Conversation: 432-037
Prev: 432-036 Next: 432-038Start Date: 9-May-1973 2:31 PM
End Date: 9-May-1973 3:55 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.; Ziegler, Ronald L.; White House operator;Recording Device: Old Executive Office Building
NARA Description:
On May 9, 1973, 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. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 432-037 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 432-37
Date: May 9, 1973
Time: 2:31 pm - 3:55 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and Ronald L. Ziegler.
Watergate
-Haig’s conversation with Elliot L. Richardson
-Selection of special prosecutor
-Possible choices
-Qualifications
-Confirmation hearings
-Responsibilities of Attorney General
-Special prosecutor
-Press release
-Content
John B. Connally
-Conflict of interest
-Financial situation
-Position with White House
-Special advisor
-Unofficial
-Compensation
-Activities
-Consultation
-Public service
-Compensation
-Conflict of interests
-Divertiture
-Law practice analogy
-Operational responsibilities
Watergate
-John W. Dean, III [?]
-38-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. September-2011)
Conversation No. 432-37 (cont’d)
-Richardson
-Confirmation hearings
-Approval
-Delay
-Activities
-Defense Department
-Confirmation hearings
-Answers to questions regarding a special prosecutor [?]
-Attorney General’s responsibilities
-Independence of special prosecutor
-William E. Timmons
-Thomas C. Korologos
-Confirmation hearings
-James O. Eastland
-Committee members
-Barry M. Goldwater, Sr.
-Timmons
-Richardson
-Confirmation
-Haig’s call to William P. Rogers
-Senators
-Minority report
-Special prosecutor
-Confirmation
-Back-up position [?]
-Consolation [?]
-[Unintelligible]
-Dean’s documents
-John J. Wilson
-Strategy
-Ervin Committee hearings
-J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr.’s meeting with Wilson
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Executive privilege
-Statement on executive privilege
-Procedures
-Leonard Garment
-39-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. September-2011)
Conversation No. 432-37 (cont’d)
-Guidelines
-Buzhardt
-White House documents
-Lawyers
-Nervousness
-Response
-Timing
-Problems
-Haldeman [?]
-Garment
-White House documents
-Haldeman’s diaries and notes of conversations
-Dean’s papers
-Violation of executive privilege
-Statement
-Buzhardt [?]
-Executive privilege
-Conversations
-Language
-Ziegler
-Verbal communications
-Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Dean
-Leaks
-Interpretation
-Verbal, paper communications
-Conversation with President
-Watergate break-in
-Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Dean
-President’s advantage
-Haig’s opinion
-Rogers’s advice
-Consistency
-President’s view
-Richardson [?]
-Executive papers, diaries
-Haldeman
-Ehrlichman [?]
-40-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. September-2011)
Conversation No. 432-37 (cont’d)
-Los Angeles Times
-Conversations with President
-Haldeman
-Ehrlichman [?]
-Richardson [?]
-Executive session
-Questions
-Haldeman
-Ehrlichman
-Haldeman
-Dean
-John N. Mitchell
-William J. Casey
-Robert C. Odle, Jr.
-Ehrlichman, Haldeman
-Testimony
-Notes, memorandum use
-Morale
-Presidential papers
-Haldeman, Ehrlichman
-Lawyers
-Statement on executive privilege
-Leak
-Use of presidential papers [?]
-Permission
-Relevant matters
-Legal strategy
-Garment’s proposal
-Wilson’s reaction
-Haig’s conversation with Haldeman
-Buzhardt
-Meetings with H. Chapman (“Chappie”) Rose and Wilson
-Wilson’s hardline [?]
-Ziegler
-Conversations with Rose, Buzhardt, and Wilson
-Roy L. Ash [?]
-Coordination of legal defense
-41-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. September-2011)
Conversation No. 432-37 (cont’d)
-Wilson
-Ervin Committee
-Cooperation
-Ziegler’s statement
-President’s speech
-Haldeman, Ehrlichman
-Compared to Vietnam negotiations
-“Line of defense”
-Haldeman, Ehrlichman
-Loss of control over Dean
-Conversations with President
-Charles W. Colson
-Cooperation
-Dwight L. Chapin
-Ehrlichman, Haldeman
-Colson
-Activities
-Ervin Committee appearance
-Executive privilege [?]
