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Conversation 926-005

TapeTape 926StartWednesday, May 23, 1973 at 10:55 AMEndWednesday, May 23, 1973 at 11:12 AMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Woods, Rose MaryRecording deviceOval Office
AI Summary

President Nixon met with his personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, to discuss the ongoing fallout from the Watergate scandal and manage public perception of his administration. They reviewed sensitive matters regarding fundraising efforts by Tom A. Pappas, the potential involvement of John W. Dean III, and the President's desire to clarify that no illicit discussions took place. The conversation also touched upon the President’s political standing, the impact of congressional inquiries, and the strategic importance of highlighting public support to counter the negative narrative surrounding the White House.

WatergateFundraisingRose Mary WoodsJohn W. Dean IIIPublic OpinionTom A. PappasPolitical Strategy
AudioNARA Description

On May 23, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:55 am to 11:12 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 926-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 926-5

Date: May 23, 1973
Time: 10:55 am - 11:12 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Rose Mary Woods.

          Greeting

[Pause]
                                           -11-

                 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                    (rev. August-2011)

                                                            Conversation No. 926-5 (cont’d)

      President’s schedule
             -Weather
             -Prisoners of war [POW] dinner

*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

      Tricia Nixon Cox and Edward R. F. Cox
              -Schedule

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************

      Watergate
            -Tom A. Pappas
                   -Funds for defendants
                           -John N. Mitchell
            -Meeting with President, March 7
                   -Subjects discussed
                           -Henry J. Tasca
                           -Watergate
                           -Fund-raising
                   -Investigators’ possible questions
            -Funds for defendants
                   -Herbert W. Kalmbach
                   -Participants’ motives
            -Pappas
                   -Possible conversation with President
                   -Possible conversation with Woods
                           -Pappas’s meeting with the President, March 7
                           -John W. Dean III’s knowledge
                                                       -12-

                       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                              (rev. August-2011)

                                                                             Conversation No. 926-5 (cont’d)

*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

        United States Secret Service [USSS]
               -Contact
                       -Kalmbach
                       -[Unintelligible name]
                       -[San Clemente]
                       -Kalmbach
                       -Personal attorney
                       -Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo
                       -Robert H. Abplanalp
                              -Rebozo
                                      -Knowledge
                       -Woods’s conversation with Bobbie [?] [no last name]
                              -Rebozo
                                      -President’s personal affairs

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1 m 45 s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************

        Weather
              -POW dinner

        Watergate
              -President’s family’s reaction
                              -13-

    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                       (rev. August-2011)

                                                Conversation No. 926-5 (cont’d)

-White House staff reaction
       -Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Ronald L. Ziegler, Patrick J. Buchanan and
         Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-White House opponents
       -Committees
       -Inquisition
       -[Unintelligible name]
               -Heroism
-Public opinion
-White House response
       -Testimony
       -President’s possible resignation
               -Spiro T. Agnew
               -Effect
                       -US foreign policy
-Double agents
-James W. McCord, Jr.
       -Public opinion
               -Telephone calls to Woods
-Ervin Committee
       -Questions to McCord
               -Howard H. Baker, Jr.
-White House response
-Public support for President
       -James (“Jimmy”) Stewart
               -Prayers
               -Masses
       -Woods’s friend, Sue [surname unknown]
               -New York
               -Hairdresser
       -Congress
       -President’s visit to Norfolk, Virginia
               -Crowds
               -Attacks on President
       -Vietnam settlement
               -Peace
               -Soviet Union
                                           -14-

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                    (rev. August-2011)

                                                            Conversation No. 926-5 (cont’d)

                     -Public opinion
                     -Daniel Ellsberg case
                             -W. Matthew Byrne
              -Possible future allegations
                     -Haig
                     -White House response
              -Washington, D.C.
              -Support for President

Woods left at 11:12 am.
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Ok. Ok.
I think I want to receive it.
I don't know.
He came to see me about...
I think he's smart enough to know that investigators might ask him
Did the president know of your fundraising activities?
I heard that he had fundraising activities in that period of time, but I didn't know.
They were not illegal, understanding.
They wouldn't be illegal.
It happens if I didn't tell them we're doing it.
Unless his purpose, if he were to come up, unless his purpose was to keep them, if they had a right to raise them, you know.
I think it's dangerous to talk on that kind of line.
I was thinking that you were down.
No discussion of water use.
That's his recollection.
Based on that, it was very important that we were asking.
That is your recollection.
I'm not trying to give a quick example.
It happens to be the same thing he wanted.
I don't know why.
This isn't true.
But, on the other hand, when I thanked him for this, they haven't been thinking about this one.
They haven't been trying to do this.
So they worked over there on and on and on.
Right.
You stated that there was no discussion of the water treatment.
I think it's very important that we have that.
That's my recommendation.
Well, this is my recommendation.
I don't know if I can find out where he is or what he's doing.
No, no, he doesn't.
But I can call his boss.
He has an office in Boston.
I can find out where he is.
So Dean was aware of his fundraising activities, and of course Dean was aware of what he was doing.
The secret service man is in charge up there at the moment.
They didn't need contact, you know, the way they had used her for the day doing that.
Oh, sure, sure.
Well, to solve the buddy, is that the person on time?
No, it is not.
You've been at your paper, haven't you?
Yeah.
I'm glad I said that.
Yes, he is.
Well?
The Secret Service is asking if you need, you know, any contact, can Tom speak for you about that?
I think you should talk to Raposo.
Have you met Raposo yet?
I hope it will be a very good day, and this is such an exciting thing for those people.
I hope it will be very good.
Well, we have it.
People, and I think about four double agents myself.
I'm sure McCoy is one, but I think there's probably all of them.
I have had people, complete strangers, who have only seen this McCoy on television call, but they think he's a double agent.
And people call and say, what were those police doing there so close, a minute and a half away, two hours over time.
You know, they don't do two hours over time.
When they're on shift at midnight, they don't...
We wish we had a stand-up gun that committed would ask some of those questions.
They could run on the word of damn.
They should be asking the top questions.
They should all be asking the top questions.
I don't know if you can hear me, but what did he do previously?
He's out.
He's out.
Eventually we got a sympathy reaction.
And when we went to Norfolk, good God, we had 18,000 down there.
They said there were 20, whatever it was, maybe 50.
But it was an unbelievably enthusiastic crowd.
My God, you wouldn't find that 100 miles from Washington.
You know what I mean?
People are worried about him.
They're worried about him.
He's a pastor.
They make the president appear to be devious to
This is unbelievable.
Okay, you can sit here.
Okay.
Oh!
I want to ask you one thing before we get related to all this.
Did you know, and this is going to be our lot of money,
I didn't have a long run with that one.
I said, now look, it's not how old.
I mean, I don't mean by that to try to answer it, but we had gotten a person that we just got to stick our chests out and fight.
It seemed like fighting.
Nothing ever stops in this town.
Yeah, well this is a very bad town for us.
Yeah.
They're rambling on, and it's because they don't make the most of town for the last 25, 30 years.
Don't worry, everybody I know anyway, I know all my friends, all my friends and family and everybody.
You know, there's lots and very many nations who are with you.
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