Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 45 › Conversation 045-172

Haig & Garment on Watergate and Legal strategy

Wednesday, May 9, 1973 · 2:31 PM–3:55 PM ET · White House Telephone · 48 sec

ParticipantsHaig, Alexander M., Jr.; Garment, LeonardConversation045-172 on Tape 45StartWednesday, May 9, 1973 at 2:31 PMEndWednesday, May 9, 1973 at 3:55 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 045-172 ↗

AI Summary

Alexander Haig and Leonard Garment coordinated on the status of legal filings regarding Watergate-related documents and communications with the Justice Department. Garment confirmed that a motion had been filed and agreed to press for updates from the court via Justice Department channels. Additionally, the pair briefly discussed the competence of an unnamed individual, with Garment expressing confidence in the person's performance relative to previous alternatives.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Hey?
Mr. Carman.
Yeah, yeah.
It's Al.
Lynn?
Yeah.
Have we got any word on the documents yet?
Motion was filed.
I understand.
Yeah, I know that.
No, we don't.
Well, no, that didn't happen instantly.
How will we hear?
We'll hear by word from the Justice Department as soon as they get word from the court.
I'll press them on it.
Okay.
I'll call over there.
How are you doing on your strategy?
This fellow's first grade.
First grade.
Oh, you couldn't have done better?
I don't really mean that.
I know.
Better than the other fellow by a factor of 10.
So we're gone.
We've got some headway, but we're into some problems.
All right.
We'll talk to you about them later.
Okay.
Very good.

NARA Description

On May 9, 1973, Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and Leonard Garment talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:31 pm and 3:55 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-172 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 45-172

Date: May 9, 1973
Time: Unknown between 2:31 pm and 3:55 pm
Location: White House Telephone

Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked with Leonard Garment.
                                             -110-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                            Conversation No. 45-172 (cont’d)

[See also Conversation No. 432-37B]

     Watergate
          -Documents
               -Filing of motion
               -Justice Department
          -Unknown man
               -Competence

Also recorded on May 9, 1973

  • 432-035 2:00 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:00 pm and 2:22 pm.
  • 045-170 2:24 PM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 2:24 pm to 2:25 pm.
  • 432-036 2:24 PM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:24 pm to 2:25 pm.
  • 045-171 2:31 PM · 15 sec — Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:31 pm and 3:55 pm.
  • 432-037 2:31 PM · 1 hr 22 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Ronald L. Ziegler, and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:31 pm to 3:55 pm.
  • 432-038 4:05 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:05 pm and 4:10 pm.
  • 045-173 4:10 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:10 pm and 4:15 pm.
  • 432-039 4:10 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:10 pm and 4:14 pm.

All 62 conversations from May 9, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 045-172, May 9, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/045-172 (accessed October 9, 2026).