Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 169 › Conversation 169-030

Nixon phone call with Haig on Leonid Brezhnev and Watergate scandal

Wednesday, June 20, 1973 · 7:23 PM–7:30 PM ET · Camp David Study Table · 7 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.Conversation169-030 on Tape 169StartWednesday, June 20, 1973 at 7:23 PMEndWednesday, June 20, 1973 at 7:30 PMRecording deviceCamp David Study TableSourceNixon Library record for 169-030 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Haig discuss the positive television coverage of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev's visit, while also finalizing negotiations regarding SALT and MBFR. The pair reviews the political fallout of the Watergate scandal, specifically monitoring media reports regarding John Dean's upcoming testimony and Senator Hugh Scott's remarks. Additionally, they coordinate the timing of personnel announcements for the SEC and John A. Love to avoid negative headlines, and they clarify the future advisory role of John Connally to mitigate public misperception.

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello, this is General Haig, sir.
Mr. President?
Well, we just finished another marathon.
Oh, God, I'll tell you.
But we got, I think we worked out all the outstanding problems.
That's great.
The Mideast is, they still have to handle around about the language, and we're going to have to, but we got the things we wanted, the 74 date for salt, but they handled over that, and then we got that work.
And the October 3rd is starting date for MDFR.
Oh, boy.
Great.
That's wonderful.
It's not easy, though.
No, no.
But he wanted to do it himself.
That was his way of work.
Well, I had great, great TV tonight.
Superb pictures of about six to seven minutes of you...
Here, walking down the path, looking at the goldfish, really very good coverage.
And then they had a good positive piece on security in Washington for Brezhnev, which was excellent.
And then his gifts, they had a piece on what the exchange of gifts were.
It was just damn good TV tonight.
Uh-huh.
And not much work.
A little peck at Blair on all the networks about that SEC thing, but it was handled lightly.
Oh, crap.
It was all taken care of.
Yeah, yeah.
But that was excellent.
I think I've got this SEC guy on board.
So, yeah, he's going to call back, and I understand Love is going to call back tomorrow and accept.
He's passed that word in.
Kind of a...
I think I'd let him sort of wait a week.
You know what I mean?
You know what I mean?
What do you think?
Well, I don't think Tuesday's a good day.
I think we ought to not write that story on the first day of Jack and Day of Dean, but maybe later in the week.
Well, let's just let him, that's what I mean.
Let's figure it out right at that soon.
And also, I don't want any...
That's right.
those things and by golly i'm just not going to take it well we should know by wednesday uh well he'd be finished his testimony by wednesday yeah but that story's playing big too that uh he's in an open gut fight uh at baker rose where he didn't want to i want to take him to uh uh in contempt charges but uh saying he did not want to yeah saying that he was not going to do that but the inference being that uh
But there had been a hell of a fight, and that Baker had been leading the charge for that.
Oh, really?
That's right.
Do you think Baker did lead the charge?
I'd be surprised.
Well, I doubt that.
I doubt it.
But obviously there was sentiment in the committee to do that, and it would either be Baker or Gray, I suppose.
And then it also mentioned that Scott had stepped out.
Yeah, but they're not burying that embezzlement story then, are they?
No, they're not burying it.
It didn't get... Brezhnev got the full play tonight, but it got treatment, and that's enough.
It got treatment that Scott called him an embezzler.
And that's a short step from a liar.
Yeah.
Well, that's a very good move.
Somebody else would step up for that.
Now, Connolly's play was mixed, as I thought it would be.
One network was very positive, and the other two were that he's done his job and is going back to Texas.
And Brinkley did a little editorial that this was the demise of Connolly.
Oh, God.
Which was really...
a sorry thing, and we'll overcome that.
Yeah.
Connolly didn't really say that, that he was going back to Texas to New York.
Yes, he did.
He said his advisory role, as it's been, will be concluded largely by midsummer.
Yeah.
But he didn't say there wouldn't be any more advisory.
He may know that every day.
Yeah.
But it, on balance, as well, that's all right.
He didn't, he indicated he would be continuing to
and the future and other things.
That's right.
And the facts are that it was interpreted that if you would have taken any bad reading of it, it would be that he didn't make the grade, not that he left us.
You see what I mean?
Oh, yeah.
Well, we just don't want any separation there.
No, no.
And we'll see.
We'll see.
Which was an interesting twist.
It wasn't he was bailing out in any way.
Yeah, yeah.
was that you probably, uh, had enough advisors.
That's the way it was.
Well, the way it, the way it went, though, and, uh, anybody down there is that, uh, he will continue to be an advisor.
I mean, the whole point is that he just can't spend so much time on it.
He never intended to.
That's right.
And that's what he, uh, said.
He, uh, he took this, and he did a very great sacrifice.
And now he's, uh,
He will come in for, he's already agreed to that, to come to the energy meetings, the economic meetings, right?
Yes, sir.
And there's no question about it.
In fact, he confirmed it again for me last night because I just made it clear that I had told that to Laird.
So before his dinner party, Laird wouldn't chip at him.
Right, right.
So we had a hell of a good news day tonight.
Very good on all the networks.
Strong as hell on this day up here.
Well, it has great color, Al.
Great color.
There are great shots of you two walking, you know.
That's very impressive.
It is a good shot.
Is Ziegler there?
Yes, sir.
Hold on a minute.
Yes, sir.
Just tell him to drop down.
I'll give him a little color.
Good.
Okay, sir.

