Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 40 › Conversation 040-097

Nixon phone call with Haig on Watergate Scandal and Spiro T. Agnew

Wednesday, June 13, 1973 · 10:43 PM–10:49 PM ET · White House Telephone · 6 min

ParticipantsHaig, Alexander M., Jr.; Nixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation040-097 on Tape 40StartWednesday, June 13, 1973 at 10:43 PMEndWednesday, June 13, 1973 at 10:49 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 040-097 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Haig discuss the positive public response to the President's recent economic speech and strategize on handling Vice President Spiro Agnew’s upcoming meeting. They address the ongoing Watergate investigations, with Nixon expressing his intent to eventually attack the Ervin Committee once he has sufficient political leverage. Additionally, Nixon instructs Haig to ensure Henry Kissinger remains focused on foreign policy briefings—specifically regarding Vietnam, the "Year of Europe," and Leonid Brezhnev’s visit—while explicitly avoiding any comments on Watergate or wiretapping.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Hello.
General Haig.
There you are.
Hello.
Yes, Mr. Pyle.
I know you must be bushed at this point.
No, no, I'm fine.
I just finished my dinner.
Just had a great, great speech tonight, and I tell you, the reaction has been overwhelming.
It really has.
Good, good.
Glad to hear that.
And that's just damn fine.
It was not only the right substantive thing to do, but it was a political, absolute political...
success of great proportions.
Well, the important thing is, you know, you and I know why we did it.
Exactly.
I mean, it was perhaps we could have toughed it through as Agnew in his stupid juvenile way indicated, and that's what he's going to probably whine about tomorrow.
He's probably going to whine about being in charge of energy.
Let me tell you something, sir.
He gave a speech tonight over at that Divine thing that was a stemwinder for you that had these guys...
Absolutely tearing the place apart.
Well, good.
About Richard Nixon.
Well, good.
I'm glad to hear that because I, you know, he's coming in tomorrow and you coming with him, but I don't want him to whine about the energy and the rest.
No, no, no.
The thing to do is to tell him, look, you're in on everything, Ted, but God damn it, you're not to run anything.
That's right.
The vice president can't run anything.
No, and it would be the wrong thing.
Is our friend coming down tomorrow or not?
Oh, yes.
He'll be here at 11.
Good.
I see it's you first.
So the two of us see him together.
I'll do it together if you think it's the way.
No, you see him first.
I think I should do it and you just see him briefly.
You touch him up and then I'll bring him in and put the glue on him, huh?
Good.
Great, sir.
Everything's in just perfect shape.
One of the things, of course...
talk to ron about an hour earlier and then i said i understood the press was never so miserable as they were tonight and he didn't agree because ron so always defends the assholes he has to and i said you know damn well that's true ron he said well yes yes they wanted to wanted to have watergate but they were huh they're spying again and that kills them doesn't it i'm sure it kills them
They hate it.
Yeah.
But the TV guys, you know, they're going to do their analysis tomorrow on the big networks.
Right.
So it'll be, we'll watch.
They'll turn sour because that's the way they'll do it.
It's all right.
The fact is we got what we wanted with the people, and you were in front of them, and that was great.
It was just great.
We're one step ahead at the moment.
Yes, sir.
No, we've got to keep a step ahead, and Henry's thing is a step ahead.
And we're moving.
That's the difference.
They're going backwards and we're moving.
And they come out with their little boy Dean and all of his jackass things.
Fine.
We just slap it with a wrist and let her go.
And I'll tell you, old Murray put them all to shame today.
He really did.
Murray, they said, was great, huh?
Yes, he was.
He gave a closing statement and left them in shock silence.
He said, I want you people to know that you owe me something.
And that's my good name.
Christ, they said the pin could have dropped in that room.
He said a lot of innocent people have been vilified in this thing.
It was an open break in the committee with one congressman jumping on the chairman for Badger and Stan.
It's really turned into a good thing now.
Well, we're going to turn it more, because one day I'm going to attack that committee, and when I do, it's going to be a blockbuster.
I'm going to take it apart like it's never been taken apart.
I really will.
Well, I think that's the thing to do.
Not yet.
I'm going to wait for Dean's on.
Let them get so ripe that they're... After they're on, after they're about ripe, then I'm going to hit them and destroy them.
They'll be destroyed like the McCarthy Committee was destroyed.
Absolutely destroyed.
That's right.
That's going to be done.
They don't realize what they're up against, this stupid urban drinking too much and pointing his finger.
That's right.
That's right.
They'll run their things next week and the rest, and then I'll take them on.
You watch.
It'll be awful rough, too.
And very effective.
That's what it should be.
You know, I think it's been a great week.
Last week was a great week, and we're going.
Is Bryce willing to go tomorrow?
No, I think we better hold up.
We've got a little problem with his stocks that we want to be sure is not a problem.
But he will go Saturday then, or not even then, huh?
Oh, no, this isn't prohibitive.
We just want to be sure we're not going to get any criticism.
Oh, it doesn't make that much difference, the story.
Tomorrow, let the other thing run.
We've got so much running tomorrow with this.
And Henry will go out and brief tomorrow on the Paris thing.
We've got this will be running all morning.
That's right.
Let him brief again tomorrow.
And he could brief on Paris and on Iceland.
He can get that across again.
And Brezhnev.
And Brezhnev.
Henry ought to do all three.
When does he get back?
Uh, he's due in late tonight, sir.
I think he's got a couple more hours yet.
Well, be sure that he gets a good night's sleep, and you tell him to give him the works on all that.
And if they ask about Watergate or tapping, he says, I'm not going to answer any questions on that.
Period.
And don't answer any.
Gentlemen, there are too many important things happening in the world for me to get into that.
I have no response.
Period.
Now tell him to say that, Al.
I'll tell him, too, but you tell him, and it's an order.
Yes, sir.
You know, God damn it, he's foolish to get into that.
That's right.
That's their issue.
Stay off of their issue.
Get to our issue.
I'm just not going to answer on that.
We've got too many great things going on in the world.
The Year of Europe, the Brezhnev visit, the Vietnamese thing.
Now, generally, if you have any questions, then I'll answer them.
I'm not going to talk about Watergate, period.
Exactly right.
Okay.
Good, sir.
All right, Al.
Well, great job.
Thank you.
We're proud of you.
Thanks.

