a registered independent supporting impeachment of President [[George W. Bush]].<ref>Rothschild, Matthew. "[http://progressive.org/mag_wx052006 An Interview with John Dean]," ''Progressive Magazine'' ([[2006-05-20]])</ref> ==Early life and career== Dean was born in [[Akron, Ohio]]. He attended [[Colgate University]] majoring in English literature, and then [[The College of Wooster]], earning a bachelor's degree in [[political science]] in 1961. He received a [[J.D.]] from [[Georgetown University]] in 1965. After graduation, he joined a [[Washington, D.C.]] law firm. He was subsequently employed as the chief minority counsel to the Republican members of the [[Judiciary Committee]] in the [[United States House of Representatives]]. A [[National Commission on the Reform of Federal Criminal Law]] was created in 1967: Dean was appointed its associate director. He volunteered to write position papers on crime for Nixon's presidential campaign in 1968. The following year he became an Associate Deputy at the office of the [[Attorney General of the United States]] in the Nixon administration and in July, 1970 became counsel to the president, after the previous holder of this post [[John Ehrlichman]] became the president's chief domestic adviser. =="Master manipulator" to star witness== On [[February 28]], [[1973]], Acting FBI Director [[L. Patrick Gray]] testified before the [[U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary|Senate Judiciary Committee]] regarding his nomination to replace [[J. Edgar Hoover]] as Director of the [[FBI]]. Armed with newspaper articles indicating the White House had possession of FBI Watergate files, the committee chairman, [[Sam Ervin]], questioned Gray as to what he knew about the White House obtaining the files. Gray stated he had given reports to Dean, and had discussed the FBI investigation with Dean on many occasions. Gray's nomination failed, and now Dean was directly linked to the Watergate cover up. On [[March 23]], the Watergate burglars were sentenced with stiff fines and jail time; Dean hired an attorney and began his cooperation with Watergate investigators on [[April 6]]. On [[April 22]], Nixon requested Dean put together a report with everything he knew about the Watergate matter and even invited him to take a retreat to [[Camp David]] to do so. Coupled with his sense of distance from Nixon's inner circle, "The Berlin Wall" of advisors [[H.R. Haldeman]] and [[John Ehrlichman]], Dean sensed he was going to become the Watergate [[scapegoat]], and despite going to Camp David, he returned to Washington without having completed his report. Nixon fired Dean on [[April 30]], the same date he also announced the resignations of Haldeman and Ehrlichman. On [[June 25]], Dean began his testimony before the [[Senate Watergate Committee]], in which he implicated administration officials, including Nixon fundraiser and former [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]] [[John N. Mitchell|John Mitchell]], Nixon and himself. He was the first administration official to accuse Nixon of direct involvement with Watergate and the resulting cover-up in press interviews. Such testimony against Nixon, while damaging to the president's credibility, had little impact legally, as it was merely his word against Nixon's. Nixon vigorously denied all accusations against him that he authorized a cover-up, and Dean had no proof beyond various notes he had taken in his meetings with the president. It was not until secret White House tape recordings were made public and analyzed that Dean's accusations were established as true. ==Watergate trial== Dean pled guilty to [[obstruction of justice]] before Watergate trial judge [[John Sirica]] on [[November 30]], [[1973]]. He admitted supervising payments of "[[hush money]]" to the Watergate burglars, notably [[E. Howard Hunt]], and revealed the existence of [[Nixon's enemies list]]. On [[August 2]], [[1974]], Sirica handed down a sentence of one to four years in a minimum-security prison. However, when Dean surrendered himself as scheduled on [[September 3]], he was diverted to the custody of U.S. Marshals, and kept instead at [[Fort Holabird]] (near [[Baltimore, Maryland]]) in a special "safe house" holding facility primarily used for witnesses against the [[Mafia]]. He spent his days in the offices of the Watergate Special Prosecutor and testifying in the trial of Watergate conspirators Mitchell, Haldeman, Ehrlichman, [[Robert Mardian]], and [[Kenneth Parkinson]], which concluded on [[January 1]], [[1975]]. Dean's lawyer moved to have his sentence reduced, and on [[January 8]], Sirica granted the motion, adjusting Dean's sentence to time served, which wound up being four months. With his conviction for felony offenses, Dean was disbarred as a lawyer, so could no longer practice law. ==Life after Watergate== Dean retired from investment banking in 2000, and became an author, lecturer, and columnist for [[FindLaw]]'s ''[[Writ (website)|Writ]]'' online magazine. He resides in [[Beverly Hills, California]]. Dean chronicled his White House experiences, with