NARA Description

On June 20, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone at Camp David from 7:23 pm to 7:30 pm. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 169-030 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 169-30

Date: June 20, 1973
Time: 7:23 pm - 7:30 pm
Location: Camp David Study Table

The President talked with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

     Leonid I. Brezhnev’s visit
          -Negotiations
                 -Duration
                 -Middle East
                       -Language of agreement
                 -Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
                 -Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions [MBFR]
                       -Starting date
          -Television [TV] coverage
                 -Haig’s assessment
                 -Security for Brezhnev’s visit
                       -Washington, DC
                 -Gifts for Brezhnev

     Watergate
          -TV coverage
               -Melvin R. Laird
                    -Securities and Exchange Commission [SEC]

     Personnel management
          -SEC
                -Ralph Saul
                     -Telephone call to Haig
          -John A. Love
                -Timing of announcement
                     -John W. Dean, III’s forthcoming Ervin Committee testimony

     Watergate
          -Dean
                                            -21-

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                             Conversation No. 169-30 (cont’d)

                -Press coverage
                      -Howard H. Baker, Jr.’s statement
                            -Contempt charges
                                  -Edward J. Gurney
                      -Hugh Scott
                      -Handling of funds
                            -Scott’s statement

     John B. Connally
          -Network coverage
                -Connally’s return to Texas
                      -David Brinkley’s editorial
          -Statement concerning White House staff role
                -Press coverage
                -Ronald L. Ziegler’s statement
                      -Temporary nature of Connally’s role
          -Role on White House staff
                -Energy and economic advising
                -Conversation with Haig
                      -Confirmation of role
                      -Laird
                            -Criticism of Connally

     Brezhnev’s visit
          -TV coverage

     Ziegler
           -Meeting with President

Also recorded on June 20, 1973

  • 169-023 12:02 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:20 pm.
  • 169-024 12:20 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone at Camp David from 12:20 pm to 12:22 pm.
  • 169-025 12:22 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:22 pm and 12:29 pm.
  • 169-026 12:29 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone at Camp David from 12:29 pm to 12:31 pm.
  • 169-027 12:31 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:31 pm and 12:51 pm.
  • 169-028 3:28 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo talked on the telephone at Camp David from 3:28 pm to 3:31 pm.
  • 169-029 3:31 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 3:31 pm and 7:23 pm.
  • 169-031 7:30 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 7:30 pm and 10:59 pm.

All 31 conversations from June 20, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 169-030, June 20, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/169-030 (accessed October 9, 2026).