Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 40 › Conversation 040-071

Nixon phone call with Haig on William W. Scranton and John B. Connally

Wednesday, June 13, 1973 · 1:41 PM–1:46 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.Conversation040-071 on Tape 40StartWednesday, June 13, 1973 at 1:41 PMEndWednesday, June 13, 1973 at 1:46 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 040-071 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Haig reviewed ongoing staffing efforts, specifically focusing on William Scranton's upcoming appointment to handle energy policy and John Connally's continued, flexible role with the administration. The conversation also touched on administrative coordination, including scheduling for Bryce Harlow and logistics regarding guest lists for a dinner with Leonid Brezhnev. Regarding the Watergate investigation, Nixon instructed that the White House must aggressively challenge emerging allegations and emphasized using the threat of perjury to deter John Dean, noting that the administration possesses records of all meetings Dean attended.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello.
Yes, sir.
Wow.
Haven't heard from Scranton yet, huh?
No, he's...
Still cogitating.
Right.
I had one man that was close to him talk to him, and he's going to accept it.
He's going to come back and say that he would want to talk to you briefly.
Oh, he could talk to me for an hour.
I'd love to talk to him about a lot of things.
I like him.
Okay, sir.
I think that's all that's... Well, then what we want to do is to say on Saturday and...
Sure, but no, don't put his name out now.
We've got too much.
But I'd like for him to come to Key Biscayne, meet me, and have a meeting.
He might bring his wife Mary, and we'll arrange for a villa and all that crap, you know?
Right, sir.
What do you think?
This is a good story.
No, I think it's a hell of a story.
And the more I think of it, the better it is because it's...
He's right.
Don't worry about the people that say that Scranton's a traitor and all that.
Look, I understand people that are emotionally wrapped up in the war and the kids and the rest.
That's what his problem is.
He's a softie.
He can do this brilliantly.
See?
He can do it.
And he can do it well.
Good.
Uh, I've had a hell of a talk with Connolly, and, uh... That?
That is, no, it's all on the track, uh, exactly.
You tell him what we're gonna do?
Yes.
What'd he say?
Well, he's delighted.
He's, and he, he is prepared to abide precisely by the, uh, the arrangements that I had talked to him about earlier.
Make any speeches for this darn thing, or...?
Sure, he'll do whatever we want.
He just didn't want to be here at an uncomfortable time.
But he will come to other cabinet meetings, right?
Regularly.
Right.
Good.
Good.
But he'll operate from Texas, and whenever you come for cabinet, you'll see anything.
That's the stuff.
And he's, I think... We got him aboard at least, yeah.
Well, there isn't any difficulty here.
All right.
other difficulties you know i'm still trying to get harlow who went to a funeral and then he didn't call me back but oh he'll do that for sure i don't think it'll be a good thing tomorrow and i did too so he's all set for the president's dinner yes yes i had caught yeah good good good i mentioned it to her last time because she's very sensitive about those lists
So I think everything is coming along very well.
Yeah.
Well, you know, it's an interesting thing.
At least this week we're talking about what we're doing rather than worrying about what they're doing.
Exactly.
We're worrying a bit, but not too much.
Not too much.
I think we're coming along.
Because what the dickens are going to call crack us and that's that.
That's right.
Well, we can expect that, but we're going to manage it.
That's right.
That's right.
Now, the lawyers are working.
I had them in here.
Ron had them in on the night that we killed them on the strategy, which we're going to need next week and starting even as early as Friday.
The moment anything comes out, strike it down.
Yes, sir.
And others strike it down, because we'll see.
It may be more or it may be less than we think.
Who knows?
This guy's in a hell of a quandary, you see.
The judge has turned down his transactional immunity.
So when he gets up there, he's confronted with perjury.
Every step of the way.
Every step of the way.
And I told Buzard I just had an hour and a half with him because I had him being dressed.
And I'll be sure that Dean's lawyer gets to them that he better watch his step because we are, every meeting he was in, we have
Exactly.
Right.
That's the important thing, that they know that.
Right.
Keep them a little loose, maybe, huh?
It makes it awful tough.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Okay, Al.
Thank you.
Good, sir.
Right.

NARA Description

On June 13, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 1:41 pm to 1:46 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 040-071 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 40-71

Date: June 13, 1973
Time: 1:41 pm - 1:46 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

[See also Conversation No. 445-11]

     Energy position
          -William W. Scranton
                -Telephone call to Haig
                -Acceptance
                -President’s schedule
                      -Meeting with Scranton
                            -President’s respect for Scranton
                      -Mary Scranton
                      -Key Biscayne
                -Haig’s enthusiasm for Scranton’s appointment
                -President’s assessment of Scranton’s positions
                      -Vietnam War
                      -Student protests
                      -Scranton’s skills

     John B. Connally
          -Conversation with Haig
                -Connally’s role on White House staff
                      -Speeches
                      -Cabinet
                      -Residence in Texas

     Bryce N. Harlow
                                             -61-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

           -Schedule
           -Conversation with Haig
           -Announcement of appointment

     Earl L. Butz
           -Haig’s and President’s telephone call to Rose Mary Woods
                 -Leonid I. Brezhnev dinner
                 -Lists

     Press relations
           -White House agenda

     Watergate
          -White House response
                -Lawyers
                -Ronald L. Ziegler
                -Timing
          -John W. Dean, III
                -Transactional immunity
                      -John J. Sirica
                -Possible perjury
                -President’s records of meetings
                      -Meeting with J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr.
                      -Dean’s lawyers’ knowledge

Also recorded on June 13, 1973

  • 040-069 1:39 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at 1:39 pm.
  • 040-070 1:39 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:39 pm and 1:41 pm.
  • 445-008 1:39 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:39 pm and 1:41 pm.
  • 445-009 1:39 PM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:39 pm and 1:41 pm.
  • 445-010 1:39 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:39 pm and 1:41 pm.
  • 445-011 1:41 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:41 pm to 1:46 pm.
  • 040-072 1:46 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:46 pm and 1:48 pm.
  • 445-012 1:46 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:46 pm and 1:48 pm.

All 95 conversations from June 13, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 040-071, June 13, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/040-071 (accessed October 12, 2026).