Conversation: 426-004
Prev: 426-003 Next: 426-005Start Date: Thursday, March 29, 1973 7:45 PM
End Date: Thursday, March 29, 1973 9:20 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ehrlichman, John D.; Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); White House operator; Ziegler, Ronald L.; Dean, John W., III; Acker, Marjorie P.Recording Device: Old Executive Office Building
NARA Description:
On March 29, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, Ronald L. Ziegler, John W. Dean, III, and Marjorie P. Acker met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:45 pm to 4:20 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 426-004 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 426-4
Date: March 29, 1973
Time: 2:45-4:20 p.m.
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with John D. Ehrlichman.
H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
Watergate
-Haldeman's phone conversations
-John W. Dean, III
-John N. Mitchell
-Draft statement
-Mitchell
-Dean
-Wording
-Dean's forthcoming grand jury testimony
Haldeman entered at 2:46 pm.
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Sherman Adams
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Robert B. (“Bobby”) Baker and Walter Jenkins
-Motivation
-Case
-Statement
-Dean
-Wording
-Dean's forthcoming grand jury testimony
-Waiver of executive privilege
-Mitchell's recommendation
-Limitation
-Ronald L. Ziegler's presence
Haldeman talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 2:46 pm and 3:01
pm.
-3-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 426-4 (cont’d)
[Conversation No. 426-4A]
[See Conversation No. 44-68]
[The call was placed on hold]
Ziegler
-Meeting with the President
Watergate
-Accusations
-Forum for hearing
-Seriousness
Haldeman talked with Ziegler at an unknown time between 2:46 pm and 3:01 pm.
[End of telephone conversation]
Watergate
-Forum for handling of charges
-Ervin Committee
-Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.
-Possible responses to questions
Haldeman talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 2:46 pm and 3:01
pm.
[Conversation No. 426-4B]
[See Conversation No. 44-69]
[The call was placed on hold]
Ziegler entered at 3:01 pm.
Press briefing
Haldeman talked with John W. Dean, III at an unknown time between 3:01 pm and 3:30 pm.
-4-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 426-4 (cont’d)
[The call was placed on hold]
[Ehrlichman talked with Dean at an unknown time.]
[End of telephone call]
President's forthcoming speech, March 29
-Advance text
[The above portion of the conversation took place simultaneously with Conversation No. 426-
4B]
President's speech
-George P. Shultz
-Vetoes
-Defense budget
-Briefing by Shultz
-Advance text
Watergate
-Jack N. Anderson's column
-President's forthcoming statement
-Ehrlichman's conversation with Dean
-Briefing
-Timing of release
-Briefing
-Charges in Los Angeles Times
-Dean [?]
-Mitchell and Jeb Stuart Magruder
-Role of privilege
-Wire service reports
-Timing of release
-Ehrlichman's meeting with publishers
-Interest in Watergate issue
-New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times
-Dan Rather's commentary on President's forthcoming speech
-Issues addressed in speech
-5-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 426-4 (cont’d)
-Timing of release
-Reaction of press
-Form and timing of White House release
-Mitchell, Charles W. Colson story
-Wording of statement
-Former White House staff members
-Cooperation with grand jury
-Timing of release
-Mitchell
-Dean
-Reaction
-Roger M. Mudd, television commentators
-Weicker, Hugh Scott
-Timing of release of Watergate statement
-Effect of release prior to evening speech
-President's forthcoming speech, March 29
-Networks' possible commentary
-Newspapers, March 30
-James W. McCord, Jr.'s possible testimony
-E. Howard Hunt, Jr.'s possible testimony
-Strategy
-Ehrlichman
-Ervin Committee
Ziegler left at 3:30 p.m.
-L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III
-Senate Committee's forthcoming meeting
-William E. Timmons
-Charles McC Mathias, Jr., John L. McClellan
-Possible motion
-Confirmation by Senate
-Howard H. Baker, Jr.
