Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 39 › Conversation 039-079
Nixon phone call with Haig on Watergate and White House Staffing
Monday, June 4, 1973 · 9:39 PM–9:48 PM ET · White House Telephone · 10 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Alexander Haig discuss the successful recruitment of Melvin Laird to the White House staff and strategies for managing John Connally's potential departure and future role. Haig provides an update on his recent meetings, noting that the administration is preparing to announce several major initiatives concerning Vietnam, energy, and the economy, as well as a new FBI director. Additionally, Nixon and Haig address the ongoing Watergate investigation, with the President reporting that his review of recordings has convinced him that allegations involving John Dean are fraudulent.
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Hello.
I have General Haig calling, sir.
Okay.
There you are.
Hello.
Mr. President?
Hi.
How are you, sir?
Fine, fine.
I just got finished with our friend.
Yeah.
And he's all locked.
Great.
Great.
So we, uh...
Marvelous.
Great accomplishment.
Well, I think we're in good shape.
I've just spent nine hours in this crap, and boy, I've got to go to bed.
I bet you do.
God, that's...
But it's, uh, you know...
the whole damn Dean thing is a fraud.
That's what I thought.
I didn't realize it, but it's a damn fraud.
The more we looked, the more sure we were that it was just that.
They didn't find it in the files, but I've listened to stuff.
But looking back, I can see where he may have been involved, but he wasn't involved.
Well, that's just— I've listened to this stuff until I'm sick.
I've missed four telephone calls, two from Camp David and two from Florida, that we don't have recorded, but they can't be that important.
No, impossible.
So I thought you'd be— You'd have to have a thread.
Yeah, that's right.
No, no, no.
But tell me how the Laird thing went, Al.
Well, it just went great, sir.
Where'd you see him?
Out at his house.
Great.
Went out with Bryce and—
And, uh, Bazzard and—and Baruti.
Good!
And both Bazzard and Baruti had set the mill up today.
And, fortuitously, just before I went out, I had raised to have John Connolly come in.
Great.
And Baruti saw Connolly come in my office.
Great.
And as soon as we got to the house, he took Mel aside, and they were gone for a long break.
When he came back, he was ready to go.
Was he willing to announce on Wednesday?
Yes, sir.
Marvelous.
Yes, sir.
And he'll be there, too.
He's got to be there.
He should take a few questions.
Well, he can be there.
We discussed that.
Maybe he shouldn't have.
Well, we thought maybe just say he's on part-time until the 15th of June.
He's got some personal things.
Oh, sure.
The main thing is to announce he's going to be with us.
That's right.
That's right.
He had a tremendous thing.
And he's going to start working on the Hill right away.
He's going to be the vice president tonight.
Great.
Tell him he's going to be with us.
You're going to tell the vice president.
Great.
Great, great.
Worked out how he'd handle it.
How does he feel about it?
Is he in good spirit?
He's personally enthusiastic.
He's still leery about how to break it to his wife.
Oh, well, the hell, you can shoot her.
You know, he said, I've still got to work this out.
That's right.
On board.
No question about it.
Well, I'll tell you, after our bang of yesterday and my concern this morning, my gut, we're in business.
When I went over the menu with Mel and Bryce of things we've got in the cooker, Bryce said, he said, this is the best thing I've ever heard.
You mean like the Vietnam thing?
Yeah, the energy, the economic announcement of our FBI guy.
Right.
That's got to be Saturday, isn't it?
Yes, sir.
Now we can do that on Saturday.
And I interviewed two Bureau guys today.
They left here just riding high just to be considered.
Right, right.
They aren't going to get it.
No, but they're all up.
Well, Al, you've done a great job on this, believe me.
And getting Mel is going to be a ten strike.
It'll get a hell of a load off of you.
When you get Mel and Bryce in there, the three of you will be a—you'll run the shop.
You're the chief of staff.
And let these other guys go out and, you know, kiss the ass of the people you don't have to kiss, you know?
We've got it now, sir.
You think so?
Yes, sir.
