Conversation: 401-016
Prev: 401-015 Next: 401-017Start Date: 9-Jan-1973 3:09 PM
End Date: 9-Jan-1973 4:25 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Colson, Charles W.; [Unknown person(s)]; Sanchez, Manolo; Romney, Lenore L.; White House operator; Bull, Stephen B.; Ehrlichman, John D.; White House operator; Rebozo, Charles G. ("Bebe");Recording Device: Old Executive Office Building
NARA Description:
On January 9, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Charles W. Colson, unknown person(s), Manolo Sanchez, Lenore L. Romney, White House operator, Stephen B. Bull, John D. Ehrlichman, White House operator, and Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:09 pm and 4:25 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 401-016 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 401-16
Date: January 9, 1973
Time: Unknown between 3:09 pm and 4:25 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
Haldeman's meeting with Richard M. Helms
Melvin R. Laird
The President's conversation with Ronald L. Ziegler
-Francis L. Dale
-Possible job
-Washington Star
Charles W. Colson entered at 3:10 pm.
The President's birthday
Washington Post
-Future
Washington Star
-9-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-09)
Conversation No. 401-16 (cont’d)
-Possible sale
-Television TV station (WMAL)
-William F. Buckley
-Martin Agronsky
-Rivals
-Possible sale
-Financial status
-Television station (WMAL)
-Value
-Problems
-Dale
-Morning newspapers
-Compared to afternoon newspapers
-Circulation
-Washington Post
-Effect of sale of Washington Star
-TV Station
-Problems of morning newspaper
-Compared to evening newspaper
-Advertising
-Circulation
Otis Chandler [?]
-Los Angeles
-Advice to Colson
-Letter to the President
-Chandler family [?]
Watergate
-Legal case
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-1973 Inauguration
-Washington Post
-Katharine L. Graham
Internal Revenue Service [IRS]
-Nomination for commissioner
-George D. Webster
-Conversation with Colson on confirmation
-The President's conversation with Haldeman
-10-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-09)
Conversation No. 401-16 (cont’d)
-Example for others
-Webster
-Confirmation possibilities
-George P. Shultz
-John B. Connally
-Background
-Statement to newspapers
-Russell B. Long
-Webster
-Partisanship
-Chairmanships of Lawyers for Nixon
-John H. Alexander
-Requirements for commissioner
-Compared to Federal Communications Commission [FCC]
-Securities Exchange Commission [SEC]
-Colson's recommendation
-John W. Dean, III
-Lawsuit problem
The President talked with Lenore Romney between 3:24 pm and 3:25 pm.
[Conversation No. 401-16A]
[See Conversation No. 35-116]
[End of telephone conversation]
IRS commissioner
-Requirements
-Webster
-Tax payments
*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
-The President’s and Colson’s experiences
-Loans
[End of segment reviewed under deed of gift]
-11-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-09)
Conversation No. 401-16 (cont’d)
*****************************************************************
-Qualities
-Alexander
-Investigation of the President's friends
-Dependability
-Timing
-Webster
-Knowledge
-Exchange of correspondence
-Work ethic
-Colson's conversation with Haldeman
Webster
-Possible SEC or Federal Trade Commission [FTC] position
-Qualities
-Support of business
-Donald McI Kendall
-Confirmation possibilities
-Compared to IRS
William J. Casey
-Confirmation with SEC
Webster
-Possible commission appointment
-SEC
-Compared to Lewis Engman
-IRS
-Compared to FTC
Engman
-Qualities
-Work on revenue sharing
-Age
-Compared to Webster
-Compared to [First name unknown] Fitzpatrick
-Telephone call from the President
-Credentials
-12-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-09)
Conversation No. 401-16 (cont’d)
-Philadelphia
Webster
-FTC
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Letter
-Leonard Garment [?]
