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Conversation: 344-014

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Start Date: 22-Jun-1972 9:40 AM

End Date: 22-Jun-1972 11:25 AM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")White House operatorZiegler, Ronald L.Haig, Alexander M., Jr.Colson, Charles W.Strachan, Gordon C.

Recording Device: Old Executive Office Building

Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 01:10:38

Full Tape Conversation End Time: 02:42:23

344a.mp3

344b.mp3

344c.mp3

NARA Description:

On June 22, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, Ronald L. Ziegler, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Charles W. Colson, and Gordon C. Strachan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:40 am to 11:25 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 344-014 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 344-14

Date: June 22, 1972
Time: 9:40-11:25 am
Location: Old Executive Office Building

The President met with H. R. Haldeman.

     Press conference
          -Campaign
                -National Educational Association [NEA] celebration
                     -Congressmen

     The President's schedule
          -NEA
               -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
               -The President’s view
               -Cabinet officers

     Media
         -Use of First Family
         -Patricia Nixon Cox's wedding
         -Performance
               -Celebrity value

     Watergate
         -White House involvement
               -Statement
               -Staff involvement
               -Haldeman's views

The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 9:40 and 9:45
am

[Conversation No. 344-14A]

[See Conversation No. 25-114]

[End of telephone conversation]

     Watergate break-in
         -Involvement of E. Howard Hunt, Jr.
                                             11

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. Jan-02)


                -Work with White House

The White House operator talked with the President at an unknown time between 9:40 and 9:45
am

[Conversation No. 344-14B]

[See Conversation No. 25-115]

[End of telephone conversation]

     Watergate break-in
         -White House involvement
               -Former aides

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler between 9:45 and 9:50 am

[Conversation No. 344-14C]

[See Conversation No. 25-116]

[End of telephone conversation]

     Watergate
         -Press conference
               -Hunt
               -Charles W. Colson
                    -Ziegler's response
               -Coverage by press
                    -Accuracy
               -Story
                    -Aide to W. Averell Harriman
                          -Public interest
                                -Extent
               -New York Times story
                    -Cuban involvement
                    -Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo
                          -Bank
                          -Lawsuit
                          -Jack N. Anderson
                          -Lawsuit
                    -Article discussed
                          -Contents
                                  12

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                           Tape Subject Log
                             (rev. Jan-02)


          -Libel
          -Possible suit
-Civil suit
      -Judge Charles R.J. Richey
      -Democrats
            -Nature of suit
      -Richey
            -The President’s view
                  -William P. Rogers
            -Haldeman’s view
      -Edward Bennett Williams
            -Tactics
      -Richey
            -Trial
-Republican National Committee
      -Security
            -Problems
-Washington Post story
      -Bugging
            -Lawrence F. O'Brien, Jr.
            -Anderson
                  -Papers
-Pulitzer Prize
      -Colson
-Capitol Hill
      -Strategy
            -Anderson
                  -Bugging of Democratic National Committee
-Circumstances of break-in
      -Cubans
-Hunt
      -Involvement
            -Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] knowledge
      -Disappearance
      -Evidence
      -Address books
            -Rebozo
                  -Relationship to Cubans
                  -[First name unknown] Suarez
-Currency
      -Source of funds
      -South American money order
-Cubans
                                             13

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. Jan-02)


                -Involvement
          -White House knowledge
          -Press coverage
                -Cubans
                      -Attitude toward George S. McGovern
          -Burglars
                -Political affiliations
          -G. Gordon Liddy
                -Removal from US
                -European fund-raising
          -James W. McCord
                -Detention
          -Scripps-Howard story
                -Fidel Castro
          -Security of campaign


*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 31s     ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

*****************************************************************

     The President's schedule
          -Rebozo
               -Schedule
                      -Robert H. Abplanalp
                            -Visit
               -Personality
                      -Nellie L. Yates [?]

The President left and re-entered at an unknown time between 9:40 and 11:25 am.

          -Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
          -Ocean City, Maryland
          -Florida White House
                -Problems
          -Chesapeake Bay
                                       14

                NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                               Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. Jan-02)


           -Rogers C. B. Morton
     -Security
           -Haldeman's experiences
           -Problems
     -Chesapeake Bay
           -Sequoia
                 -Swimming
           -Key Biscayne
                 -Houseboat
           -Sequoia
                 -Trip
           -Estate
     -San Clemente
           -Camp Pendleton
           -Oceanside, California
     -Pictures

Preparation for press conference
     -Strategic Arms and Limitation Treaty [SALT]
     -Melvin R. Laird
           -Position on SALT
                 -Trident submarine
                 -B-1
     -State Department position
     -President's position
     -Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS]
     -Laird
           -Supplemental appropriation announcement
                 -Office of Management and Budget [OMB] and National
                  Security Council [NSC] position
                       -Size of appropriation
                 -Impact on election
                 -Alexander M. Haig, Jr's view
                 -Henry A. Kissinger’s view

Meeting with Wilbur D. Mills, Clark MacGregor, Russell B. Long, and John N. Byrnes
     -Debt ceiling bill
           -Mills
     -Social Security amendment
           -Frank F. Church
           -Mills's view
     -Mills’s view
           -Social Security increase
                                           15

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. Jan-02)


                    -Increase in funding


*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 44s        ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

*****************************************************************


    Revenue sharing
        -House vote
              -Outcome
                    -Publicity
        -Senate vote
              -Outcome