Bryce, feel pleased?
Delighted.
He's really delighted.
He's just— I'll see his bosses, you know.
I mean, I'm going to do it.
Oh, well, that's—
I think you have to do it.
Now, I talked to John because— John Connolly?
Yes.
I didn't want to—this was just spring on.
Did you tell him about Mel?
What did he think?
He said he had mixed emotions on it.
Mixed?
Yes.
He said if the president is going to deal with him closely and intimately and has confidence in him, then I'm for it.
Well, that's what we're going to do.
Right.
He said, but I thought maybe there was an estrangement there.
Oh, no, no.
There's an estrangement only when he's in the cabinet, not when he's in the White House.
Right, and I said that we had a hell of a talk Saturday, and he said, well, he's going to leave, and he's going to announce that he's done his work.
And I said, well, wait until we do this announcement so that you can indicate that you were part of the new organization.
Well, if he could just indicate that he was going to leave and still consult with us on energy.
Exactly.
He must say that.
Yes.
Well, I work with him tomorrow.
In fact, I'm going to call him.
Because he must not say that he's leaving us.
But he must not because you say, look, John, we've got to have you on Savo for something much bigger later.
Well, I did.
That's what I told him.
I said, I hope you know.
And he was a little upset because you hadn't talked to him.
No.
And I said, John, you've got to understand something.
I said, first, the president has only one view of you.
And that is not in a role in this White House.
A cabinet role would be, well, as you know, he's got thoughts for you, and I'm sure you know what they are.
And that sort of perked him up specifically, what I was saying.
And I said, nobody is held in higher regard that I know of than you.
He's a little upset, so I— He is upset because I haven't seen him.
Well, I know.
I missed him last time he was going to help.
That's right.
But that's his problem.
He's so goddamn sensitive about this.
Very, very.
So I'm going to call him tonight and tell him where it is coming on.
Yeah, but tell him that I think that his staying on as a consultant to the president in international affairs, you know, is very important because tell him that, frankly, we have in mind something around the first of the year.
That's right.
Now, you ought to know this, too.
We had a lawyer called Henry last night and asked him what he should do.
He said, Henry, I'll
consider coming on board if you're going to be around for at least a year.
Henry said he wasn't, though.
No, and Henry told me he told him he wasn't.
But Laird said what he said was, Mel, if you're coming, you can count on me.
Look, Henry hasn't got any choice.
Christ, he goes back to Harvard, he's nothing.
I'm sorry about Connolly, though.
I knew he would be out of sorts, but he just takes more time than I can give him right now.
I told him that you were just working day and night on this goddamn case.
That's right.
And you really had to.
We're being forced into it.
All right.
I think he felt much better.
The main point is that he is the man we have in mind for the big job.
That's right.
That's right.
At the proper time.
He knows that.
All right.
And that's all he really— Of course.
But the main thing is that I don't want him to travel abroad.
See, he used to travel as my representative.
Now, Henry doesn't want that, but I do.
There's no problem.
I mean, about a conflict of interest and all that crap, he can travel abroad to check with that.
You see what I mean?
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
That'll build up his law business, too.
Yeah.
Well, no, I think he's fine, yeah.
It was bad.
I intensely kept him at arm's length.
Yeah.
Of this—
And I knew he'd look at that as a little bit of a threat.
And he did, but we're all right.
But he was afraid I wouldn't be close enough to Mel.
Good God, I mean, I wouldn't bring Mel aboard.
That's not it.
What is it?
He's concerned about Mel coming at all?
That's right.
He sees him as a threat.
Yeah, well, he knows damn well that I know what Connolly is, you know.
What the hell?
Well, I told him, I said, anybody that the president brings in here—
Someone that is not eligible for the other.
That's right.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
That's great, Al.
We have 8.30 meeting?
Yes, sir.
All right.
Well, I'll tell you, I've been through the damnedest experience today.
Eight hours of listening to these damn tapes and telephone calls.
We don't have some.
