Three days after the break-in

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HaldemanHi.

NixonHi. Too bad we can't do business in Florida these weekends.

HaldemanYeah.

NixonHeat, he says.

HaldemanMay be pushing it. Florida or should we go get California?

Nixon[unintelligible] I guess Stein stole it.

HaldemanHmm, Stein's good.

NixonHas a style.

HaldemanYeah. He can write so much better than McCracken.

NixonClever.

HaldemanHe's a better talker, too. When he says something, it's uh McCracken, remember, always hedged everything. "Well, it looks pretty good, but then again it might not." [laughter]

NixonThe trouble was, he was so cautious, so it was just nobody knew what [unintelligible] Nobody really came away [unintelligible]

HaldemanOr, Stein says, "We've got a bad news today. We get good news today, and it's bad and then he'd tell you what we're going to do about it.

Nixon[unintelligible] pretty good on the Mitchell operation.

HaldemanYeah.

NixonDid he, I don't think he did. I think this thing was [unintelligible] I think, that's right. I don't think he did. I also think this, I think that the [unintelligible]

HaldemanDid not have, they didn't have to, uh,

Haldemanand see, these guys are apparently pretty competent funny people. They've been doing those things.

NixonAnd they know what they're doing.

HaldemanAnd then, Mitchell [unintelligible] and they knew this before, they had this stuff all right.

Nixon[unintelligible]

HaldemanWell, and then they had a three-channel transmitter, apparently, and two of the channels went out, or something, or it walked off somewhere, or didn't go in, and those that went in couldn't get pictures of stuff that were inside. Well, Mitchell's pushed the pause button, but, um, the bug- You know, that's, that's, uh, I haven't heard this, this. They have filed suit.

NixonThey have?

HaldemanYeah. [unintelligible] directly suing the Committee for the Re-Election and the Republican National Committee

NixonRight.

Haldemanfor a million dollars [laughter] for uh $100,000 damage to nine [unintelligible]

HaldemanRight. They want to stick to the opposition.

NixonThey have no trap then.

HaldemanWell, the problem is under the law, [unintelligible] they had no, they don't have a case.

HaldemanKlein says they can, that their kind of claim can be, and once they file and, and the judge orders, sets the thing, and starts the suit going, [unintelligible] can solve it in a couple of months. It'll probably not come to court.

HaldemanOur poor guy didn't, he, I mean, said you've got plenty. It will shed more light than the other way.

HaldemanNow it says that the guy [unintelligible] there is a tie. Now, what they are saying, that's its help you see. And they have set one [unintelligible] problem and it's not open.

Nixon[unintelligible] get out of there. It is fortunately, unfortunately, uh it's a bizarre story.

HaldemanYeah. Which it is. So the bizarreness almost helps us, to discredit.

HaldemanYeah.

HaldemanNow, he's not a permanent, he was on a regular monthly retainer fee. But he had other clients, and he had a regular monthly fee with the National Committee, also took a substantial retainer fee from the National Committee. Apparently he sets up all this television [unintelligible] the closed-circuit monitoring stuff for the and they have six guards each shift.

HaldemanCubans, and,

HaldemanWell, well, of course, I guess, what he's going to say, and, of course, he, I guess, will say that that he was working with the Cubans, who wanted to wanted to took this interest in, for their own political reasons.

NixonWhat?

HaldemanThen what? Disappear and they're in the process of disappearing? How'd they disappear if they want the police? The plan to kill his bail and the whole process set up for them to disappear through Latin America.

HaldemanYeah. But that, at least [unintelligible] on the basis of this tie to the Cubans, see, he was- And the Bay of Pigs thing. And it's one of the Cubans, Barker, who got in with the American name was his deputy in the Bay of Pigs operation.

HaldemanAnd so they're kind of tried to tie it through McCord National Committee and try to relate that to the fact that we are. Yeah.