    US Mayor's Conference
        -Richard J. Daley
        -Pete Wilson
              -Role
        -Coverage by New York Times
        -Daley speech
              -Vietnam
              -Support for President
        -Frank L. Rizzo
        -Democratic support for the President
              -Republicans
        -Daley and McGovern meeting
              -Significance
              -Vietnam


*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 45s     ]
                                            16

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. Jan-02)




END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4

*****************************************************************

    Michael J. Mansfield
        -The President’s previous telephone call
               -Health



    George H. Gallup Poll
        -Presidential popularity
        -Significance
        -Post-Soviet Union trip
        -New York primary
              -McGovern

    Louis P. Harris Poll
         -Post-Soviet Union trip
         -Comparison with Gallup


*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 4m 9s      ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6

*****************************************************************


    The President's schedule
         -Frank E. Fitzsimmons

    Integration
         -Roy Wilkins
                -Meeting with John D. Ehrlichman
                    -1972 campaign
                                          17

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                  Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. Jan-02)


              -Busing
              -Welfare
              -View of McGovern
              -Motives for statement
              -Busing
              -Housing
              -Integration
              -Administration's accomplishments
              -Busing
              -Jobs
        -Movie The Cardinal
              -Catholic schools
        -George C. Wallace's candidacy
              -Busing
              -The President’s view
              -Response of blacks
        -Demagogues
        -Education
              -Problems
                    -Busing
                    -Blacks
                    -Preparation
        -Genetics
        -Slavery
        -Boston Irish
              -Response to prejudice
        -Jews
        -Rebozo
              -Response to discrimination
        -Blacks
              -Development
                    -Reason
                    -Prejudice


*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 8
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 40s        ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 8
                                               18

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                         Tape Subject Log
                                           (rev. Jan-02)



*****************************************************************

     Watergate
         -Maurice H. Stans
               -Fund raising
         -Caspar W. Weinberger
         -Business contributions
               -10 million dollars
               -Importance
               -[Unintelligible]
         -Bethlehem Steel
               -Business support for the President
               -George S. McGovern

     Parochial school aid
          -John Cardinal Krol

Haldeman talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 9:40 and 10:20 am.

[Conversation No. 344-14D]

     Unidentified materials
         -Preparation of materials
                -President's signature
                -Delivery

[End of telephone conversation]

     Parochial school aid
          -Opposition
                -Domestic Council
          -President's support
          -Opposition
                -Motives
          -President's position
          -Opposition
          -Weinberger
          -OMB letter
                -Ehlichman
                      -Memorandum
                            -Colson
                            -Release
                                              19

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. Jan-02)


                           -Contents

    Tax reform legislation
         -Mills’s view
               -The President’s view
         -Merits
         -President's political decision

    Domestic Council staff
        -Political judgment
              -Busing
        -Parochial schools
              -Catholic opinion
                     -Importance
              -Krol
              -Terence Cardinal Cooke
                     -Support for President


*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 9
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 8m 4s      ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 9

*****************************************************************


    People in the arts
         -The President’s view
               -Sumner Welles
               -Adlai E. Stevenson, II
               -Bisexuality
                     -Extent

    Homosexual marriages


*****************************************************************
                                              20

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. Jan-02)


BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 10
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 5m 2s      ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 10

*****************************************************************


     Press conference
          -Foreign policy
                -Laird's views
                     -Ziegler's statement

Haldeman talked with an unknown person [Haig?] at an unknown time between 9:40 and 10:20
am.

[Conversation No. 344-14E]

     The President's press conference
          -Vietnam
               -Laird's statement
                      -President's comments
               -Appropriations
                      -Laird's statement

[End of telephone conversation]

     The President's press conference
          -The President's comments
               -Unknown person's [Haig?] advice
          -SALT
               -Phase II negotiations
                      -Conditions
          -Vietnam
               -Costs of North Vietnamese invasion
                      -Laird's estimate
               -Questions
          -SALT
          -Ziegler's comments
          -Questions
               -President's responses
                                                21

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. Jan-02)


                 -SALT
                 -Ziegler’s possible response

     Ziegler's schedule
          -Return time

     Ziegler
          -Ability

Gordon C. Strachan entered at 10:20 am.

     Material
         -Content

Strachan left at 10:21 am.

Haldeman talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 10:21 and 11:10
am.

[Conversation No. 344-14F]

[See Conversation No. 25-117]

[End of telephone conversation]

Haldeman talked with Colson at an unknown time between 10:21 and 11:10 am

[Conversation No. 344-14G]

[See Conversation No. 25-117]

     Weinberger's letter
         -Revisions

[End of telephone conversation]

     School aid
         -Termination
                -Tax credits
         -Weinberger's letter
                -Colson's analysis
                -Commitments
         -George P. Shultz
                                             22

                       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. Jan-02)


            -Elliot L. Richardson
            -Weinberger's letter
                  -Value

    Domestic Council
        -Staff
               -Size
                     -The President’s view
               -Activities
               -Size

    Ziegler's capabilities
         -The President’s view
                -Herbert G. Klein
         -Kissinger
         -Ehrlichman
         -Support of Ziegler

    Kissinger
         -Role
         -Relations with press
         -Style
         -Comparison with Ziegler
               -Knowledge of press

    Press
            -Dwight D. Eisenhower
            -Press secretaries
            -Unknown person [James C. Hagerty?]
            -Ziegler

*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 12
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 3m 55s     ]


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 12

*****************************************************************
                                               23

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. Jan-02)


Haldeman left at 11:25 am.