On May 1, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, and Cabinet officers and staffers, including William P. Rogers, George P. Shultz, Elliot L. Richardson, Rogers C. B. Morton, Frederick B. Dent, Peter J. Brennan, Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger, James T. Lynn, Claude S. Brinegar, Roy L. Ash, Anne L. Armstrong, John A. Scali, J. Philip Campbell, Richard G. Kleindienst, William P. Clements, Jr., George H. W. Bush, William E. Timmons, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., Henry A. Kissinger, Peter M. Flanigan, Ronald L. Ziegler, Kenneth W. Clawson, William J. Baroody, Jr., Richard A. Moore, W. Richard Howard, David R. Gergen, Patrick J. Buchanan, David N. Parker, Frederic V. Malek, Lawrence M. Higby, Bruce A. Kehrli, Stanley S. Scott, Stephen B. Bull, Rose Mary Woods, Arthur J. Sohmer, Lee W. Huebner, Jerry H. Jones, Donald F. Rodgers, Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft, Herbert G. Klein, Thomas C. Korologos, Gerald L. Warren, Andrew T. Falkiewicz, Max L. Friedersdorf, Lyndon K. Allin, Fred F. Fielding, Michael J. Farrell, James H. Falk, Richard M. Fairbanks, III, James H. Cavanaugh, Dana G. Mead, Geoffrey C. Shepard, and C. Gregg Petersmeyer, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 3:10 pm and 11:52 pm. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 120-001 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 120-1
Date: May 1, 1973
Time: Unknown between 3:10 pm and 11:52 pm
Location: Cabinet Room
The President met with Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, William P. Rogers, George P. Shultz,
Elliot L. Richardson, Rogers C. B. Morton, Frederick B. Dent, Peter J. Brennan, Caspar W.
(“Cap ) Weinberger, James T. Lynn, Claude S. Brinegar, Roy L. Ash, Anne L. Armstrong, John
A. Scali, J. Philip Campbell, Richard G. Kleindienst, William P. Clements, Jr., George H. W.
Bush, William E. Timmons, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., Henry A. Kissinger, Peter M. Flanigan,
Ronald L. Ziegler, Kenneth W. Clawson, William J. Baroody, Jr., Richard A. Moore, W. Richard
Howard, David R. Gergen, Patrick J. Buchanan, David N. Parker, Frederic V. Malek, Lawrence
M. Higby, Bruce A. Kehrli, Stanley S. Scott, Stephen B. Bull, Rose Mary Woods, Arthur J.
Sohmer, Lee W. Huebner, Jerry H. Jones, Donald F. Rodgers, General Brent G. Scowcroft,
Herbert G. Klein, Thomas C. Korologos, Gerald L. Warren, Andrew T. Falkiewicz, Max L.
Friedersdorf, Lyndon K. (“Mort ) Allin, Fred F. Fielding, Michael J. Farrell, James H. Falk,
Richard M. Fairbanks, III, James H. Cavanaugh, Dana G. Mead, Geoffrey C. Shepard, and C.
Gregg Petersmeyer
[Recording begins while the conversation is in progress]
President’s schedule
-Cabinet members’ questions for President
-Meeting purpose
-White House organization
White House staff
-Cole
-Role
-Domestic Council
-Scheduling
-National Security Council [NSC]
-Scheduling
-Bull
-Daily schedule
-Parker
-Long-term schedule
-Personnel
-H. R. (“Bob ) Haldeman
-Office of Management and Budget [OMB]
-Ash
-Departures of Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman
President’s schedule
-Cabinet meetings
-NSC meetings
-Domestic Council
-NSC
-Rogers, Kissinger
-Foreign policy issues
Departures of Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Reaction of Cabinet and White House staff
-Comparison with Sherman Adams and Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Rogers
-Reaction of Cabinet and White House
-President’s workload
-Cabinet
-Foreign policy
-Soviet Union
-Domestic issues
-Prices
-Shultz
-Changes in personnel
-Effect on White House staff
-Cole
-Bull and Parker
-Scheduling
-OMB
-Ash
Watergate
-Richardson, William D. Ruckelshaus
-Special prosecutor
-Richardson
-Possible staff involvement
-President’s knowledge
-Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Possible staff involvement
-Leaves of absence
-Cooperation with investigators
-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] guards outside offices of Haldeman and
Ehrlichman
-President’s reaction
-Cabinet
-Support for President
-Duty
-Personal conduct
-President’s previous speech on April 30, 1973
-Rogers’ view
-Kleindienst’s service
-President’s conversation with Richardson
-Attorney General
-Responsibility
-Richardson
-Kleindienst
-Watergate investigation
-FBI guards outside offices of Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-President’s reaction
-Investigation
-Cabinet
-President’s defense
-Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-FBI guards outside offices of Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-New York and Washington press
-President’s previous speech on April 30, 1973
-Weinberger’s view
-Contrast with President’s other concerns
[A transcript of the following portion of the conversation was prepared under court order from
February through March, 1988, for Special Access [SA] 89, US v. Kenneth Moses Loud Hawk, et
al. The National Archives and Records Administration produced this transcript. The National
Archives does not guarantee its accuracy.]
[End of transcript]
Morton’s position
Watergate
-Armstrong’s comments
-Family
-Popular perceptions
-President’s visit to Mississippi
-Margaret Chase Smith and Russell B. Long
-President’s remaining time in office
Kleindienst
-Forthcoming speech
Kleindienst left at an unknown time before 3:41 pm
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 44s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
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Watergate
-Press
-Possible distortions
-President as target
-Ash
-President’s defense
-Future
-Charles H. Percy’s statement
-Purpose
-Cabinet
The President left at 3:41 pm
[General conversation/Unintelligible]
Recording ends at an unknown time before 11:52 pm, while the conversation is in progress