-President's meeting at the Executive Office Building [EOB] with Baker
-Administrative assistant's statement regarding desire for White House
contact
-George D. Webster
-White House contact
-Richard G. Kleindienst
-6-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 426-4 (cont’d)
-Ehrlichman
-President
-Spiro T. Agnew
-Ehrlichman
-Ehrlichman
-Committee's procedures
-Written interrogatories
-Executive session
-Stonewalling
-Campaign
-Form of information
-Privilege
-Possible party at interest
-Ervin's concerns
-Instructions from President
-Grand jury
-Executive privilege
-Edward J. Gurney
-Ervin Committee
-Timmons, Agnew
-Baker
-Leaks
-McCord's testimony
-Ervin's and Baker's meeting with Samuel Dash
-Special counsel to White House
-Qualifications
-Dean's possible counsel
-Qualifications
-Donald Santarelli, Frank Gustus
-Dean
-Statements to President regarding Haldeman
-William P. Rogers
-Instructions from Ehrlichman
-Call to Baker
Ehrlichman left at an unknown time before 4:05 p.m.
-Special counsel to White House
-Ehrlichman
-7-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 426-4 (cont’d)
-George H. W. Bush
-President's forthcoming statement
-Timing of release
-Bush
-Robert J. Dole
-Agnew
-Beliefs regarding White House staff
-President's schedule
-Gerald R. Ford
-Colson
-Mitchell
-Baker's conversation with Agnew
-G. Gordon Liddy's testimony
-Hunt
-Statement to grand jury
-Questions
-Chile
-Embassy
-Knowledge of higher-up's involvement
-Mitchell
-Colson
-Dean
-Liddy
-Bush
-Haldeman's forthcoming call
-President's forthcoming statement
-Executive privilege
-Executive privilege
-Senate
-Grand jury
-Ziegler
-Colson's answer at National Press Club
Ehrlichman entered at an unknown time after 3:30 p.m.
-Ehrlichman's previous phone call to Baker
-Focus of responsibility at White House
-Baker's conversation with Agnew
-Ehrlichman's forthcoming meeting with Baker and Ervin
-8-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 426-4 (cont’d)
-Previous negotiations regarding Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
raw files
-Kleindienst's meeting with Ervin and Baker
-Committee's reaction
-Henry A. Kissinger's procedure
-Oath-taking
Marjorie P. Acker entered at 4:05 pm.
President’s signature [?]
-Rose Mary Woods [?]
-Congratulations
Acker left at 4:06 pm.
Watergate
-Ehrlichman's forthcoming meeting with Baker and Ervin
-Ehrlichman as point of contact
-Timmons
-Scott, Ford
-Haldeman's forthcoming call to Bush
Haldeman left at an unknown time before 4:20 pm.
President's forthcoming speech, evening of March 29
-Length
-Content
-Shultz [?]
-Vietnam
-National economy
-Defense budget
-Preparation
Watergate
-President's morale
-President's involvement
-Conversation with Ehrlichman regarding convicted burglars
-Timing
-Burglars' desire for clemency
-9-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 426-4 (cont’d)
-Conversation with Colson
-Death of Dorothy Hunt
-Conversation with Ehrlichman
-Timing
-Demonstrators in Miami Beach
-Magruder's statement
-Question of knowledge
-Haldeman
-Colson
-Ehrlichman
-Orders for Watergate break-in
-Bugging
-Watergate
-Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
-Colson
-White House information regarding Democrats' plans
-Secret Service
-Liddy [?]
-Cubans
-Possible testimony by Ehrlichman
-Knowledge of Watergate
-Mitchell
-Conversations with President
-Plans with Robert C. Mardian
-Approval of Liddy's plan
-Control of Committee to Re-elect the President [CRP]
-Magruder's knowledge
-Haldeman, Colson, Ehrlichman
-Other White House activities
-National security
-Leaks within government
-Daniel Ellsberg case
-J. Edgar Hoover, William S. Sullivan
President’s policy decisions
-Vietnam
-Speech
-White House staff opinions
-10-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 426-4 (cont’d)
-Buchanan, Colson
-Shultz
-Melvin R. Laird
-Economy, crime
-Publicity
-Statistics
-Hard line
-Capital punishment
Watergate
-Special counsel to White House
-Choice of criminal lawyer
-Ehrlichman's choice
Ehrlichman left at 4:20 pm.