HaldemanYeah. Well, the original thing the original story was safe, you see, the other waste of pretty much talent, Now of course, they have turned this ties to Colson, to the White House and their line is, you know,

HaldemanStrangely, Colson doesn't run out. Colson- Colson [unintelligible] but, uh, what was that consultant Colson talked about?

NixonYeah, killed, you know, Howard Hunt [unintelligible] What's the nature of this consultant? It says,

HaldemanHe's away today, huh?

HaldemanAll, uh, his, you can see all of three different, uh, and I was told to [unintelligible]

Haldemanwell he can't, but that wasn't, I think. Well, I think, we all, it was, uh, some terrible stuff. You know, somebody will get more. It's going to be, I don't know where it's going, but um I don't think, I don't think Chuck is specifically the [unintelligible] Just how many, you know, wherever these people are going.

HaldemanI think he did, though. So, I guess, that Hunt had took, he called the money himself [unintelligible] He had send the money [unintelligible]

Nixonthey're going to hold that in the [unintelligible]

HaldemanIt's a suite.

NixonThis office and the, uh, Oval Office?

HaldemanEvery morning, and they sweep all the rest of our offices. They do the TV's.

NixonWhy do they-

HaldemanThat is, they take everything that they, all-

NixonGood.

HaldemanThey are checked. And they swept

NixonThey'd better be.

HaldemanWell, should be. They're over there every afternoon at 2:00, checking all these speakers. All of this stuff is checked by Walkers.

NixonReal help on that.

HaldemanI got them there, and they got in the Cabinet Room, and one is only-

NixonWell, it's, it's confirmed, okay, isn't it?

HaldemanThe whole lot, then the Communist whole thing, they say it's clean, but I don't trust it. Okay.

HaldemanNobody monitors those tapes. They are, they are kept on things stacked up, and locked up, in a

Haldemansecure room. They are not,

Haldemanthree people have ever even seen the holdouts.

NixonI've been trying to think about that, and I don't think you want to touch those tapes for all the [unintelligible].

Haldeman[unintelligible]

NixonNo, there's nothing. But you might- you just can't, you run a risk just to make damn clear that you don't do nothing about it, to make damn clear that you can't be trapped. If somebody just snuck in and happened to-

HaldemanYes, I agree with that.

NixonThat's, that is true, so real tap on that [unintelligible]

Haldeman[unintelligible] That's right.

HaldemanHe has had, unfortunately, John has had some circumstantial, who he had, he has contacts with several

Haldemanof them now, it's unfortunate. 'Cause if he had, probably wouldn't have happily-

Unknown[buzzing tone]

HaldemanSeriously on having the tower [unintelligible] call, called Mitchell, said, "I've got to get somebody in, and check things out to be sure it's secure." Mitchell called back, and said, "Well, you get this guy to come in and help check your conferences, by code."

NixonSolid punch? You bet it's true.

HaldemanWell, who? Everybody knows who, when you go on, John's way through-

Haldeman[unintelligible]

Haldemanplead guilty, and start to get all the circumstantial stuff tied up. Maybe it's better not to

Haldemansit there and play [unintelligible]

HaldemanHard to. Because it may be better just to plead guilty, and have a good explanation. We were spying, and they press for it, and then say we hired McCord because

NixonRight.

Haldemanwe had trouble with the bombs, so we could just save for having,

Haldemanfor us to use. Well, they got a pretty dull crime. It was tough on a guy so we, we went in there to get this, because we're scared to death that if that crazy mess becomes President, he'll sell the US out to the Communists.

HaldemanThere are adventures, but they're not foolhardy.

HaldemanThink about that, that they also would think was a good idea. I, I, uh,

Haldemanwonder if the Mr. Baldwin, that guy don't play.

NixonWho was in on the thing, totally?

HaldemanCome here.

NixonNow see, Hunt, is the guy fired by-

HaldemanHunt is a friend of Colson's.

Unknown[buzzing tone]

HaldemanHunt was direct line of call. He was across the street in the Howard Johnson Motel in a direct line of sight room observing across the street. That was, they got the, the receiving equipment through bubbles.