a focus on Watergate, in the memoirs ''Blind Ambition'' and ''Lost Honor''. ''Blind Ambition'' would become the point of controversy many years after its publication. In 1992, he hired famed attorney [[Neil Papiano]] and brought the first in a series of defamation suits against [[G. Gordon Liddy]] for claims in his book ''Will'' and St. Martin's Press for its publication of the book ''[[Silent Coup]]'' by [[Len Colodny]] and [[Robert Gettlin]]. ''Silent Coup'' alleged that Dean was the mastermind of the Watergate burglaries, and the true target of the burglaries was to seize information implicating Dean and [[Maureen Biner]] (his then-fiancée) in a prostitution ring. After hearing of Colodny's work, Liddy issued a revised paperback version of ''Will'' supporting Colodny's theory.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bates|first=Stephen|title=Flipping His Liddy|date=5 February 2001|publisher=Slate.com|url=http://slate.msn.com/id/1007011/}}</ref> This theory was subsequently the subject of an [[A&E Network]] ''Investigative Reports'' series program entitled ''The Key to Watergate'' in 1992. Liddy's defense team focused on allegations that ''Blind Ambition'' was [[Ghost writer|ghost written]] by [[Taylor Branch]], a charge that Dean denies to this day.<ref>Dean, John [http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20050909.html Doing Legal, Political, and Historical Research on the Internet: Using Blog Forums, Open Source Dictionaries, and More], [[Findlaw]], September 9, 2005. [http://www.taylorbranch.com/pastwriting/ Taylor Branch states]: "''Blind Ambition'' (ghostwriter for John Dean) (Simon & Schuster: 1979)" under the heading "Past Writing".</ref> In the preface to his 2006 book, ''[[Conservatives Without Conscience]]'', Dean strongly denied Colodny's theory, pointing out that the Colodny's chief source ([[Phillip Mackin Bailley]]) had been in and out of mental institutions. Dean settled the defamation suit against Colodny and his publisher, St. Martin's Press, on terms which Dean stated in the book's preface he could not divulge under the terms of the settlement, other than stating that "the Deans were satisfied." In the footnote to this portion of the preface, Dean stated that the federal judge handling the case forced a settlement with Liddy.<ref>Dean, John: ''[[Conservatives Without Conscience]]'', Viking, 2006.</ref> In 2001, Dean published ''The Rehnquist Choice'', an exposé of the White House's selection process for a new Supreme Court justice in 1971, which led to the accession of [[William Rehnquist]] to the United States' highest court. Three years later, Dean authored a book heavily critical of the administration of [[George W. Bush]], entitled ''[[Worse than Watergate]]'', which calls for the impeachment of Bush and Vice-President [[Dick Cheney]] for lying to the Congress. His subsequent book, released in summer 2006, is titled ''[[Conservatives without Conscience]]'', a play on Barry Goldwater's ''[[The Conscience of a Conservative]]''. In it, he asserts that post-[[Barry Goldwater|Goldwater]] conservatism has been co-opted by people with authoritarian personalities and policies (citing data from [[Robert Altemeyer]]). According to Dean, modern conservatism, specifically in the Christian Right, embraces obedience, inequality, intolerance, and strong intrusive government, in stark contrast to Goldwater's philosophies and policies. Using Altemeyer's scholarly work, he contends that there is a tendency toward ethically questionable political practices when authoritarians are placed in positions of power, and that the current political situation is dangerously unsound because of it. Dean cites the behavior of key members of the Republican leadership &mdash; including [[George W. Bush]], [[Dick Cheney]], [[Tom DeLay]], [[Newt Gingrich]] and [[Bill Frist]] &mdash; as clear evidence of a relationship between modern right-wing conservativism and this authoritarian approach to governance. He places particular emphasis on the abdication of checks and balances by the Republican Congress, and of the dishonesty of the conservative intellectual class in support of the GOP, as a result of the obedience and arrogance innate to the authoritarian mentality. After the revelation that George W. Bush authorized [[NSA warrantless surveillance controversy|NSA wiretaps without warrants]], Dean asserted that Bush is "the first President to admit to an impeachable offense".<ref>{{cite news|last=Jackson|first=David|title=War-powers debate on front burner |date=28 December 2005|publisher=USA Today|url= http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-12-28-war-powers_x.htm}}</ref> On [[March 31]], [[2006]], Dean testified before the [[United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|Senate Judiciary Committee]] during hearings on censuring the president over the issue. Sen. [[Russell Feingold]] (D-Wis.), who sponsored the censure resolution, introduced Dean as a "patriot" who put "rule of law above the interests of the president." In his testimony, Dean asserted that Richard Nixon covered up Watergate because he believed it was in the interest of national security. This sparked a sharp debate with Republican [[South Carolina]] senator [[Lindsey Graham]], who repeatedly asserted that Nixon authorized the break-in at Democratic headquarters. Dean finally replied, "You're showing you don't know that subject very well." According to ''Washington Post'' reporter Dana Milbank, "Spectators laughed, and soon the senator was sputtering mad."