W-we have, you have advised us as to that, I want people to know that. But in order to put this question as best we can and to get and ascertain the facts, we have decided uh, Senator Sarbanes and myself, that we would ask you to describe in your own words, as best you can, uh, how you learned about this about what time you learned about it, and then if you did make a, a subsequent notification to somebody, uh, what time did you make that? ..So I hope you don't find that offensive.
Dickey: That's fine.
D'Amato: We wanta try to clarify th ... Would you let us..would you tell us?
Dickey: Certainly.
D'Amato: Thank-you.
Dickey: Um, I, I watched the president on Larry King Live the night of July 20th 1993 uh, in the solarium of the White House on the third floor. Um, when that program was over, the doorman, uh, who works in the Ushers Office whose name is John Fanning, uh came up to the solarium and informed me.. that Vince Foster had in fact, uh committed suicide and his body had been found. Um - to the best of my recollection, that was around ten o'clock...uh eastern time on the night of July 20th. Um...Vince Foster, uh, was very close to our family, lived next door to them in Little Rock. Um , It was a very personal thing for me, um I- I immediately started to cry and became hysterical.
D'Amato: Uh huh.
Dickey: Um, went down to the second floor to, to see if the the president was there. Uh he was not there. I made a phone call to uh my mother, who was in Virginia. I made a phone call to my father who was in Atlanta Georgia. Um, I then went back up to the third floor. I don't know how much time I spent there. Went back down to the second floor. Found the president there. He told me that his, that he had shot himself in a park...[slight emphasis on park] I went back upstairs to the third floor. Um ...I don't know how much time had elapsed - ya know I found out at ten o'clock- I-my best recollection is that I did not...make the second series of phone calls until at least 10:20.
[camera cuts to D'Amato taking notes]
Um, I then called Ann Stock, who was the social secretary and my boss at the time. I called Ann McCoy, who was uh..who I reported to at the governor's mansion who had been a friend for a long time, who also knew Mr. Foster lived down the street., um, and then I did call the governor's mansion.
D'Amato: So, so it was af- well after ten o'clock?
Dickey: It was well a-, my best estimation that I called the governors mansion was 10:30.
D'Amato: Okay, and I am s- I am - I apologize to ya for...bringing this up but uh the majority and the minority thought it was important - am I not - Senator? [looks to Sarbanes]
Sarbanes: I think.... [D'Amato cuts in] D'Amato: I think we thought it was important to get a clarification and we're not going to go any further..
Sarbanes: Well Mr. Chairman I would like to go one step further. D'Amato: Certainly.
Sarbanes: It's been asserted by some that when you called the governor's mansion in Little Rock..uh, there was a difference on the time and you now said that it was after the Larry King show and therefore after ten o'clock. It's also been asserted that you told =8Cem that Vince Foster had gone to his car in the parking lot ...[cut off by Dickey]
Dickey: That's absolutely not true.
Sarbanes: [nodding] Not true.
Dickey: That's, that's I never heard that, I never would have said that because ah that's not the facts as I knew them. Um, I'm absolutely positive of, of the timing of this.
D'Amato: I, I think that's-that's the key element and, and I don't wish ta, to keep this, uh, that aspect going any longer and uh nor did I, or uh, did any of us personally want - want to bring it up, but it's the kind of thing I think we have an obligation when we have a witness who has testified and, and who's here to testify, and who has given us this information by way of deposition that, that it's important to try to clarify that situation as much as possible so we attempt to deal with some of these, these rumors that may have uh, uh been circulating. I think to that extent we have done that...Senator Sarbanes - and I thank you Mi- I thank you uh, Miss Dickey.
Dickey: Thank-you.