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Conversation: 893-016

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Start Date: 11-Apr-1973 12:34 PM

End Date: 11-Apr-1973 1:20 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Ehrlichman, John D.Ford, Gerald R.Bull, Stephen B.

Recording Device: Oval Office

893-016.mp3

NARA Description:

On April 11, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, Gerald R. Ford, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:34 pm to 1:20 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 893-016 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 893-16

Date: April 11, 1973
Time: 12:34 pm - 1:20 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with John D. Ehrlichman.

     Watergate     

          -White House counterattack        

               -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman         

                     -Availability      

               -Patrick J. Buchanan       

                     -Public relations       

                     -Need for staff      

                            -Research
                            -John W. Dean, III
                            -Charles W. Colson
                            -Robert J. Dole

The President talked with Gerald R. Ford between 12:35 pm and 12:39 pm.

[See Conversation No. 893-16A]

[See Conversation No. 44-145]

     President’s telephone call to Ford
           -Albert H. Quie         

                 -Polling numbers [?]           

                 -Older Americans         

           -Need for flexibility in negotiating with Democrats 

                 -Changes         

                 -Stephen Kurzman           

                 -Ford       

                        -Grand Rapids, Michigan        

                 -White House Staff meeting          

           -Quie      

                 -James H. Cavanaugh              

                        -Negotiations         

                                        -36-

             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                Tape Subject Log
                               (rev. February-2011)

                                                        Conversation No. 893-16 (cont’d)

     -Older Americans Bill          

           -Disabled Americans bill       

     -Veterans bill       

           -Veto option         

     -Administration negotiations with Quie 

           -Conversation with Ford       

     -Ford’s call to Ehrlichman 

           -Veto vote         

                  -Republican complaints      

                  -White House event for Congressmen        

     -Republicans’ support for vetoes 

           -Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger        

     -Quie      

           -Political deals       

           -Influence       


Watergate
     -White House counterattack           

           -Haldeman          

           -1972 campaign violations by Democrats 

           -President’s ignorance          

           -Buchanan          

           -Public relations [PR] campaign         

                 -Goals         

                        -Violence       

                        -Funding violations       

     -John N. Mitchell
           -Ehrlichman’s conversation          

                 -Maurice H. Stans           

                 -New York Daily News story 

                 -Paul L. O’Brien as attorney        

                 -Robert S. Strauss’s conversation with Mitchell 

                        -Ervin’s future conduct of hearings    

           -O’Brien’s role          

           -Perjury       

                 -Alger Hiss          

                 -Possible justification by Mitchell      

           -O’Brien         

                 -Politics        

                                 -37-

       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                          Tape Subject Log
                         (rev. February-2011)

                                                 Conversation No. 893-16 (cont’d)

      -News stories on forthcoming testimony
      -Effects of possible testimony
-Haldeman
      -Investigation of funding
-Ervin Committee
      -Minority report from Howard H. Baker, Jr., and Edward J. Gurney
      -Roles of Baker and Gurney
      -Baker
      -Restraint on Sam J. Ervin, Jr.
             -Ehrlichman’s conversation with Ervin       

                   -Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.     

      -Leonard Garment’s opinion          

             -Relations with Ervin and Baker       

      -Scheduling of witnesses        

             -James W. McCord, Jr.         

             -Haldeman         

      -Ehrlichman’s draft of ground rules 

      -McCord          

      -Colson        

-Possible positions for White House
      -Investigation
      -Search for the truth
      -Results of White House investigation
      -Garment
      -Search for truth
-Reasons for Garment’s presence
-Haldeman’s possible testimony
-Possible positions for White House to take
-Garment’s role
-Dean
      -Interrogatories       

             -Fred D. Thompson          

             -Samuel Dash        

      -White House position on testimony
             -Possible subpoena
             -Forthcoming negotiations, April 11, 1973, between John D. Ehrlichman
               and committee
-Size of staff
      -Division of labor
                                               -38-


                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM 


                                      Tape Subject Log 

                                     (rev. February-2011)

                                                             Conversation No. 893-16 (cont’d)

                -Ervin        

                      -Age         

                -Dash       

           -Witness schedule         

                -McCord
                      -Sentencing by John J. Sirica
                      -Sirica’s role
                      -Buchanan
                              -[First name unknown] Wilson [?]
           -White House counterattack
                -Roscoe Drummond
                -Members of press favorable to President

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 12:34 pm.

     President’s schedule     

           -Meeting with Haldeman        


Bull left at an unknown time before 1:20 pm.

     Watergate
          -Ehrlichman’s meetings       

                -Cabinet      

                -White House staff       

          -Statements
                -Haldeman
                      -Defense to White house staff

     President’s schedule       

           -April 13, 1973, Cabinet meeting 

                 -Postponement of meeting
           -Forthcoming meeting with Congressional leaders
           -April 19, 1973 Cabinet meeting on energy
           -Party April 12, 1973
                 -Invitation to Cabinet     

           -Economic news         


     Economy       

          -George P. Shultz’s memo

                                             -39-

              NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. February-2011)

                                                                  Conversation No. 893-16 (cont’d)

            -President’s schedule               

                   -Weekend reading                 

     -Pierre Rinfret’s advice            

            -Strict controls         

     -Arthur F. Burns          

     -Forthcoming memo from Ehrlichman 

            -Burns         

            -John B. Connally              

                   -Meeting with John W. Dean, III [?] 

            Ehrlichman’s meeting with Burns                   

     -Inflation        

            -Herbert Stein’s view                

                   -Change          

                   -Inevitability            

                   Equilibrium

            -Remedies          

                   -Effect on boom

                         -Harm            

                   -Rinfret       

     -Stock market           

            -Attention span of Wall Street 

            -Bernard J. (“Bunny”) Lasker                  

            -Effects of news reports               

                   -Market fluctuations                 

                   -Lebanon            

                   -Vietnam          

                   -Analysts         

                         -Controls             

                                 -Effects             

                   -Israel and Palestine                

                         -Market fluctuations               


Watergate
     -Garment
           -Presence at Ervin hearings
                  -Effect      

     -Legal approaches to Ervin hearings 

     -Haldeman         

     -Effects of possible testimony 

                                                 -40-


                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM 


                                          Tape Subject Log 

                                         (rev. February-2011)

                                                                    Conversation No. 893-16 (cont’d)

                 -Republicans’ demand for resignation           

                 -Effectiveness      

                 -Joseph C. Kraft        

           -Possible meeting with leading Republicans 

                 -Barry M. Goldwater        

                 -Paul J. Fannin       

                 -Seeking advice before testimony       


     Ehrlichman’s schedule           

           -Tax policy meeting           


     Watergate
          -Haldeman        

               -Effects of possible testimony      

               -Comparison with Jeb Stuart Magruder 

               -Grand Jury        

                     -Witness schedule
                             -Dean
                             -Dwight L. Chapin, Gordon C. Strachan, Donald H. Segretti

     Ehrlichman’s schedule      

           -Tax message      

           -Rescheduling of Cabinet meeting 


Ehrlichman left at 1:20 pm.