<ref>{{cite news| last=Milbank|first=Dana|title=Watergate Remembered, After a Fashion|date=1 April 2006| publisher= Washington Post|url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/31/AR2006033101721.html}}</ref> In the 1979 TV mini-series, ''[[Blind Ambition (TV miniseries)|Blind Ambition]]'', Dean was played by [[Martin Sheen]]. In the 1995 film, ''[[Nixon (film)|Nixon]]'', Dean was played by [[David Hyde Pierce]]. In the 1999 film ''[[Dick (film)|Dick]]'', Dean was played by [[Jim Breuer]]. Dean frequently serves as a guest on the [[MSNBC]] show, ''[[Countdown with Keith Olbermann]]'', and the ''[[Randi Rhodes]] Show'' on the [[Nova M Radio]] network. [[Brad Pitt]] is slated to play Dean in the [[2010]] film [[Dirty Tricks]] ==Books== * {{cite book|author=Dean, John W.|year=1976|title=Blind Ambition: The White House Years|publisher=Simon and Schuster|id=ISBN 0671224387}} * {{cite book|author=Dean, John W.|year=1982|title=Lost Honor|publisher=Stratford Press|id=ISBN 0-936906-15-4}} * {{cite book|author=Dean, John W.|year=2001|title=The Rehnquist Choice: The Untold Story of the Nixon Appointment that Redefined the Supreme Court|publisher=Free Press|id=ISBN 0-7432-2607-0}} * {{cite book|author=Dean, John W.|year=2002|title=Unmasking Deep Throat|publisher=Salon.com|id=ISBN 0-9721874-1-3}} * {{cite book|author=Dean, John W.; Schlesinger, Arthur M.|year=2004|title=Warren G. Harding (The American Presidents)|publisher=Times Books|id=ISBN 0-8050-6956-9}} * {{cite book|author=Dean, John W.|year=2004|title=[[Worse than Watergate]]: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush |publisher=Little, Brown|id=ISBN 0-316-00023-X}} * {{cite book|author=Dean, John W.|year=2006|title=[[Conservatives without Conscience]]|publisher=Viking Adult|id=ISBN 0-670-03774-5}} * {{cite book|author=Dean, John W.|year=2007|title=Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive and Judicial Branches|publisher=Viking Adult|id=ISBN 0-670-01820-1}} * {{cite book|author=Dean, John W.; Goldwater, Barry M., Jr.|year=2008|title=Pure Goldwater|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|id=ISBN 1403977410}} ==Notes== <references /> ==Sources== * {{cite book|author=Sussman, Barry|year=1992|title=The Great Coverup: Nixon and the Scandal of Watergate (3rd Ed.)|publisher=Seven Locks Press|id=ISBN 0-929765-09-5}} * {{cite web|title=The Watergate Files|work=The Watergate Files presented by The Gerald R. Ford Museum & Library|url= http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/museum/exhibits/watergate_files/ |accessmonthday=March 6 |accessyear=2005}} * ''The Key To Watergate'' (1992) Barbara Newman Productions (for A&E Network's ''Investigative Reports'' series).[http://www.NixonEra.com/library/watergate.asp] ==External links== {{wikiquote}} * {{WiredForBooks|johndean|1983 interview with John Dean|by [[Don Swaim]]}} * [http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/04/06/1354218 Worse Than Watergate: Former Nixon Counsel John Dean Says Bush Should Be Impeached] ''Democracy Now!'', April 6, 2004, interview with John Dean * [http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20050909.html Doing Legal, Political, and Historical Research on the Internet Using Blog Forums, Open Source Dictionaries, and More] John Dean, ''[[Findlaw]]'', [[September 9]], [[2005]] * Video of John Dean interview by [[Keith Olberman]] on ''[[Countdown with Keith Olbermann]]'' about Dean's book ''[[Conservatives Without Conscience]]'' on July 11, 2006, at [http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/07/11/john-dean-on-countdown-conservatives-without-conscience/ Crooks and Liars], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jA0OVtvqjk YouTube] * [http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKdean.htm Spartacus Educational Biography] {{start box}} {{succession box | before= [[Chuck Colson]] | title = [[White House Counsel]] | years = 1970-73 | after = [[Leonard Garment]] }} {{end box}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Dean, John}} [[Category:1938 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:White House Counsels]] [[Category:United States presidential advisors]] [[Category:Watergate figures]] [[Category:American lawyers]] [[Category:American criminals]] [[Category:American anti-Iraq War activists]] [[Category:American memoirists]] [[Category:American political writers]] [[Category:Colgate University alumni]] [[Category:Disbarred American lawyers]] [[Category:Georgetown University alumni]] [[Category:College of Wooster alumni]] [[Category:People from Akron, Ohio]] [[de:John Dean]] [[fr:John Dean]] [[ja:ジョン・ディーン]] [[sv:John Dean]]