Conversation: 921-008
Prev: 921-007 Next: 921-009Start Date: 17-May-1973 10:31 AM
End Date: 17-May-1973 11:30 AM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.; Haig, Alexander M., Jr.; Buzhardt, J. Fred, Jr.;Recording Device: Oval Office
NARA Description:
On May 17, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., and J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:31 am to 11:30 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 921-008 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 921-8
Date: May 17, 1973
Time: 10:31 am - 11:30 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler, Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr.
Watergate
-Ziegler’s forthcoming press briefing
-Content
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
-16-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. August-2011)
Conversation No. 921-8 (cont’d)
-Other news leads
-CIA
-Vernon A. Walters and Richard M. Helms
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman
-Walters’s and Helms’s possible statements
-President’s knowledge of meeting
-Involvement in Watergate
-John W. Dean III
-Helms’s conversation with President
-Walters’s conversation with L[ouis] Patrick Gray,
III
-Robert Woodward’s story, May 17
-Daniel Ellsberg break-in
-Buzhardt’s efforts
-Affidavits
-White House strategy
-Ziegler’s forthcoming press briefing
-Woodward’s story
-Dean’s documents
-Ziegler’s forthcoming press briefing
-David R. Young
-Thomas F. Eagleton’s medical file
-Allegations concerning Ehrlichman
-Allegations concerning Patrick J. Buchanan
-Burglary of doctor’s office
-Doctor’s letter
-Press report, May 17
-Doctor’s letter to Haig
-Possible White House response
-Forwarding of letter to Henry E. Petersen
-Ehrlichman
-Press reports
-Buchanan
-Ehrlichman’s possible activities
-Dean
-Lawyer
-Request for access to Dean’s chronological files
-17-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. August-2011)
Conversation No. 921-8 (cont’d)
-Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Access to files
-Prosecutors’ allegations
-Buzhardt’s response
-Access to White House files
-Staff perquisites
-Departure from White House payroll
-Transition activities
-Lawrence M. Higby
-Move to Old Executive Office Building [EOB]
-John J. Wilson’s statement
-President’s conversation with George P. Shultz, May 16
-John J. (“Jack”) Caulfield
-Allegations against
-Possible removal
-Higby
-Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Removal from White House payroll
-Dean
-Haig’s conversation with Barry M. Goldwater
-Carpenters [?]
-National support for President
-Public relations [PR]
-Armed Forces Day
-President’s speech
-Prisoners of War [POW] Day
-Television [TV] coverage
-Visits
-Tuscon, Arizona
-Everett M. Dirksen [Center dedication]
-Goldwater’s view
-POW Day
-Exploitation
-Support for President
-Press coverage
Watergate
-18-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. August-2011)
Conversation No. 921-8 (cont’d)
-Dean
-Press actions
-Dan Rather
-Treatment by White House
-Appearance on TV
-Huston Plan
-President’s call to Ziegler, May 16
-Sequence of events
-Haldeman
-J. Edgar Hoover
-Clyde A. Tolson
-Possible meetings
-John N. Mitchell and President
-Termination
-William C. Sullivan
-Implementation
-Buzhardt’s activities
-Louis W. Tordella
-Sullivan
-Tom C. Huston
-Date of departure
-Files
Ziegler and Buzhardt left at 10:56 am.
-White House response
-Meetings
-Public relations
-Buzhardt compared with Leonard Garment
-Ziegler’s view
-President’s meeting with Buzhardt
-President’s motive concerning CIA
-National security
-Possible White Paper
-President’s role
-Defendant
-Goldwater’s viewpoint
-19-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. August-2011)
Conversation No. 921-8 (cont’d)
-Shultz, Connally, Republican leadership
-Dean’s documents
-Buzhardt’s possible conversations
-James R. Schlesinger
-William D. Ruckelshaus
-White House response
National economy
-Meeting with Shultz
-Wage and price controls
-Political effects
-Economic effects
-Indicators
-Balanced budget
-Boom
-Inflation
-Poll numberes
-Connally’s view
-Watergate
-President’s leadership role
-Wage and price controls
-Shultz’s view
-Oil and gas
President’s leadership role
-Political effects
-Record
-Soviet Union
-Initiatives
-Watergate
-Domestic front
-Professionalism
-Sound management
-Confidence
President’s schedule
-Congressional leaders’ meeting
-20-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. August-2011)
Conversation No. 921-8 (cont’d)
-Hugh Scott
-Goldwater
-Robert J. Dole
Watergate
-Dean’s documents
-Schlesinger
-Conversation with Buzhardt, 5/13
-Shultz’s reaction
-Haig’s forthcoming calls
-Elliot L. Richardson
-Schlesinger
-William P. Clements, Jr.
-Buzhardt
-Opinion regarding President
Ronald L. Ziegler entered at 11:08 am.
Watergate
-Ervin Committee hearings
-Samuel J. Ervin, Jr.
-Goldwater’s opinion
-Robert C. Odle, Jr.’s testimony
-Haldeman’s and Ehrlichman’s forthcoming testimony
-Ziegler’s forthcoming press briefing
-Helen Thomas
Ziegler left at 11:09 am.
Watergate
-Walters’s memoranda of conversation [memcons]
-Possible effect of release
-21-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. August-2011)
Conversation No. 921-8 (cont’d)
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[National security]
[Duration: 15 s ]
SURVELLIANCE
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
*****************************************************************
Watergate
-Walters’s memcons
-National security
-Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Removal from White House staff
-Access to papers
-Dean
-Request for access to papers
-President’s conversation with Petersen, April 17
-National security
-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] investigation
-Ellsberg case
-Wiretap
-Evidence of misconduct
-Burglary
-National security
-Results
-Dean’s documents
-Huston Plan
-Possible White House response
-President’s role
-Intelligence community
-22-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. August-2011)
Conversation No. 921-8 (cont’d)
-Adm. Noel Gayler, Gen. Bennett Helms, Ruckelshaus and
Sullivan
-White Paper
-Statement by President
-Possessors
-Possible reaction by liberals
-Possible White House response
-Possible popular reaction
-Possible White House response
-President’s role
-Compared to previous administrations
-President’s schedule
-Ziegler’s forthcoming press briefing
-News story
-Huston Plan
-President’s opponents’ knowledge
-Petersen, Ruckelshaus, Schlesinger and Helms
-Helms
-Possible conversation with Haig
-Resignation as ambassador
-Conversation with Buzhardt
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[National security]
[Duration: 27 s ]
SURVELLIANCE
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
*****************************************************************
-23-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. August-2011)
Conversation No. 921-8 (cont’d)
Watergate
-Philadelphia doctor’s letter to Haig
-Allegations regarding burglary
-Haig’s possible conversation with John D. Ehrlichman
-Burglary of President’s doctor’s office
-Haig’s possible conversation with Haldeman
Haig left at 11:30 am.