"I began by telling the president that there was a cancer growing on the presidency and that if the cancer was not removed, the president himself would be killed by it"
About this Quote
The specific intent is twofold. First, Dean is warning Richard Nixon that the Watergate cover-up isn’t a manageable scandal; it’s an internal corruption eating the office from the inside. Second, he’s insulating himself. By memorializing the moment as a blunt warning, Dean casts himself not as a co-conspirator but as the person who tried to stop the bleeding. It’s a line built for history, not just for the room.
The subtext is darker: “the president himself would be killed by it” is both moral and political. Dean suggests the presidency can be poisoned even if the man survives; legitimacy, authority, and public trust can die without a literal death. Yet he also hints at the personal risk Nixon is courting - impeachment, prosecution, disgrace. The office becomes a body, and the body becomes evidence.
Context does the rest. In the Watergate era, power looked airtight until it suddenly didn’t. Dean’s metaphor captures that fragile moment when the system still pretended it could contain the rot, and someone inside finally said the quiet part out loud.
Quote Details
| Topic | Leadership |
|---|---|
| Source | Verified source: Senate Watergate Hearings: John W. Dean III Testimony (John Dean, 1973)
Evidence: I began by telling the President that there was a cancer growing on the presidency and if the cancer was not removed the president himself would be killed by it.. This line comes from John W. Dean III’s public testimony during the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities (the Watergate Committee) hearings, describing his March 21, 1973 Oval Office meeting with President Nixon. The clip/transcript hosted by the American Archive of Public Broadcasting is dated June 25, 1973 (WETA-TV). Contemporary press coverage the next day (June 26, 1973) also reports Dean’s testimony using the same distinctive phrasing, indicating it was already public in late June 1973. Other candidates (1) What They Didn't Teach You in American History Class (Mike Henry, 2016) compilation98.1% ... John Dean. He is best remembered for his response to a question ... i began by telling the president that there w... |
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Dean, John. (2026, February 21). I began by telling the president that there was a cancer growing on the presidency and that if the cancer was not removed, the president himself would be killed by it. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-began-by-telling-the-president-that-there-was-a-133826/
Chicago Style
Dean, John. "I began by telling the president that there was a cancer growing on the presidency and that if the cancer was not removed, the president himself would be killed by it." FixQuotes. February 21, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-began-by-telling-the-president-that-there-was-a-133826/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I began by telling the president that there was a cancer growing on the presidency and that if the cancer was not removed, the president himself would be killed by it." FixQuotes, 21 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-began-by-telling-the-president-that-there-was-a-133826/. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
