{"conversationCode":"045-179","tapeNumber":45,"conversationNumber":179,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-045-179","startDateTime":"1973-05-09T22:55:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1973-05-09T23:55:00.000Z","startDate":"9-May-1973","startTime":"6:55 PM","endDate":"9-May-1973","endTime":"7:55 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"estimated","participants":"Haig, Alexander M., Jr.; White House operator; Buzhardt, J. Fred, Jr.;","description":"On May 9, 1973, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., White House operator, and J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr. talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:55 pm and 7:55 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-179 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"WHT","recordingDevice":"White House Telephone","latitudeEstimated":38.89767,"longitudeEstimated":-77.03655,"chronCode":"5.5","chronRelease":"Fifth Chronological Release: Part V","chronReleaseDate":"21-Aug-2013","aogpRelease":"Abuse of Governmental Power Release","aogpSegment":"Segment 0","lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 45-179\n\nDate: May 9, 1973\nTime: Unknown between 6:55 pm and 7:55 pm\nLocation: White House Telephone\n\nAlexander M. Haig, Jr. talked with the White House operator.\n\n[See also Conversation No. 434-9C]\n\n     Telephone call to J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr.\n          -Location\n                -Leonard Garment’s office\n\nHaig conferred with the President at an unknown time.\n\n[Begin conferral]\n\n     Problem\n\n[End conferral]\n\nHaig talked with Buzhardt at an unknown time between 6:35 pm and 7:55 pm.\n\n[See also Conversation No. 434-9D]\n\n     Watergate\n          -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman’s notes\n                -Possessors of copies\n                -Extracts\n                -Haldeman’s lawyer’s statement to Buzhardt\n                      -Document in Haldeman’s possession\n\f                                            -115-\n\n                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM","filename":["045-179.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Haig, Alexander M., Jr.","White House operator","Buzhardt, J. Fred, Jr."],"prevCode":"045-178","nextCode":"045-180","transcript":[{"start":0.44,"end":3.26,"text":"Yes, please."},{"start":3.42,"end":4.59,"text":"Fred Bazzard, please."},{"start":4.61,"end":6.38,"text":"He's in the garments office."},{"start":26.07,"end":27.29,"text":"Hello?"},{"start":27.33,"end":27.83,"text":"Fred?"},{"start":28.45,"end":35.46,"text":"Say Fred, you people got the wrong reading apparently on these documents."},{"start":37.02,"end":42.45,"text":"I ought to talk to you as soon as I leave the President's office, but Bob does not have anything out of the building."},{"start":42.73,"end":43.97,"text":"He has nothing out of the building?"},{"start":43.99,"end":53.43,"text":"He does not and has never had other than three pages of extracts of notes he made on his notes."},{"start":53.78,"end":80.92,"text":"and uh you know god damn we've got to be careful now i gathered his lawyer told you this that's what his lawyer told me he described one full page when he looked at he said we no longer have the defense of no access you know so i got a judgment problem there i think uh when i get back home yet when i walk to you when i wait i'll wait i'm fine"}],"aiSummary":{"text":"Alexander Haig and J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr. discuss the legal implications surrounding H.R. Haldeman’s possession of White House documents. The participants aim to clarify whether Haldeman improperly removed materials from the building, as Buzhardt expresses concern over a conflicting report from Haldeman’s lawyer. Haig emphasizes the necessity for caution regarding the defense's access to these records following his recent consultation with the President.","topics":["Watergate scandal","H.R. Haldeman","White House documents","Legal defense","Executive privilege"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T07:16:45.193Z"},"topicSlugs":["watergate","h-r-haldeman","white-house-documents","legal-defense","executive-privilege"],"audioDurationSec":87,"audioFiles":[{"file":"045-179.mp3","bytes":2795520,"durationSec":87.24,"bitrate":256352,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:20:04.104Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:42:44.632Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/045-179.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/045-179","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/045/conversation-045-179","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}