President Nixon and Alexander Haig met to discuss administrative staffing, legal strategies regarding the Watergate scandal, and the political climate surrounding U.S. military operations in Cambodia. The pair evaluated the potential selection of a special counsel to handle ongoing investigations and assessed the likelihood of a difficult vote in the House of Representatives regarding war funding. Throughout the conversation, Nixon emphasized the need for his staff to maintain morale and adopt a more combative stance in defending his administration's policies.
On May 9, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:03 pm and 12:22 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 432-028 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 432-28
Date: May 9, 1973
Time: Unknown between 12:03 pm and 12:22 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President talked with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
Leonard Garment
Donald E. Santarelli
-Decision
Garment
-J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr.
President’s schedule
-Cabinet meeting
-John B. Connally’s attendance
Watergate
-Special counsel
-Leonard Garment
-[First name unknown] Quinn [?]
-Bryce N. Harlow
-John W. Dean, III
-31-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
(rev. September-2011)
Conversation No. 432-28 (cont’d)
-Documents
-Possible contents
-Ronald Ziegler
Cambodia
-House of Representatives
-Vote on funding US operations in Cambodia
-President’s conversation with William E. Timmons
-Ongoing US operations
-Constitutional authority
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National security]
[Duration: 5 s ]
US OPERATIONS
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
*****************************************************************
Cambodia
-US victory
-Support of Lon Nol regime
-House of Representatives vote
President’s schedule
-Meeting on long-term strategy
-Haig, Ziegler
Haig’s morale
-32-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
(rev. September-2011)
Conversation No. 432-28 (cont’d)
President’s morale
-President’s meeting with George H. W. Bush, David K. (“Pat”) Wilson, William
E. Brock, III, Robert H. Michel
-Negativity
-Timmon’s role
-Staff encouragement
-George P. Shultz [?]
US military operations in Southeast Asia
-Prisoners of war [POWs]
-President’s policies
-Opponents
-Need for response
-Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger
Watergate
-Dean
-Papers
-Contents
-White House responseThis 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.