President Nixon, H.R. Haldeman, and Clark MacGregor held an extensive meeting to discuss legislative business, specifically the Social Security bill, alongside a major focus on the emerging Watergate scandal. The participants coordinated efforts to manage the political fallout and investigation regarding the Committee to Re-elect the President, including the involvement of G. Gordon Liddy, E. Howard Hunt, and John Mitchell. They deliberated on creating a strategic 'scenario' to handle the cover-up, addressed campaign finance irregularities, and managed the optics of John Mitchell's potential resignation.
Audio for this conversation has not yet been released by the National Archives.
NARA DescriptionOn June 30, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Clark MacGregor, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, David C. Hoopes, Ronald L. Ziegler, Rose Mary Woods, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:30 pm to 6:15 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 745-002 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 745-2
Date: June 30, 1972
Time: 4:30-6:15 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Clark MacGregor.
Social Security bill
-Conference Committee
-Wilbur D. Mills, Albert C. Ullman, James A. Burke, John W. Byrnes, Jackson E.
Betts
-Frank F. Church amendment
-Integrity of trust fund
-Effect of bill
-Possible veto
-Byrnes
-Procedures of conference committee
-Mills action
-John J. Rhodes, John B. Anderson, H. Allen Smith, Byrnes, Leslie C. Arends
-Opposition to bill
-George H. Mahon
-Richard K. Cook
-Senate actions
-Wallace F. Bennett amendment
(rev. Feb-02)
-George P. Shultz
-Tax break
-Flood victims
-Washington Star editorial
-Support of the President's position on Church amendment
-Length of conference session
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 2m 4s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
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John N. Mitchell
-International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT]
-Martha (Beall) Mitchell
-Problems
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 9m 7s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
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(rev. Feb-02)
MacGregor's staff
-Cook and Thomas C. Korologos
-William E. Timmons
-Responsibilities
-Congress
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 19s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
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-Martha Mitchell
-Newsweek call to Barbara MacGregor
Haldeman entered at 4:48 pm.
MacGregor's staff
-Timmons
-Congressional affairs
-Convention
-Notification by Haldeman
-Salary
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 19m 24s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
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(rev. Feb-02)
Watergate break-in
-Committee to Reelect the President's [CRP] involvement
-White House involvement
-Cubans
-Mitchell
-E. Howard Hunt, Jr.
-Role in White House
-Bay of Pigs
-Narcotics
-Other activities
-Cubans
-Bay of Pigs
-Charles W. Colson's involvement
-Cubans' connection with CRP
-G. Gordon Liddy
-Maurice H. Stans
-Egil (“Bud”) Krogh, Jr.
-Firing by CRP
-Involvement
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
-Mitchell
-Reasons for resignation
-The President’s view
-"Fix"
-Reason for bugging Democratic National Committee
-James W. McCord, Jr.’s involvement
-F. Lee Bailey
-Effect on the President's candidacy
-Compared to ITT
-McGregor's background
-Possible statement on Mitchell's involvement
-Hunt
-Wiretapping equipment
-Activities
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Colson's involvement
-Pentagon Papers
-McCord
-Bailey
-Guilty pleas
-Indictments
(rev. Feb-02)
-Government involvement
-Richard M. Helms
-CIA
-Anti-Castro activities
-Cubans
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 19m 7s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
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-MacGregor's role
-Campaign financing
-MacGregor’s response
-W. Clement Stone
-John A. Mulcahy
-Stans
-Democrats
-Mafia, foreign contributions
-Reasons for secrecy
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 5m 36s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
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Social Security bill
(rev. Feb-02)
The President left at an unknown time before 5:52 pm.
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 45s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
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The President returned at an unknown time before 5:52 pm.
MacGregor left and David C. Hoopes entered at 5:52 pm
Pending legislation
-Migratory waterfowl
-Veto
-Private bills
Hoopes left at 5:58 pm.
Previous meeting with MacGregor
-Liddy
Watergate cover-up
-Liddy to prepare scenario
-Compared to Gen. John D. Lavelle
-Check from Kenneth Dahlberg
-Campaign finance deadline
-Mitchell's involvement
-Laundering money
-Timing of announcement
-Liddy
-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] investigation
-John W. Dean, III
-Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo
(rev. Feb-02)
-FBI investigation
-CIA
-Hunt's involvement
-Cubans
-Focus of scenario
-Funds
-Dahlberg
-Dwayne O. Andreas
-Strategy
-Other involvements
-Colson
-Krogh
-John D. Ehrlichman
-David R. Young, Jr.
-Pentagon Papers investigation
Ronald L. Ziegler entered at 6:02 pm.
Reuters story
-John B. Connally's involvement in Paris negotiations
-Ziegler’s response
The President's meeting with Richard G. Kleindienst
-Supreme Court decision on capital punishment
-Applications of capital punishment
Ziegler left at 6:03 pm.
MacGregor
-Financial situation
-Employment at White House
Watergate cover-up
-Liddy's scenario
-Mitchell's suggestion
-Dean
-Liddy
-Scenario
-White House support
-Democratic National Committee break-in
-Finance irregularities
-Pardons for burglars
(rev. Feb-02)
-Bobby Baker scandals
-Lyndon B. Johnson's role
-Effect on Johnson's election
-Campaign finances
MacGregor's selection
-Informing people
List
-Previous telephone calls from members of the Cabinet
Haldeman talked with Rose Mary Woods at an unknown time between 6:03 and 6:14 pm.
[Conversation No. 745-2A]
The President’s previous press conference
-List of cabinet officers
-Telephone calls
-Delivery to the President
[End of telephone conversation]
Watergate cover-up
Mitchell's resignation
-FBI investigation
The President's schedule
-California
-Ronald W. Reagan
-Briefing by Henry A. Kissinger
Reagan's trips
-Europe and Japan
-Compared to Spiro T. Agnew
Mitchell
-Resignation
-Personal problems
-Martha Mitchell's health
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(rev. Feb-02)
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 8
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 44s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 8
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Mitchell
-Letter of resignation
-Richard A. Moore
-Woods
The President's schedule
-Robert H. Abplanalp
-Departure from White House
Woods entered at 6:14 pm.
Abplanalp and Charles G. (“Bob”) Rebozo
Haldeman left at 6:15 pm.
The President's previous press conference
-Telephone calls to Woods
-Rebozo
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 6:15 pm.
MacGregor
Bull left at an unknown time before 6:19 pm.
(rev. Feb-02)
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 14
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 43s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 14
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Mitchell
-Resignation
-Martha Mitchell
-Health
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 9
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 34s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 9
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-Effect on John Mitchell
-Martha Mitchell
(rev. Feb-02)
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 10
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 42s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 10
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The President and Woods left at 6:19 pm.No transcript is available for this conversation.