NixonHow does, how does Hunt work for him, or who did he work for?

HaldemanWell, I don't know.

NixonWho hired him?

HaldemanI don't know if that's one, that's something that I haven't got answered, is how Apparently McCord had Hunt working with him, or Hunt had McCord working with him, and with these people, so they're all tied together. One,

Haldemanwhen he ran the Bay of Pigs thing, was working with this guy Barker, who's the leader of the Cubans. Barker's his

NixonHow did we, how does the press know all about Hunt?

HaldemanOh, they know, they know about Hunt because they found his name in the address book of two of the Cubans, Barker's book and one, one of the other guys'

NixonBarker's book.

HaldemanHe's identified as White House.

NixonBarker.

HaldemanAnd, also, because one of the Cubans had a check from Hunt, an uncashed, an uncashed, check for $6.90, or something like that,

Haldemanwhich Hunt had given to this Cuban to take back to Miami with him and mail, which was to pay his country club bill.

HaldemanAnd one of his identities is, is the Cuban-based, I mean, Miami-based name. He uses a Hunt- yea,

Haldemanthat probably saying that they, and resident dues to the Metro Club, so that,

Haldemanthey had that check,

Haldemanso that was there.

NixonWhy, what if they censor people well know, by the fact that Hunt is Colson's boy, and all this Cuban, what about Colson? He's involved in this?

HaldemanWell, he did-

HaldemanWell, he, yeah. That's, but, I don't think he's, I don't think he's certainly not involved in the press conference.

NixonWell, they can't- One of our guys ought to be able to talk with the press, and we can-

HaldemanWell, that's what the guy, Barker, is. You try to throw it off.

NixonColson damn well better-

HaldemanYeah.

Nixonbe drawn in-

HaldemanThey are not going to rest-

Haldemanwiretapping,

Nixon[unintelligible] collection

HaldemanCome on, hearings, [unintelligible] change.

HaldemanIt seems to me they're tough, but thank God we're out of the position we were in,

Haldemanit seems to me to be the, call boss, as far as, kind of guy,

NixonIs that funny, right?

HaldemanYeah.

HaldemanNo, [unintelligible]

NixonThe Democrats had great victory.

HaldemanYeah. No. We did. That's, that's what, that was the primary season.

Nixon[unintelligible] that victory [unintelligible].

NixonIf anything it's the other way around. Okay.

HaldemanIt's also true about it, because I often doubt and I'm sure that other council says this is ridiculous. [unintelligible]

Nixon[unintelligible] out of there. I mean, we're getting [unintelligible] and so forth. And they don't have [unintelligible]

HaldemanAnd nobody in the committee is worried about money. At my—except for this financial thing, they felt they had something going on that.

NixonYeah, suppose, uh, I suppose.

HaldemanI, I asked that question, see. Why in the world, why in the world would you be picking that type of national headquarters?

NixonLeast fruitful source.

NixonThey have said everybody, everybody does. Because of saying it? What?

HaldemanThey didn't, at the time this morning, they didn't have a suit. And so, they didn't know what they were up against. They only knew that there was the possibility of a countersuit.

NixonOh.

HaldemanThe other thing is that if you think that, if you decide to go in that direction, three-at-large press conference, rather than doing it at a press conference,

NixonThe reason I raised it, with the, I mean, I, I can still handle the domestic issues well in a regular press conference,

HaldemanMm-hm.

NixonThe easy way for them to out, just say to people,

HaldemanMm-hm.

Nixonyou know, the right group, so, well, what the hell. But you can't force foreign policy questions.

HaldemanYeah, there you'd get the, you'd get the, they won't have those, and they always make a point that those aren't press conferences, rather than people who want press conferences.

NixonYeah, that's true.

HaldemanThat's kind of—

NixonHow would I handle it with a group of four?

HaldemanWell, what's your feelings as to how we ought to handle this announcement? How it's framed for it, and so forth?