I made two from Key Biscayne on the 23rd, and I made one from Camp David that we don't have recorded, but the hell with them.
If they are heading in, I'm the hell with them.
I'll tell you, there's nothing in these calls.
You see, it couldn't possibly happen.
It could.
It could.
It could on the 23rd, perhaps, after the 21st.
But after that, I was investigating.
And he couldn't have anything in either.
That's right.
Other than his words.
But, my God, you know, we've really gone through it.
I think it was well worth it.
Yeah, and bizarre, too.
It was well worth it.
He felt better, wasn't he?
Oh, God, he's totally confident.
You know, what's happened?
Cox is in a running dogfight with Irwin today.
Oh, great.
He gave him an ultimatum today.
Isn't that great?
But what Bizarre said he's doing, he's posturing himself to quit.
He's going to resign.
Oh, boy.
There won't be any trials.
No, they put in.
Okay, we got Richardson confirmed, so we just let Peterson do it.
That's right.
Okay.
All right.
Bye.
See you tomorrow, 8.30.
Right.
NARA Description
On June 4, 1973, White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 9:39 pm to 9:48 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 039-079 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 39-79
Date: June 4, 1973
Time: 9:39 pm - 9:48 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The White House operator talked with the President.
Incoming telephone call
Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked with the President.
[See also Conversation No. 442-67]
Haig’s previous meeting with Melvin R. Laird
Watergate
-White House tapes
-President’s review
-John W. Dean, III
-Statement
-White House tapes
-President’s review
Haig’s previous meeting with Laird
-Attendees
-Bryce N. Harlow, J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr., and William J. Baroody, Jr.
-Buzhardt’s and Baroody’s earlier meeting with Laird
-John B. Connally’s visit to Haig’s office
-Timing of announcement of return to White House staff
-Laird’s forthcoming activities
-60-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 39-79 (cont’d)
-Spiro T. Agnew
-Laird’s wife’s reaction
-Administration’s forthcoming activities
-Vietnam, energy, economy
-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] directorship
-Haig’s interviews
White House staff
-Roles of Laird, Harlow, and Haig
-Harlow
-President’s forthcoming meeting with boss, Howard [Last name
unknown] [at Proctor and Gamble]
Haig’s previous meeting with Connally
-Laird’s role on White House staff
-Connally’s departure
-Future role with White House staff
-Energy
-Future role with administration
-President’s regard
-Attitude
Haig’s forthcoming conversation with Connally
-Laird
-Connally
-Future role with administration
-Timing
Laird’s call to Henry A. Kissinger, June 3
-Kissinger
-Future on White House staff
Kissinger
-Possible non-White House activities
-President’s assessment
Connally
-President’s schedule
-61-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 39-79 (cont’d)
-Forthcoming conversation with Haig
-Connally’s foreign travel
-President’s opinion contrasted with Kissinger’s opinion
-Possible effect
-Treatment by Haig
-Concern regarding Laird
-Conversation with Haig
-Laird
President’s schedule
Watergate
-White House tapes
-President’s review of conversations with Dean
-Content
-Key Biscayne
-Camp David
-Buzhardt
-Reaction to examination of Dean’s files
-Archibald Cox
-Relationship with Sam J. Ervin, Jr.
-Possible resignation
-Effect
-Elliot L. Richardson
-Henry E. PetersenAlso recorded on June 5, 1973
- 442-067 9:39 PM · 7 min — Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:39 pm to 9:48 pm.
- 442-068 9:48 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:48 pm and 9:54 pm.
- 442-069 9:48 PM · 24 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:48 pm and 9:54 pm.
- 039-080 9:54 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:54 pm and 10:04 pm.
- 039-081 10:05 PM · 15 min — White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 10:05 pm to 10:20 pm.
- 039-082 10:20 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:20 pm and 10:21 pm.
- 039-083 10:21 PM · 49 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 10:21 pm to 10:22 pm.
- 039-084 10:22 PM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:22 pm and 10:50 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 039-079, June 5, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/039-079 (accessed October 1, 2026).