-Conversation with Colson
-Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Alternative position for Engman
-Assistant secretary
-SEC
The President’s appointments
-Choices
-Casey
-Recommendation of Connally's
-Federal Power Commission
-Civil Aeronautics Board [CAB] appointee
-Robert D. Timm
The President's schedule
-Inaugural speech
-Staffing
-Recommendations from Colson and Haldeman
-Timing
Replacement for Colson
-Kenneth W. Clawson
-Age
-Management skills
-Buchanan
-Management skills
-Compared to Clawson
-William J. Baroody
-Readiness
-Training
-Colson’s presence
-Importance
-Clawson
-Buchanan
-13-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-09)
Conversation No. 401-16 (cont’d)
-Baroody
-Advantages
-Responsibility
-Intelligence
-Clawson
-Compared to Baroody
-Campaign work
Frederic V. Malek
-Political work
-Representatives of "New Majority"
-Nixon loyalists
-Ethnic candidates
-Peter J. Brennan
-Secretary of Labor
-Undersecretary of Commerce
-Background
-General Electric [GE]
-Lists of possible appointees
-Qualifications
-Business background, political acumen
-Accomplishments
-Compared to Dwight D. Eisenhower administration
-Colson's experience
-Brennan
-Labor Department
-Departments
-Roy L. Ash
-Director, Office of Management and Budget [OMB]
-Confirmation possibilities
-Reorganization plan
-The President's conversation with Ehrlichman
-Congressional relations
-Chet Holifield
-Compared to first term
-Sequoia, Camp David, airplanes
-Efforts evaluated
An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 3:25 pm.
-14-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-09)
Conversation No. 401-16 (cont’d)
Refreshments
The unknown person left at an unknown time before 4:11 pm.
The President's appointments
-Colson's future role
-Malek
-Political loyalty
-Confirmations
-William P. Rogers
-Justice Department
-Honors program
-Eisenhower's judicial appointees
-Earl Warren, Potter Stewart, William J. Brennan, Jr.
-Missouri judge
-[First name unknown] Whitaker
-New York judge
-Death
-Corporate lawyer
-Hugo L. Black [?]
-John M. Harlan
-Stewart
-Ohio
-Clement F. Haynsworth, Jr.
-Compared to Lewis F. Powell, Jr.
-Corporate executives, lawyers, businessman
-Democrats
-Professors, lawyers, journalists
-Political orientation
-Speeches
-Voters
News story on a black sniper
-Washington Post
-Wire services
-Witnesses
-Racism
American Civil Liberties Union [ACLU]
-Washington Post, New York Times
-15-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-09)
Conversation No. 401-16 (cont’d)
-Civil rights of a group
-Racism
Brennan
-Comments on nomination in an editorial
-Thomas W. Braden
-“Patrick J. Brennan”
-New coalition
-Democrats
-George S. McGovern
-Walter F. Mondale
-Racial discrimination
-Snobbery
The President talked with an unknown person at an unknown time before 3:25 pm.
Southern strategy
-Importance
-Democrats
-Labor
-Column
-Election
-Braden
-Richard M. Scammon [?]
Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 3:25 pm.
Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo
-Location
-Meeting with the President
Sanchez left at an unknown time before 4:11 pm.
The President’s schedule
-Request for a car
-Location
-Escort
-Timing
-Limousine
-Glass divider
-16-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-09)
Conversation No. 401-16 (cont’d)
-Location
Haldeman talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 3:25 pm and 4:11
pm.
[Conversation No. 401-16B]
[See Conversation No. 35-117]
[End of telephone conversation]
Haldeman talked with Stephen B. Bull at an unknown time between 3:25 pm and 4:11 pm.
[Conversation No. 401-16C]
[See Conversation No. 35-117]
The President's schedule
-Ride with Rebozo
-Requirements
-Timing
[The above portion of the office conversation took place simultaneously with Conversation No.
401-16C]
[End of telephone conversation]
Ehrlichman talked with the President between 4:11 pm and 4:15 p.m.
[Conversation No. 401-16D]
[See Conversation No. 35-118]
[End of telephone conversation]
The President's schedule
-Don Johnson, Russell Train, Counsellors
The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 4:15 pm and
4:16 pm.
-17-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-09)
Conversation No. 401-16 (cont’d)
[Conversation No. 401-16E]
[See Conversation No. 35-119]
[End of telephone conversation]
The President's birthday
-White House staff observance
The President talked with Rebozo between 4:16 pm and 4:17 pm.
[Conversation No. 401-16F]
[See Conversation No. 35-120]
[End of telephone conversation]
Car location
[The above part of the office conversation took place simultaneously with Conversation No. 401-
16F]
The President's birthday
-White House staff observance
-Timing
-Bull
-Roses
Watergate
-Guilty pleas
-G. Gordon Liddy
-Demands for trial
-Reasons
-Other defendants
-James W. McCord, Jr.
-Liddy
-Possible effects of trial
-Congressional investigation
-Immunity
-18-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Feb-09)
Conversation No. 401-16 (cont’d)
-Contempt charge
-John’s [last name unknown] view
-Surveillance
The President, Haldeman, and Colson left at 4:25 pm.