Nixon, Ziegler & Haig on Watergate and White Paper

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We're going to go to an editing session now.

Oh, you're working on that?

Look, I've got some changes right here.

I said give me an hour if you want to go.

You gotta be so damn careful with this.

Now, I'm troubled about one thing.

I was not aware of any fundraising for this event.

brought until I began my own investigations in March.

Should we say that?

He came in on March 21st and told me about house demand for $100,000.

So I sure as hell was aware of that.

I didn't do anything.

You know what I mean?

I just want to nail that down.

I would put this one until I began my health investigations in March 1973.

I was not aware of any numbers included in that.

That's the way I know it was.

Where it talks about the number of notes, which included reviewing FBI files and sitting on an FBI record and put the number in.

The number of FBI files, the number of FBI records.

Well, maybe I'm being too nitpicky on that business about I was not aware of anybody being active.

Because we've got to get a little bit later here.

What do you think?

That, uh... You can always say that, uh... You can always... Because I...

The March 21st date is pretty well established.

I don't know if you want to flag that.

That's the only reason we're going to... Why do you think that's... ...a session?

Oh, by no reason there is to say.

There's a story to take to the video.

I don't know the source of that story.

Well, I went to work.

No, no, I know.

Of course you do.

But I mean, I hunt for more money than that.

But I hope that, I would just say until I began my own investigation, without stating in March, without saying in March, until I began my own investigation,

There's always a chance there, too, where they might have mentioned it on the 18th or the 19th, you know, it's concerned about the 350th and all that.

Well, I remember that.

I remember that.

Maybe we were so stuck with my first, but that's all right.

We could say March 20th.

Well, I was...

I could say until March.

Oh, excuse me.

It was not until after I began.

Not until I began my own investigation, which I became the manager about the 1st of March.

Actually, the 21st of March is when I took off and did it all by myself.

But it was not until I...

I kept the trouble with this office in Rochester.

Your office is on that main thing.

Sure.

I had it.

I kept it.

Like this.

Now, May 26th, during the conversation, I expressed consent to part of his network.

I would say during the conversation, Mr. Gray discussed with me the progress of the Watergate investigation.

In the way it came up, he raised the question.

I did not raise it.

I asked him whether he had talked to General Wolfe.

I did not.

He confirmed that he had, and that the CIA was not involved.

In the discussion, Mr. Gray expressed his not-believing concern that the matter of Watergate might leak higher.

I go over it and press forward with this investigation no matter how high it leaks.

Now that's damn good and that's all true.

Okay?

May 27th is your small point, but whenever you use the word covert, always include an action security with it.

Right, page 27, I was certain.

Bottom of page 27, the next to the last page, for covert national security activity.

You got it?

Top of the next page, then I would strike the word covert addition to the word national security operation.

You hear me?

The next, I don't like the thing, I sought to steer the investigation away.

That is a bad sound for me.

I agree.

I think it ought to be, I sought to.

I sought to encourage those conducting investigations pursuant vigorously with regard to the Watergate itself, but to stay out, but to stay away from any investigations which might impinge upon our national security units.

Yes, I might.

And stay away as long as it proves we're

Now, at the bottom of page 7.

Bottom of page 7, I'm sorry.

Bottom of page 28, number 7.

It says, no time that I authorized the exact expense.

How was I aware of any efforts to provide that in the fund?

Well, you see, there's my comment.

I'd never, I'd never, I'd never provide that until

And then, rather than reflections, I would use the word conclusions.

Page 29, I don't like to have the word reflections.

The final paragraph.

We go too far in saying that it is clear that a great many unfair, unethical, and otherwise unfortunate legal activities took place in the course of that campaign.

I would just be as clear that unethical as well as illegal activities took place in the course of that campaign.

I don't think it needs to be all of that.

Well, I would say it was clear that unethical, as well as illegal activity, took place in the first place.

You see, the point is, another thing, and we're all talking about it all, and I was thinking about the other, and that's both part of the problem here.

But you don't need to say that a great many, you're like, damn, hold on, that's your hand, and it's that bad.

It's clear that unethical as well as, is it some?

Unethical as well as illegal activities took place, some unethical.

Put it that way, would you?

Now, page 30, I feel very strongly about this.

I know this is a very, very impressive example.

I just don't think that's a good, that second sentence there, I believe that, to the extent that my word is used, I've made it a pretty good point, which is that I should not, to the extent that I feel that I should not.

I think we sent through an inventory.

I said, none of these took place with my specific approval or knowledge.

