Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 433 › Conversation 433-064

Nixon & Haig on Watergate scandal and John W. Dean III

Tuesday, May 8, 1973 · 1:47 PM–2:54 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.Conversation433-064 on Tape 433StartTuesday, May 8, 1973 at 1:47 PMEndTuesday, May 8, 1973 at 2:54 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 433-064 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Haig strategize on how to coordinate testimony and mitigate damage regarding H.R. Haldeman’s interactions with John Dean amidst the escalating Watergate investigation. Nixon emphasizes the need to prevent Dean from controlling the narrative or inflicting further harm on the presidency, while urging caution regarding the upcoming meeting with Elliot Richardson. The pair discusses the potential risks of appearing inconsistent with previous public statements, particularly those challenged by journalist Jack Anderson, and seeks to balance their desired appearance of pursuing the truth against the threat posed by Dean's cooperation with prosecutors.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Al?
Al?
Hello?
Oh, you're on.
Are you ready to talk?
I was going to say that I'd like to really get an idea of what the hell that conference is about.
I think it's just to alert that I have no independent recollection, but you should get it, you know.
Because my guess is that it's a perfectly, you know, if it was, that he just came in and routinely reported, well, this is what's happened.
And we said, well, thanks, what's next for today?
Nobody was thinking a thing about the case at that point.
Yeah, but be sure that Bob, so that he doesn't get in the position of, of, uh,
of denying any of this.
Jack Anderson, having denied it in his column on the 17th, which somebody apparently put up in my house in person, that gives, you don't want to give Dean ever the opportunity to say, well, you know, that something was true that we said was untrue.
We didn't deny it, unfortunately.
And that's why Anderson flees.
But the point is, I just want to be sure that Bob doesn't get out of that way.
and avoid them at all costs.
The second point is that you've got to go get some gas, you know, and reach it.
I'm sure you will have a very candid talk with them about, oh, there's going to be problems with just the terms of just this basic thing, that is, that we're interested in doing one, and we want the truth, and we're not interested in all of it, and that's the second.
They've got to make it really a command, a judgment, as to whether this fellow who's obviously about to save his ass, if he is not given, is going to be destructive to the presidency.
That's a very important point.
And if, on the other hand, they think they can contain that, they shouldn't.
I mean, it isn't going to make any difference in the cases that he hasn't given or not given.
But I just want him to know that the decision is naturally the prosecuting people, but that you should have this in mind, that you agree with those things.
You probably don't get into that.
I don't know.
Do you think you can talk to him along the line?
Or do you think you can?
Maybe you better not.
That's right.
That's right.
I guess that you don't know him that well.
No.
I think you're right.
Well, just leave it more open.
It doesn't matter.

NARA Description

On May 8, 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 1:47 pm and 2:54 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 433-064 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 433-64

Date: May 8, 1973
Time: Unknown between 1:47 pm and 2:54 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

     President’s recollection of unknown meeting
           -Lawrence M. Higby [?]
           -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
                 -Forthcoming conferral with Haig
                 -Jack N. Anderson
           -John W. Dean, III

     Elliot L. Richardson
            -Forthcoming conferral with Haig
                  -Dean
                  -Presidency

Also recorded on May 8, 1973

  • 912-016 12:56 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Nellie L. Yates met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:56 pm and 12:59 pm.
  • 912-017 12:56 PM · 24 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Manolo Sanchez, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:56 pm and 12:59 pm.
  • 912-018 12:59 PM · 48 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:59 pm to 1:47 pm.
  • 433-062 1:47 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:47 pm and 2:54 pm.
  • 433-063 1:47 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:47 pm and 2:54 pm.
  • 433-065 1:47 PM · 29 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:47 pm and 2:54 pm.
  • 912-019 1:47 PM · 19 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:47 pm and 11:59 pm.
  • 045-158 2:54 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at 2:54 pm.

All 51 conversations from May 8, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 433-064, May 8, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/433-064 (accessed October 5, 2026).