Conversation: 436-005
Prev: 436-004 Next: 436-006Start Date: 14-May-1973 1:25 PM
End Date: 14-May-1973 2:05 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.; [Unknown person(s)]; Haig, Alexander M., Jr.;Recording Device: Old Executive Office Building
NARA Description:
On May 14, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, unknown person(s), and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:25 pm to 2:05 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 436-005 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 436-5
Date: May 14, 1973
Time: 1:25 pm - 2:05 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.
Watergate
-Ziegler’s previous press briefing on Watergate
-Earl L. Butz’s statement about Sam J. Ervin, Jr.
-Ervin Committee procedures
-Grand jury investigation
-Effect on witnesses
-John W. Dean, III
An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 1:25 pm.
Refreshment
The unknown man left at an unknown time before 2:05 pm.
-Ziegler’s previous press briefing
-President’s speech on Watergate, April, 30
-Dean
-J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr. and Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-President’s statement, August 29, 1972
-Henry A. Kissinger’s activities
-Le Duc Tho
-Press interest
-Motives
-Focus on Watergate
-Public view of President’s role
An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 1:25 pm.
-5-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2012)
Conversation No. 436-5 (cont’d)
Refreshment
The unknown person left at an unknown time before 2:05 pm.
Watergate
-William D. Ruckelshaus
-Ziegler’s previous press briefing
-Leaks and national security
-1969-1971
-Declassification of documents
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman, Ehrlichman and Kissinger
-Ngo Dinh Diem
-Bay of Pigs
-Haig
-Guidelines
-Diem’s death
-President’s belief
-US Army
-Books
-Henry Fairlie’s The Kennedy Promise, Malcolm E. Smith’s John F.
Kennedy’s Thirteen Great Mistakes in the White House
-President’s conversation with Haig
-Ruckelshaus
-Records of wiretaps
-John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B Johnson
-Disposition
-Self-preservation
-Wiretaps
-Kennedy and Johnson
-Kennedy’s actions during steel price crisis
-Possible leak by White House
-Kenneth W. Clawson
-William Baroody, Jr
-President’s assessment
-Access
-President’s statement in news conference
-Federal Bureau of Investigation’s [FBI] records
-6-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2012)
Conversation No. 436-5 (cont’d)
-Kennedy and Johnson
Watergate
-Ziegler’s forthcoming press briefing
-FBI files at the White House
-President’s knowledge
-J. Edgar Hoover
-Possible threats
-William C. Sullivan
-White House cooperation in search for files
-Ehrlichman
-Kissinger
-Role in wiretapping to find source of national security leaks
-Wiretaps
-President’s knowledge
-Danger of leaks to Vietnam War and Strategic Arms Limitation
Talks [SALT] negotiations
-Kissinger’s role
-FBI records
-Kennedy and Johnson
-Ruckelshaus
-Press relations
-Wiretaps
-Possible White House leak to release story
-Hoover
-Johnson and Kennedy
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Ruckelshaus
-White House cooperation
-Legality of wiretaps
-Wiretaps
-John N. Mitchell’s statement
-Richard G. Kleindienst’s statement
-Mitchell’s role
-Files from Johnson and Kennedy
-Possible White House leak
-Ziegler, Patrick J. Buchanan
-7-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2012)
Conversation No. 436-5 (cont’d)
-Effect on Ruckelshaus
-Declassification
-Diem
-Ziegler’s forthcoming press briefing
-White House files on wiretaps
-Mitchell’s opinion of Hoover
-Sullivan
-Hoover
-Robert C. Mardian
-Erlichman
-Dean
-Possible attacks
-Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III
Watergate
-Ziegler’s previous press briefing
-Gray
-FBI files
-Haig
-Ruckelshaus
The President talked with Haig at an unknown time between 1:25 pm and 2:05 pm.
[Conversation No. 436-5A]
[Begin telephone conversation]
Watergate
-FBI files
-Wiretaps during Kennedy and Johnson administrations
-Ruckelshaus
-Location
-President’s conversation with Ziegler
-Daniel Ellsberg
[End telephone conversation]
-8-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2012)
Conversation No. 436-5 (cont’d)
Watergate
-President’s previous conversation
-Letter to Hoover
-Egil (“Bud”) Krogh and Plumbers
-Washington Star story
-President’s letter to Hoover concerning Krogh
-Pentagon Papers investigation
-President’s knowledge
-Plumbers
-Ellsberg burglary
-Krogh
-Ziegler’s previous press briefing
-Krogh
-President’s knowledge
-Haig
-Buzhardt
-Role in White House
-Contrasted with Haldeman’s role
-Krogh
-President’s orders
-White House strategy
-Contrasted with actions
-Location of FBI files
-Ziegler’s forthcoming press briefing
-Ruckelshaus
-President’s knowledge and activities
-Wiretaps
-Leaks
-Haldeman, Ehrlichman
-Pentagon Papers
-SALT
-National Security Study Memoranda [NSSMs]
-9-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2012)
Conversation No. 436-5 (cont’d)
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[National security]
[Duration: 12 s ]
INDIA-PAKISTAN
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************
Watergate
-White House roles
-Kissinger
-Haig
-Buzhardt’s role
-Leonard Garment
-Dean’s documents
-News summary
-President’s annotated note for Dean
-President’s conversation with Lawrence M. Higby
-President’s handling of news summary action items
-Haldeman, Ehrlichman and Krogh
-Possible memorandum from President
-White House strategy
-President’s schedule
-White House files on wiretaps
-Ehrlichman’s departure from staff
-Mitchell’s statement
-Haig and Buzhardt
-White House strategy
Ziegler’s forthcoming conversation with Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-10-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2012)
Conversation No. 436-5 (cont’d)
-President’s schedule
-Nelson A. Rockefeller
Ziegler left at 2:05 pm.