-Lawyer
-Richardson [?]
-Activities
-E. Howard Hunt, Jr.
-Strategy
-Dean
-Comments
-Ziegler
-Outsiders
-[First name unknown] Black [?], Edwin Meese, III
-Statement
-Timing
-[Unintelligible]
-Lawrence F. O’Brien, Jr.
-Statement [?]
-Legal strategy
-Grand jury
-Indictment
-42-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. September-2011)
Conversation No. 432-37 (cont’d)
-White House position
-Hardline regarding cooperation
-Ervin Committee
-Executive session [?]
-John J. Sirica [?]
-[Grand jury relocation] [?]
-Maryland
-Public relations
-Ervin Committee
-Responsibility to wait [?]
-Garment
-Conversations with Samuel J. Ervin, Jr., Howard H. Baker, Jr.
-Grand jury’s progress
-Ervin Committee hearings
-Television [TV] spectacular
-Obstructions by Administration
-Majority
-Grand jury
-Special prosecutor [?]
-[Unintelligible]
-White House staff members
-Testimony [?]
-James W. McCord, Jr.
-E. Howard Hunt, Jr. [?]
-Hugh W. Sloan, Jr.
-Haldeman, Ehrlichman
-Haig
-Committee hearings compared to judicial process
-Defendants
-Justice
-Disclosure of facts
-Grand jury indictments
-Jury trial
-Committee’s investigative scope
-Ziegler’s opinion
-Legal and public relations issue
-Delay [?]
-43-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. September-2011)
Conversation No. 432-37 (cont’d)
-Confusion [?]
-Public perceptions [?]
-Committee
-TV
-Demogoguery
-Impact of TV
-Grand jury process
-Indictment
-Trial
-Public perception
-Right to trial by jury
-Excess of investigation
-Public committee hearings, grand jury, court cases
-Ehrlichman example [?]
-Trial compared with committee executive session
-Ervin committee
-Staff
-Samuel Dash
-TV
-Full disclosure
-Money
-Testimony
-Hunt
-Public interest
-White House interest
-Strategy
-Investigation by administration
-Compared to Congress
-Judicial process
-Administration’s preference
-Publicity
-Haig
-Cooperation with Committee
-White House staff compared with Hunt
-“Ultimate weapon”
-Advantages
-Dean
-44-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. September-2011)
Conversation No. 432-37 (cont’d)
-Special prosecutor
-Role
-Indictments
-Richardson’s confirmation
-Party affiliation
-Immediate assignment
-“Showboat”
-Dash
-Judicial process
-Judicial process compared to committee hearings
-Haldeman, Ehrlichman
-Committee
-Staff
-Haig’s conversation with Rogers
-[Executive] [?] privilege
-Richardson’s confirmation
-Committee hearings
-Delays
-Dean’s documents
-Motions
-National mood
-Haig’s opinion
-Garment
-Motion
-Telephone call
Haig talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 2:31 pm and 3:55 pm.
[Conversation No. 432-37A]
[Begin telephone conversation]
[See Conversation No. 45-171]
[End telephone conversation]
Forthcoming vote in Congress
-45-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. September-2011)
Conversation No. 432-37 (cont’d)
-Funding
-William E. Timmons’s assessment
Watergate
Haig talked with Leonard Garment at an unknown time between 2:31 pm and 3:55 pm.
[Conversation No. 432-37B]
[Begin telephone conversation]
[See Conversation No. 45-172]
[End telephone conversation]
Watergate
-Documents
-Dean
-White House strategy
-Prosecutors
-Richardson
-Documents
-Content
-Return
-Dean
-President’s schedule
-Documents
-Possible release
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-Speech material
Haig and Ziegler left at 3:55 pm.
-46-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. September-2011)
Conversation No. 432-38 (cont’d)