Merry-Go-Round "R 2 6 1913 SF! hrnrtidi How the Watergate Cover-Up Blew Up Jack Anderson HE ASTONISHING STORY can now John Ehrlichman, wanted to put otiCa T be told how the Watergate cover-up statement acknowledging Magruder's role suddenly tore apart at the stitches. in the Watergate conspiracy. This was vig- From the most competent sources in- orously opposed by Clark MacGregor who side the White House and the Justice De- succeeded Mitchell as campaign chair- partment, we have learned the fascinating man. details. A few presidential advisers, including Our sources declare categorically that Ehrlichman and Charles Colson, warned President Nixon had no advance knowl- Mr. Nixon in February the Watergate-de- edge of the Watergate break-in and bug- cisions must have been •approved:`by ging. From the first, former Attorney Gen- Mitchell and Dean. Mr. Nixon replied that eral John Mitchell and White House coun- both had denied any involvement and he sel John Dean also swore to him that they asked for proof. had no part in the illegal operation. It was By mid-March, the President's faith in well known around the White House, how- Dean began to waver. ever, that Jeb Stuart Magruder was neck-deep in the scandal. * * * As No. 2 man on the campaign commit- OLSON and Ehrlichman put together tee, he directed the activities of Water- information that (1) Dean had ad- gate ringleader G. Gordon Liddy. vance knowledge of the Watergate bug- Liddy submitted regular reports. to ging; (2) Dean had ordered Hunt out of Magruder on the bugging operation under the country; and (3) Dean had authoriZecl the code name, "Gemstone." Magruder payments to the Watergate defendants to also arranged for Liddy to draw cash out keep their mouths shut. On Friday, April of the committee's safe. . 13, Ehrlichman confronted Dean 'with the charges. * • * * That night, Dean put together some' dO'c- FTER the arrest of the Watergate uments he had been saving, which indi- .C1 wiretappers, an agitated Liddy im- cated both H. R. Haldeman and John Ehr- mediately tried to contact Magruder in lichman had knowledge of the Watergate California. Later he returned to campaign cover-up. Next day, Dean took the docu- headquarters and began stuffing his files ments to assistant U.S. Attorney EarlSil- into a shredder. bert and made accusations againstHalde- Over at the White House, meanwhile, man, Ehrlichman, Mitchell and Magru- Dean ordered two aides to clean .out the der. files of Watergate conspirator E. Howard Silbert called in Magruder and con- Hunt. fronted him with Dean's revelations. This Our sources state flatly that Dean used broke down Magruder who also confessed his authority to obstruct the FBI and to his role in the conspiracy. keep incriminating evidence away from The lid, which Mitchell and Dean had the Justice Department. held on the Watergate scandal for , ten One of the President's closest advisers, months, had blown off.