Conversation: 440-027
Prev: 440-026 Next: 440-028Start Date: 22-May-1973 6:05 PM
End Date: 22-May-1973 7:10 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.; Bush, George H. W.; Harlow, Bryce N.; Griffin, Robert P.; Scott, Hugh; Ford, Gerald R.; Arends, Leslie C.; Timmons, William E.; Ziegler, Ronald L.; Sanchez, Manolo;Recording Device: Old Executive Office Building
NARA Description:
On May 22, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., George H. W. Bush, Bryce N. Harlow, Robert P. Griffin, Hugh Scott, Gerald R. Ford, Leslie C. Arends, William E. Timmons, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:05 pm to 7:10 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 440-027 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 440-27
Date: May 22, 1973
Time: 6:05 pm - 7:10 pm
Location: Old Executive Office Building
The President met with Alexander M. Haig, Jr., George H. W. Bush, Bryce N. Harlow, Robert P.
Griffin, Hugh Scott, Gerald R. Ford, Leslie C. Arends, William E. Timmons, and Ronald L.
Ziegler.
Greetings
Manolo Sanchez entered at 6:05 pm.
Refreshment
Sanchez left at 6:05 pm.
Housing
Watergate
-Bush
-Allegations
-White House response
-Harlow’s meeting with Ford, 5/22
-Forthcoming White Paper
-13-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-2011)
Conversation No. 440-27 (cont’d)
-Congressional support
President’s schedule
-Meetings with Republican Congress members
-Size and composition
-Leadership
-Politics
-Harlow
-1968 meeting
-Leadership group
-Size
-Haig
-Bush
-Attendance
-Haig, Timmons [?]
-Harlow
-Self-importance of Congress members
-President’s speaking engagements
-Size of audience
-Haldeman
-Soviet Union
Watergate
-Forthcoming White Paper
-Summary
-Distribution
-Ford’s meeting with Republican House leaders, May 22
President’s schedule
-Meeting with Republican Congress members
-House of Representatives
-Size and composition
-Timing
-Creation of agenda
-Meeting, May 23
-Earl L. Butz and Rogers C. B. Morton
-Creation of agenda
-14-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-2011)
Conversation No. 440-27 (cont’d)
-Consultation
-Timing
-Leadership
-Problems in writing
-Structure
-Bugging
-Lyndon B. Johnson’s activities
-President’s airplane
-Harlow
-Rowland Evans and Richard Novak’s book on 1964 campaign
-Howard H. Baker, Jr.
-Reports to Johnson
-Intelligence gathering activities
-“Double standard”
-Newspaper columns
-Barry M. Goldwater
-Senate Committee
-“Double standard”
Watergate
-1972 campaign practices
-Violence
-George S. McGovern
-San Francisco
-Republican National Convention [RNC]
-Howard H. Baker, Jr.
-Campaign practices
-Bugging the Democratic National Committee
-Results
-Possible release
-Rationale
-Hugh Scott
-Rumor
-Affair
-Tom Brookings [?]
-Exposure
-Baker
-15-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-2011)
Conversation No. 440-27 (cont’d)
-Release
-Wiretaps
-National Security Council [NSC]
-Leak
-Ervin Committee
-Daniel Ellsberg
-Morton H. Halperin
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Privacy]
[Duration: 26 s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
*****************************************************************
Watergate
-Ellsberg
-Role in Elliot L. Richardson’s hearings
-John V. Tunney
-Robert C. Byrd
-National security
-Popular opinion
-White House response
-Forthcoming White Paper
-National security
-National security
-Leaks
-Effect on US relations with People’s Republic of China
[PRC], Soviet Union, Vietnam
Administration’s foreign policy accomplishments
-Secret negotiations
-16-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-2011)
Conversation No. 440-27 (cont’d)
-Forthcoming communique on Vietnam
Watergate
-Wiretaps
- Haldeman
-Ehrlichman
-Kissinger
-President’s reaction
-Leaks
US relations with PRC, Soviet Union
-Pretext
-Cancellation
-White House response
-Leaks
-President’s possible schedule
-Norfolk, Virginia
-Effect
-State judgeship election in Pennsylvania
-Compromise
-Vote count
-Primary
Watergate
-Congressional Republicans’ response
-Ellsberg information
-W. Matthew Byrne
-Possible release
-Ervin Committee hearings
-Ervin Committee hearings
-Foreign Relations Committee vote
-Scott and Gale W. McGee
-Richardson
-Senate confirmation hearings
-Egil (“Bud”) Krogh’s attempts to contact Richardson
-Ehrlichman’s call to Richardson
-Byrd’s filibuster
-White House response
-17-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-2011)
Conversation No. 440-27 (cont’d)
-President’s possible press conference
-Timing
*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
Republican Coordinating Committee
-President’s role, 1965-1968
-Republican National Committee [RNC]
-Leadership
-Governorships
-Meeting with President
-Democratic National Committee [DNC] Convention
-Collaboration with White House
-Attendees
-President
-Thomas E. Dewey
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Nelson A. Rockefeller
-Harlow
-Meeting with President
-Bush
-Rockefeller
-Location
-Governors
-Submission of plan
-Timing
-US-Soviet Union Summit
-Congressional summer recess
Watergate
-Poll
-Mills E. Godwin, Jr.’s conversation with Bush
-Effect on Republican Party
-Marjorie Holt and Annapolis mayoralty
-Pennsylvania election
-18-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-2011)
Conversation No. 440-27 (cont’d)
-Effect on Republican Party
-Leadership
-Chairmanships
-Forthcoming White Paper
-Southern Governors Meeting
-Clark Reed
-Negative message
-Chicago
-New York Times
-Reed’s press conference, May 21
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************
Watergate
-White House response
-Forthcoming White Paper
-Effect
-Ziegler’s press briefing, May 22
-President’s possible press conference
-Effect
-President’s culpability
-1972 campaign
-President’s foreign policy activities
-Forthcoming White Paper
-President’s possible press conference
-President’s schedule
Press relations
-President’s press conference
-President’s schedule
-Prisoner of war events
-Public relations
-Leaks
-Dean documents
-Ziegler
-Problems
-19-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-2011)
Conversation No. 440-27 (cont’d)
-Forthcoming Paris Communique
-President’s message to South Vietnam
Leonid I. Brezhnev
-Forthcoming visit to US
-Speech
-Congress
-Political role
-Head of state, Communist Party
-Television [TV]
-Compared with Nikita S. Kruschev
-Ukraine [?]
-Importance
Watergate
-Erwin Committee hearings [?]
-White House response
-Possible press conference by President
-Timing
-Format
-Ziegler
-Format
-Network newsmen
-Protocols
-Questions
-Network newsmen
Watergate
-White House response
-Possible press conference by President
-Format
-Newsmen
-Forthcoming White Paper
Foreign policy
-Timmons
-Hardhats
-20-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-2011)
Conversation No. 440-27 (cont’d)
-Cambodia
-Arends
-Congressional votes
-Freshmen Republicans
Bush, Griffin, Scott, Ford, Arends, Timmons and Ziegler left at 7:02 pm.
Watergate
-White House response
-President’s possible press conference
-Harlow’s conversation with Goldwater
-Haig’s conversation with Henry N. (“Scoop”) Jackson
-Popular opinion
-Billy Sol Estes
-Robert G. (“Bobby”) Baker
-Sherman Adams
-[Unintelligible name]
-Harry H. Vaughn
-President’s possible resignation
-Special Prosecutor
-Erwin Committee
Haig
-Morale
Haig and Harlow left at 7:10 pm.