NARA Description

On June 13, 1973, Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 10:43 pm to 10:49 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 040-097 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 40-97

Date: June 13, 1973
Time: 10:43 pm - 10:49 pm
Location: White House Telephone

Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked with the President.

     President’s speech on the economy
           -Response
           -Spiro T. Agnew’s views
                 -Meeting with President

     Agnew
         -Speech at Samuel L. Devine’s dinner
               -Reaction
         -President’s schedule
               -Haig and Agnew meeting
                     -Energy
         -Role in administration

     President’s schedule
           -William W. Scranton
                 -Meeting with Haig, President

     President’s speech on the economy
           -President’s conversation with Ronald L. Ziegler
                 -Press response
                       -Watergate
           -Press analysis

     Vietnam negotiations
          -Henry A. Kissinger

     Watergate
          -John W. Dean, III
                -White House response
          -Maurice H. Stans
                -Testimony, June 13
                                             -82-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

           -Ervin Committee
                 -Rift
                 -President’s possible attack
                       -Dean
                 -[Joseph?] McCarthy committee
                 -Samuel J. Ervin, Jr.
                 -President’s possible attack

     Bryce N. Harlow
          -Announcement of appointment
          -Possible conflict of interest
                -Stock problems

     Press relations
           -Harlow
           -President’s economy speech
           -Kissinger’s briefing
                  -Vietnam negotiations
                  -President’s speech
                  -President’s trip to Iceland
                  -Leonid I. Brezhnev’s forthcoming visit
                  -Kissinger’s schedule
                  -Wiretaps, Watergate
                  -Year of Europe
                  -Brezhnev visit
                  -Vietnam negotiations

Also recorded on June 14, 1973

  • 040-094 10:26 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:26 pm and 10:32 pm.
  • 040-095 10:32 PM · 8 min — Charles W. Colson and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 10:32 pm to 10:39 pm.
  • 040-096 10:40 PM · 25 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 10:40 pm.
  • 040-098 10:49 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:49 pm and 10:53 pm.
  • 040-099 10:53 PM · 19 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 10:53 pm.
  • 040-100 10:54 PM · 11 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 10:54 pm.
  • 040-101 10:54 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:54 pm and 11:00 pm.
  • 040-102 11:00 PM · 16 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 11:00 pm.

All 74 conversations from June 14, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 040-097, June 14, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/040-097 (accessed October 22, 2026).