NixonUh, the, uh, with no particular hurry on the day. The day, I re—I read what you said, I just been thinking about it. How far we could go with schedule, and so forth.

HaldemanYeah.

NixonPouring fog together and finally find out, we'll figure out where it's at. Henry's gone, and to see about various things. What about a troop announcement, for instance?

HaldemanWell, Charlie Woods' urges you do one Wednesday and do a press conference Thursday. You know, get two stories out of it, first of all, and also get the—

Haldemandon't let the, hit the troop announcement before the speculation on it builds up to the point where at the press conference, you expect one. Whereas, they all know there is going to be one.

NixonI agree.

HaldemanSo I'd say that you're going to have a press conference next week, and then, probably wait till Wednesday to announce the press conference, and also Wednesday, you make, you announce the troop, then you announce it in the troop,

HaldemanAnd say, on audio, there'd be a press, first one of the press conference on Friday.

NixonYou'd say, "Nixon cuts troops to such and such."

HaldemanWhatever it is.

NixonWill be pressed tomorrow night.

HaldemanSure, sure. I think so.

NixonWell, I'm not so sure. I wouldn't think of it. On the other hand, there aren't any ground troops, really, there now.

HaldemanNot to speak of. But, but nobody knows it. I think the announcement is so far off.

NixonWell, people know they aren't. And how do you describe people going to Viet—

— 3 min 26 s with no transcribed speech —

Haldemanfirst Tuesday, Thursday, and the next Monday. We'll do it in three weeks. We'll do on the 10th of August, the middle of the party platform hearings.

NixonWhy wouldn't I, the week before, we could do on the 10th of August. Which is before the basic activity starts, anyway.

HaldemanRight, because basic starts on that Friday. A customized press conference. You I can do this unless unless we have something specific to announce,

Haldemanit's an it stays presidential, and covers the range of presidential of broad range of what's going on. We'll still have here in the middle of it [unintelligible] I agree about that.

NixonPress conference may have the, I agree about that. Three candidates,

Haldemanthey'd never get together to decide. Yeah, that's right. Each one of them can go [unintelligible]

Nixonget equal airtime.

HaldemanOr either the other network is not going to say no to me. Why do you do it at all? I I agree.

HaldemanYou're still much better off to do the press conference, which forces all three networks, even if they have to give equal time, because they won't all three get together on equal time to the other guy.

NixonHow do you do all three networks when we're not actually in the convention? Well, who would say it's quite ancient custom?

HaldemanThey would have to use the office, right?

— 1 min 57 s with no transcribed speech —

HaldemanTalked about the security factor, you know. Yeah. Graham building

NixonI think the general thing seems to be the check. You can have a sound, that's how it walks. You have a a plane in the astral.

NixonYou have a cable broke in like in the Holy person.

HaldemanI guess you'd have to figure that something like that.

NixonWhy do they take with them?

HaldemanIt's gonna be a problem, sure. You have to figure you see that the security thing that's that's what we have to decide.

HaldemanAnd it don't get here, right?

HaldemanThey all want their security questioned and covered, unless he unless he No. If he starts agitating, which he may, I mean it could be

NixonWell, they you're not going to scare anybody.

HaldemanI'm scared of the shoot. I'm fearful of shooting.

NixonShoot.

HaldemanIt's just the type that stirs up or could become the type that stirs up actions. Like they they tried it with those Kennedy types.

NixonThe Bobby Kennedy camp in there.

HaldemanYeah.

HaldemanThe security thing will be a problem. It's gonna Even if it's not a real problem, it's gonna be a problem to a, you know, a psychological problem to a lot of people. They're not going to want to see a president out Well, Graham is an example of it. Yeah.

HaldemanHis hysteria is going to be the hysteria of a lot of people.

NixonA lot of people on your side, they're just, you're nice, normal Americans. They don't want the President [unintelligible]

Three days after the break-in

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Also recorded on June 20, 1972

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Three days after the break-in

AI Summary

Audio

NARA Description

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Transcript (AI-generated)

Also recorded on June 20, 1972

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