Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 006-026
Date: Tuesday, June 29, 1971 at 5:03 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/006-026

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Yeah.
[0:03] General Hanks.
[0:04] Al, you want to be sure that we're going forward on that study, I mean, that action I asked on immediately checking to see who has Q clearances outside this government and start getting those shut off.
[0:20] Yes, sir.
[0:20] I've got a group...
[0:21] The Brookings Institute, the Rand Corporation, and all the rest.
[0:24] And we just do it solely on the basis that we're...
[0:27] changing the classification system and that we're at the present time just shutting them off.
[0:30] Well, we've got a massive legal problem, sir.
[0:32] I've got all of the departments in there with me right now on this subject.
[0:35] You have?
[0:36] Oh, good.
[0:36] Yes, sir.
[0:37] There are existing contracts, you see, that may have legal basis.
[0:40] Brookings?
[0:42] Is Brookings out of contract?
[0:43] They think Brookings does.
[0:44] But Brookings doesn't have any contracts that I ever approved.
[0:48] Now, God damn it, I want to know how that got by me, if they have one with Brookings.
[0:51] Now, I really want to know.
[0:53] All right, sir, we have to go through the whole contract.
[0:55] If it was done in this administration, I want to know why.
[0:57] I want to know who signed it, who approved it, okay?
[1:01] All right, sir, fine.
[1:02] On Brookings, because I gave specific orders in January of 1969 not to do anything to Brookings.
[1:07] Oh, well, that's been promulgated, but some of these things are quite old, you know.
[1:11] All right.
[1:12] I have to get all this.
[1:13] Well, anyway, now what about the business about having the various agencies, I mean, like the Defense Department and the State Department and the rest, immediately reexamine their own, I mean, reduce the number of people who have access to classified documents?
[1:29] Yes, sir.
[1:30] We're doing this.
[1:31] First, we're having them submit to us the numbers, and they're astronomical.
[1:35] They're over a million, sir.
[1:37] A million?
[1:38] Top secret and above, yes, sir.
[1:39] That's the estimate right now.
[1:41] A million people have access to top secret and above documents?
[1:43] Yes, sir, very probably.
[1:44] Well, don't you see the problem?
[1:46] Sure.
[1:47] It's unbelievable.
[1:48] It's ridiculous.
[1:49] Probably a lot of that is in defense, of course, isn't it?
[1:53] A great number in defense, a great number in state.
[1:55] Almost every State Department employee apparently has a top secret.
[1:59] all right all right well let's get at it and just just shake them up and tell them we're gonna we're gonna read and then i want recommendations to cut that to one hundred thousand well no ten thousand you understand yes sir let me get the number straight ten thousand now we're gonna have a new top secret classification also i want you to give me what how how how is the top secret secret so forth done is that set up by law
[2:24] By executive order or how?
[2:26] Yes, two executive regulations.
[2:27] Can the regulations be changed?
[2:30] Yes, sir, they can.
[2:31] Without going to the Congress?
[2:33] I believe they can.
[2:34] All right, give me a memo on that.
[2:36] I want to know.
[2:37] And we'll change the classification.
[2:40] And then what I want to tell is a new classification.
[2:44] And I'm going to limit it to people that need it.
[2:47] And let the little shitasses have their $100,000.
[2:50] I don't care.
[2:51] And they can see all the stuff that is not and call it top secret.
[2:54] But we've got to have a new classification for documents that are really secret.
[2:57] We've got to separate the cats from the dogs.
[2:59] Now, this has got to be done, Al.
[3:01] And I want you to crack the whip on these bastards.
[3:04] We've got them all hopping right now.