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Conversation 045-168

TapeTape 45StartWednesday, May 9, 1973 at 12:31 PMEndWednesday, May 9, 1973 at 12:34 PMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Ziegler, Ronald L.Recording deviceWhite House Telephone
AudioNARA Description

On May 9, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 12:31 pm to 12:34 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-168 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 45-168

Date: May 9, 1973
Time: 12:31 pm - 12:34 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

[See also Conversation No. 432-31]

     Watergate
          -Ziegler’s previous press briefing
                -Ownership of John W. Dean, III’s papers
                                            -108-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                     (rev. October-2012)

                                                           Conversation No. 45-168 (cont’d)

                 -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman’s and John D. Ehrlichman’s papers
                        -Ownership
           -Dean’s papers
           -Haldeman and Ehrlichman’s papers
                 -Status
           -Ziegler’s previous press briefing
                 -Publisher of Nashville Banner
                        -Ziegler
                        -James Stallman
                        -Wayne Sargent (Editor of National Banner)
                 -Daniel Ellsberg case
                        -President’s role
                 -Robert Pierpoint’s question
                 -Gerald L. Warren’s telegram count
                        -Figures
                 -Letters
                 -Telephone calls
           -Harris poll
                 -President’s resignation
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 Do not cite this transcript as authoritative.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, survive your briefing?
Oh yes I did.
You know, we went around on the Dean thing and I said, we want our papers back.
That's basically the line I said, not because of the content, but because they belong to the White House.
They said, do we know that the Haldeman and Ehrlichman don't have papers?
I said, we have no reason to believe that they do.
Then we went along the line of, of course, the Haldeman and Ehrlichman papers, whatever they are, well, their own papers are available, but actually to, well, their own, if they don't have to do with me, I mean, they can do what they're goddamn pleased with them, but basically,
Everybody in the White House produces papers for the president.
They belong to the president.
That's right.
The only problem we got with Dean's papers, Ron, is that if this is a self-serving document, he's going to get it out anyway.
That's right.
So therefore, we would treat that differently.
But we must never give an inch on Haldeman-Ehrlichman's papers.
Don't you agree?
Well, no.
The fact of the matter is Haldeman-Ehrlichman's papers are all under supervision at their request.
So there can be no question.
They're personal papers and also the presidential papers.
After this is over, we'll handle it.
Right, right.
So then we went around that.
Then we went a little bit around the publisher, the Nashville Banner, urged today that the president get rid of his press secretary.
So we went through that a little bit.
Jimmy Stallman?
No, not Stallman.
Stallman's call-in said the paper's going to hell.
Wayne Sargent, who's the editor down there.
Oh, screw it.
And so we went through that, and I said,
Well, that's diversionary, that's fine.
Then on the court thing in California, I simply made the very direct, stern statement that the fact of the matter is that the material was provided to the court at the direction of the president.
right on that.
Bob Pierpoint was, I sucked Pierpoint in a little bit.
He's been sucking around saying, you know, we want to know what the telegram count is and all the rest.
It's last made.
I had Jerry pull the telegram count out.
I let him go on with his little speech about why we could get them in the past, why can't we get them today.
I'd like to ask on the public record why we can't get them and what the figures are.
So I said, well, based upon the year
request on the record here, let me give you the figures.
Telegrams in favor, 4,950.
which was a good way to get out the fact that the telegrams are—and then I said— Not a one of these has been simulated.
I made that point.
And then I said, in terms of letters, they're running about 700 a day on this subject, and they're running, although it has not been broken out yet, a good three and a half, you know.
Then I said in terms of phone calls, the many phone calls that we receive in my office as a part of, you know, taking some of the calls, the vast majority of them are supportive of the president, what he's done in the last four years, what they want him to continue to do.
So I think that line, you know, get the support.
Did the Harris Bowl get any play with the one you mentioned?
Yes, it did.
Oh, yes, sir.
It got a play on TV last night.
It got a good play.
Did it?
Of course, they had some negative stuff, but did they get across that point that they didn't want the president to resign?
Yes, sir.
Absolutely, yes, sir.
And that 5931 thought that he ought to continue the work?
Right.
Okay.
We survived, and we're going to continue to?
Damn right.
Okay.
Okay, sir.
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