Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 45 › Conversation 045-185

Nixon phone call with Haig on Watergate and Executive Privilege

Wednesday, May 9, 1973 · 11:07 PM–11:09 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsHaig, Alexander M., Jr.; Nixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation045-185 on Tape 45StartWednesday, May 9, 1973 at 11:07 PMEndWednesday, May 9, 1973 at 11:09 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 045-185 ↗

AI Summary

Alexander Haig updates President Nixon on the positive public reception of the President's speech at the New Majority Dinner, while both men dismiss concerns regarding resignation and impeachment. Nixon emphasizes his firm stance on executive privilege, explicitly directing that no ground be yielded on the release of written documents. To manage the ongoing Watergate fallout, Nixon instructs Haig to sideline Leonard Garment and coordinate efforts through J. Fred Buzhardt, who is tasked with working closely with H.R. Haldeman and Senator John C. Stennis.

Audio

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NARA Description

On May 9, 1973, Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 11:07 pm to 11:09 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-185 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 45-185

Date: May 9, 1973
Time: 11:07 pm - 11:09 pm
Location: White House Telephone

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

     President’s talk at New Majority Dinner
           -Reaction
                 -Television [TV]

     President’s meeting with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman

     President
           -Resignation and impeachment
                 -Leonard Garment
           -Talk at New Majority Dinner
                 -TV
                 -Kenneth R. Cole’s conversation with Haig

     Watergate
          -President’s conversation with Haldeman
                -J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr.
                -Leonard Garment
                -Executive privilege
                       -Guidelines
          -Buzhardt
                -Meeting with Haig
                -Forthcoming meeting with Haldeman
                       -John C. Stennis
                -Forthcoming meeting with lawyers
          -John W. Dean, III and Haig
                                            -119-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

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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Yeah.
General Haig, sir?
Yeah.
Hello?
Hi, Al.
Mr. President, I wanted you to know I've had already about four calls on the superb job that was done tonight.
Well, television looked just great.
Well, I'm just sitting here having a good talk with Bob tonight.
Oh, good.
So, uh, good.
He's, uh, and the main thing is, you know, we, uh,
You know, and you're getting all this crap about resignation and impeachment and so forth.
Hell, you can't let such stuff enter the heads of any of the garments and all those people, you know.
Now, listen, this thing tonight, sir, it just showed what we've been talking about.
This is a movement, and it's moving now.
And that was a great talk.
I didn't hear it, but the talk on television was great.
And Cole and two others called me and said it was just outstanding.
Well, thanks, Al.
Thanks.
I want you to know that I've told Bob that the only man now that will deal with him is Buzzard.
This is what we had to do.
We have to do.
I'm going to get Garment the hell out of this thing now.
I mean, you know, we'll leave him in a lot of other things.
You know what I mean?
We'll just keep him out of it.
He's just too jittery.
That's right.
Don't you agree?
Absolutely.
I do.
And we've got to have confidence in each other on this.
That's right.
But let me say that on the executive privilege thing, though, you talked to Bob and
We can't give an inch on written documents.
Not an inch.
So I don't want Buzzard or Garment or anybody else to come in at me and say, look, public opinion will be hurt.
I think we're covering up.
All right, we'll cover up until hell freezes over.
We can do it.
We can do it.
Don't you agree?
Because today, these guys had me panicked.
I thought we compromised papers.
That's right.
Well, I know.
I know.
But you understand.
We cannot do it.
We cannot do it.
And we've also got to be very tough on the other privilege, too.
He understands this now.
I had a talk with him after we went.
Has he got the point?
Yeah, he's been greased over, you know, it was just bad even getting him broken in by the wrong people.
Right.
But he's got the point now?
Yes, sir.
I want to set up a meeting with him, although he should do it tomorrow.
with him and Bob at a place where they can meet conveniently.
That's good.
But I would think it should be—if this fellow ought to work on Stennis the next two days to get these—to work on the hearings, if he can, actually.
And maybe on Saturday, how would that be?
I think that's fine, and he should talk to Bob before he talks to any of Bob's lawyers.
Oh, yes, yes.
He should talk to Bob before he talks to any lawyers.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
This fellow is our friend, at least my friend, and totally trustworthy.
Actually, he turns out to be a John Dean without your ass, too.
Well, that's fine.
Okay, I deserve it.
Okay, all right.

Also recorded on May 9, 1973

  • 045-177 6:35 PM · 13 sec — Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:35 pm and 7:55 pm.
  • 045-178 6:35 PM · 6 min — Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:35 pm and 7:55 pm.
  • 045-179 6:55 PM · 1 min — 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.
  • 045-180 6:55 PM · 12 sec — Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:55 pm and 7:55 pm.
  • 045-181 6:55 PM · 5 min — Alexander M. Haig, Jr., H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:55 pm and 7:55 pm.
  • 045-182 6:55 PM · 14 sec — Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:55 pm and 7:55 pm.
  • 045-183 6:55 PM · 19 sec — Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr. talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:55 pm and 7:55 pm.
  • 045-184 10:46 PM · 2 min — Rose Mary Woods and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:46 pm and 10:47 pm.

All 60 conversations from May 9, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 045-185, May 9, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/045-185 (accessed November 15, 2026).