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Conversation 039-089

TapeTape 39StartTuesday, June 5, 1973 at 1:12 PMEndTuesday, June 5, 1973 at 1:16 PMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Haig, Alexander M., Jr.Recording deviceWhite House Telephone
AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Haig discuss public relations strategies regarding the Watergate scandal, specifically emphasizing the need to frame the ongoing investigations as a politically motivated attack on the presidency. They evaluate the effectiveness of Gerald Warren's press briefings and coordinate on the legal nuances of executive privilege and the Brady rule in relation to evidence disclosure. Additionally, the President clarifies the use of government transportation by Julie Nixon Eisenhower, dismissing concerns by highlighting Secret Service security mandates and cost efficiencies.

WatergateExecutive PrivilegePublic RelationsJulie Nixon EisenhowerLegal StrategyBrady Rule
AudioNARA Description

On June 5, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 1:12 pm to 1:16 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 039-089 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 39-89 (cont’d)

                                                                      Conversation No. 39-89

Date: June 5, 1973
Time: 1:12 pm - 1:16 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

[See also Conversation No. 441-11]

       Haig’s schedule
              -Departure
              -Meeting with John B. Connally

       Gerald L. Warren [?]
              -Problem

       Julie Nixon Eisenhower
              -Use of government planes
                      -Contrasted with cost of commercial flights
                             -First class
                             -United States Secret Service [USSS]

       President’s schedule
              -J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr.

       Watergate
             -White House response
                    -Buzhardt
                    -Haig’s role
                    -Confrontation statement
                    -Gerald L. Warren’s press briefings
             -Hugh Scott’s statement
                    -Attacks on President
             -Attacks
                                               -69-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                     (rev. February-2011)

                                                             Conversation No. 39-89 (cont’d)

                     -President
                     -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman and John N. Mitchell
                     -Letter to David Brinkley [?]
              -Executive privilege
                     -Brady Rule
                             -Buzhardt’s assessment
                             -Haig’s assessment
                     -Precedent
                     -Type of evidence
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.

Yes, sir.
Hi, Al.
I just wanted to be sure.
Do you want to get off by 4.30 today?
No, I can leave when the meeting with Connery is over.
Yeah, fine.
Good.
Any problem with Jerry I need to know about?
With... You were saying that... Oh, no, no.
She was a little concerned about using government planes for private purposes.
I said that she has no private purposes as a member of the First Family.
And if people ask her about that, she should just say, oh, these security people.
You know, she's self-conscious about it.
Who is this?
Julie.
Well, there's no problem on that.
That's the Secret Service.
And also, we pay for all that, you know.
Of course.
We pay her first-class transportation round trip.
Yes.
So it really cost Secret Service more if they went on the commercial.
That's right.
And we could never consider any of it.
See, they won't allow it.
No, it just couldn't be.
That's right.
And I told them that.
See, this, I think, was a little— I didn't know that was what the note was about.
Okay.
That was—I'll see Bazaar then after we leave.
the uh he's a pretty clever guy you know isn't he in terms of this strategy although that strategy was mine they came out this morning and i changed it i see well i get the point in other words they wanted to put out a statement today and i said a confrontation statement and then you shifted well al you're absolutely right if i'd uh anytime you want of course i guess i really shouldn't be
Well, make those decisions because—no, no, no, but I meant on a strategy decision like that, you be sure to make them.
Your sense is good.
Oh, I do, sir.
The point that I make is that it's never right to have a confrontation when you don't need to.
Always fuzz it up.
Don't you agree?
Exactly.
Exactly.
And then Jerry put us in that position.
It's no fault of his, but he should quit answering legal questions from that podium.
Now, we put a good statement together for him.
I just left it, and it's good.
You know, he'll get a little carping himself, but that's easy.
But you think Scots will get a ride, do you?
Oh, boy.
And he did another thing.
He said, now look, boys, we all know what the game is.
He said, this is an effort to get the president.
It's just that simple.
And it's a simple political thought.
God, he just laid it out.
You know, the more we can have people say that they're trying to get the president, that's going to really sink home, isn't it?
That's right.
That's the theme.
They don't mind getting Haldeman and Ehrlichman and Mitchell and a few others, but if they're going to try to get the president, then it's a straight-out political fight.
And this is what we got from Brinkley that his letters are all saying.
You know, that's the theme that's caught on with the American people.
Yeah.
that's what this game is now.
So we've got to keep hitting that and hitting it.
Right.
Charging them with it.
Yes, sir.
Right.
Right.
Well, we've given so much on executive privilege, it would be a tragedy if we get down to the papers.
And I guess gathered from Bazaar, though, that under the Brady rule, I don't know whether we were confused or not, that they would be entitled to the damn things.
But then on the other hand, he says, oh, no, they're not entitled.
you can hold them.
What is that?
Well, I'll ask him later, but how do you sort that out?
Well, he's involved in that technicality and the rule in the context of exculpatory evidence.
Yeah.
What we're dealing with here is an overriding constitutional issue.
Right.
And, uh,
You know, I think if he does some research, there's never been a precedent.
That's why I asked him if any time had ever come out of it.
We don't have any goddamn exculpatory evidence anyway.
That's the point.
That's right.
Okay.
Good, sir.
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