President Nixon recorded a memorandum for the file to document his internal deliberations regarding the escalating Watergate scandal. He analyzed the political viability of appointing an independent commission or special prosecutor, weighing those options against the potential for White House cooperation and the impact of a televised public address. The discussion also addressed potential legal vulnerabilities for key administration officials, including John Mitchell, Jeb Magruder, and John Ehrlichman, while drawing historical parallels to the political challenges faced by the Lyndon B. Johnson administration.
On March 27, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:34 pm and 5:46 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 424-005 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 424-5
Date: March 27, 1973
Time: Unknown between 5:34 and 5:46 p.m.
Location: Executive Office Building
The President dictated a memorandum for the file.
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[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift during
chronological review 2007-2013]
Watergate
-Difficulty
-Meeting with William P. Rogers
-Rogers’s opinion of independent commission
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman’s suggestion
-Comparison to Lyndon B. Johnson
-Walter Jenkins
-Robert D. (“Bobby”) Baker
-President’s television [TV] appearance
-Value
-Special prosecutor
-White House cooperation
-Grand jury
-John N. Mitchell, Jeb Stuart Magruder, John D. Ehrlichman
-Charles W. Colson [?]
-Haldeman [?]
-TV
-F. Lee Bailey
*****************************************************************This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.