Conversation No. 438-27

Date: May 22, 1973
Time: 9:55 am - 11:28 am
Location: Old Executive Office Building

The President met with Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr.

       Haig’s and Buzhardt’s health

       Watergate
             -Forthcoming White Paper [Statements about the Watergate investigation, May
              22, 1973]
                    -Checking facts
                             -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman, Charles W. Colson
                              and Henry E. Petersen
                    -Possible press questions for Ronald L. Ziegler
                    -Phraseology
                    -Content
                    -Staff assistance
                             -Bryce N. Harlow, Raymond K. Price, Jr., Patrick J. Buchanan,
                              Leonard Garment, David N. Parker, and Ziegler
                    -Phraseology           

             -Leak         

             -Thomas C. Huston’s testimony 

             -Forthcoming White Paper           

                    -Huston Plan
                             -Memoranda
                                     -Ehrlichman, Haldeman
                                     -J. Edgar Hoover
                    -Henry A. Kissinger           

                    -Phraseology           

                             -[William] Stuart Symington [?]

             -President’s knowledge          


       President’s discussion with Kissinger and Haig 

              -North Vietnam

                                      -28-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                Tape Subject Log
                               (rev. October-2011)

                                                       Conversation No. 438-27 (cont’d)

       -Daniel Ellsberg [?]

       -Nuclear war          

       -Attacks        

       -Consideration of options        

              -Discussion         

              -Approval         


Watergate
      -Forthcoming White Paper
             -Phraseology
                     -Egil (“Bud”) Krogh, Jr. and E. Howard Hunt, Jr.
                     -David R. Young, Jr. and G. Gordon Liddy
                     -Colson
                     -Krogh
             -President’s knowledge of break-in at Ellsberg’s psychiatrist office
             -Phraseology          

                     -Young’s memos            

                     -Plans for Ellsberg         

                             -President’s knowledge
                                     -Approval
                                             -Staff
                                             -Krogh
      -President’s possible conversation with Hoover 

      -Memoranda of conversation [memcons] 

             -President’s meeting with Marco [?] Hooper 

      -Huston Plan         

             -Hoover          

      -Forthcoming White Paper           

             -President’s role        

                     -Phraseology          

                             -Krogh          

      -Break-in at Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office 

             -President’s role        

      -Forthcoming White Paper           

             -Phraseology          

      -President’s role         

             -Authorization of illegal activities      

                               -29-

    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                        Tape Subject Log
                       (rev. October-2011)

                                                Conversation No. 438-27 (cont’d)

       -John N. Mitchell
-Forthcoming White Paper
       -Phraseology          

               -Watergate compared to national security        

               -Hunt [?]        

-Ellsberg break-in
       -Ehrlichman’s knowledge
       -John W. Dean, III’s knowledge
       -Petersen’s knowledge
       -Petersen’s conversation with President
       -President’s meeting with Petersen and Richard G. Kleindienst
       -Petersen’s knowledge
               -Earl Silbert’s memo, April 15        

               -Ehrlichman and Haldeman          

               -Jeb S[tuart] Magruder        

       -President’s phone conversation with Petersen, April 18
               -President’s motives
       -Silbert
               -Views regarding informing William M. Byrne, Jr.
       -Effect on court case
-Ellsberg wiretap
       -Effect on court case        

               -Hunt        

               -Leaks         

-Wiretap
       -Release to court
               -General [First name unknown] Corbett [?]
                       -Haig
               -Content
                       -Libel [?]
       -Possible leak
-Forthcoming White Paper
       -Phraseology
               -Release of information to Byrne
               -President’s conversation with L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III
               -Committee to Re-elect the President [CRP]
               -Haldeman and Ehrlichman
                              -30-

    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                        Tape Subject Log
                       (rev. October-2011)

                                               Conversation No. 438-27 (cont’d)

               -Dean
-Lt. Gen. Vernon A. Walters
       -Symington’s efforts          

               -Richard M. Helms          

               -Senate Armed Services Committee           

               -John C. Stennis and Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson 

-Helms’s testimony
       -Dr. James R. Schlesinger’s call to Haig, May 22
               -Perjury
-President’s conversation with Helms
       -Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] involvement in Watergate
       -Book by former CIA man, Lt. Col. Lucien E. Conein
-Helms
       -Conversation with President           

               -Kleindienst        

               -White House tapes           

       -Schlesinger’s call to Haig, May 22
               -Robert S. McNamara             

       -Forthcoming White House White Paper 

       -Conversation with President           

               -[Watergate investigation]
                       -Compared to Gray
       -Testimony
               -Ervin Committee
                       -Concern
-Forthcoming White Paper
       -Phraseology
               -Money for defendants, clemency
               -Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] interviews with White
                House staff 

               -Political espionage         

               -Donald H. Segretti          

               -1972 campaign          

               -Wiretaps         

                       -National security        

               -Ziegler        

               -President’s role        

                                             -31-


                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM 


                                       Tape Subject Log 

                                      (rev. October-2011)

                                                              Conversation No. 438-27 (cont’d)

              -Archibald Cox
              -Walters’s memcons            

                      -Time of creation          

                      -Helms        

              -Schlesinger        

              -Elliot L. Richardson          

              -Cox         

                      -Statement regarding investigation
              -Forthcoming White Paper
                      -Executive privilege         

              -Focus of world opinion 

              -1972 campaign            

                      -United States Secret Service [USSS]
                      -Danger to the President
                             -George S. McGovern’s role
                                      -California, Florida, and New York incidents
                      -Comparison of violence and wiretapping
              -Forthcoming White Paper
                      -Phraseology
                             -Price
                             -Obstruction of justice
                             -Clemency
                             -President’s knowledge of Ellsberg break-in
                                      -Timing         

                      -Executive privilege         

              -White House strategy            

                      -Ziegler        


       Refreshments

The President left at an unknown time after 9:55 am.

The President entered at an unknown time before 11:28 am.

       Watergate      

             -Harlow       

                    -William E. Timmons              

                                -32-

    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                         Tape Subject Log
                        (rev. October-2011)

                                                 Conversation No. 438-27 (cont’d)

        -Forthcoming meetings
               -Hugh Scott, George H. W. Bush, Leslie C. Arends, Gerald R.
                Ford, and Robert P. Griffin
               -Stennis and Strom Thurmond
-Haig
      -Forthcoming meeting with Jackson
-George H. Mahon

-Harlow
-President’s schedule
        -Bipartisan congressmen
                -Harlow
        -Republicans
-Buchanan
        -Forthcoming meeting with Spiro T. Agnew
-Forthcoming White Paper
        -Distribution        

                -Cabinet         

                -Schlesinger and Richardson        

                -Peterson, Cox        

                -Petersen, Richardson       

-President’s schedule
        -Republican congressmen and Bush
-Forthcoming White Paper
        -Distribution        

                -Howard H. Baker, Jr., Samuel J. Ervin, Jr. 

                -Foreign Relations [Committee]        

                       -Leonard Garment [?]
-Price, Buchanan
-Young
        -Contact with President         

                -Krogh         

        -Ehrlichman’s opinion
-Dean
-White House strategy
-Forthcoming White Paper
                                              -33-


                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM 


                                       Tape Subject Log 

                                      (rev. October-2011)

                                                            Conversation No. 438-27 (cont’d)

Haig and Buzhardt left at 11:28 am.