It was all pretty sure.

You see my problem there?

I understand, Mr. President.

It's a very difficult problem.

The real problem also is the position thing.

It's raining on me.

It's working for us right now.

But do you think we can say that we're talking to two audiences at a time?

Okay, right.

Stabilizing people so we can deal with it.

Right.

I don't know why you're worried about it this way.

Yeah.

Well, then we should say, why did I take the problem?

It is, in retrospect, however, I must, in retrospect, however, I must assume responsibility.

I don't like the way it is.

Now, this special investigating edit here on page 31.

I don't think you're going to even say that the Special Investigation Unit was organized for what I believe, in her despite of the national security, the chariot was given the kinds of information that was required to undoubtedly encourage the use of the .

And we're going to live through that.

We're going to.

It now appears, or it now appears

unfortunately incurred.

That's what I was saying.

It now appears unfortunately incurred.

In other words, while it did not improve, while it did not improve, unfortunately, it resulted in, that's what I was saying, while it did not improve, unfortunately resulted in the use of improper labor.

See my point?

the other that that that do this especially in the case when i'm having to work trying to remember this software

Well,

That was the right thing to do.

was not the speech itself.

It was that we did not back ourselves away from that setting because we structured the speech and translated it to what the country was thinking about at that time.

It was a good speech.

It was excellent speech.

You mean it was like, what do you mean, back away from it?

You mean like the...

In other words, we prepared the speech.

Yeah.

And we worked on it.

We worked on the whole thing in a different environment, totally different from what was on the country.

What do you mean?

What do you mean the country was linked to something else?

No, no, no.

In other words, the impact of water use and the wrench of water use on the country was not what was on folks who were in town.

Yeah, we, we, we feel hit up by our speech.

but we shouldn't have created so much I think it would work to speed train it a little bit differently sure

We've got to go to the next book.

It's going to go away.

I'm busy.

But we don't have time for that.

We don't have time for that.

We're going to go at it now.

putting it all into perspective, as to how the backs of the church impact the rest of the world.

Because everybody says we have to do something.

Well, that was your reaction.

What this does is it's a platform.

The platform is a platform.

We're working on what Patricia just talked about with my own activities.

I don't think he has something for me.

I think she would like to work on it.

Yes.

Did they go home?

What should I do?

Try to have an early diagnosis and be ready for you.

That would be the end of it.

Well, then we'll sit down with Al.

You know, when I was thinking about Al, I was like, is your editor going to have a talk with us on the ranch?

I had a couple of us that were on a truck.

You'd have to go to the edit session.

Um, the, uh,

I think one of the things we have to move on is to get this thing isolated every day.

I think a lot of the economic growth is an interesting thing.

What they are suggesting here is that they want to take two hours

And I was thinking to take you and I, just so that I could get the trainer off of you, because you ought to have a white sheet.

How does that make sense?

Just to, you know, to avoid you having to go down for hours.

How does that sound to you?

And then we'll be back here.

Now, in other words, we'll leave at about 5.30.

We'll be back at 5.30, and you'll be ready with the draft by 8.

We'll try.

See, once we get better at it,

And then he's got to go back and break it.

All right.

So we can sort of give you a recap.

I don't think this is very good.

Oh, hell no.

It's all right.

It's bigger.

835.

You know what I mean?

We've got to come back and do some other things.

I don't think we can do what you want.

Because I've got to do what's necessary for... Let me just say that I'm aware of the...

Is that about what I did or not?

I guess the president is a very good base to go on television.

What?

There's never one out in the country we seldom speak to.

That's the problem.

We've got so many people that want to stand up and study.

They don't stand under control.

They don't really have no vision.

They don't have leadership.

That's the question.

They don't know my way to the president.

He can't defend himself.

There's no way.

There ain't nobody defending me under the committee.

There's no way I can start this.

That's, that's not going to be a good show.

Not a good show.

Good job.

Thank you for this.

I'm just going to give you a...

I'm going to take, uh, one of these, so you don't have to leave.

But, uh, I'm offing at the Sequoia, and, uh, we leave at, I think, uh, quarter to, we leave here at a quarter to six.

Is that fine?

Just bet you're hitting me.

Kind of hitting me.

That gives you a half hour, Alvin.

Good.

Okay.

Let me ask you another pretty critical question that I ask you every day.

They wish you fight or fly.

Fight.

No, seriously.

Well, I am serious.

It's not very important to me.

I mean, I'm getting better every once in a while.

How about the other people in the election?

They look at this sort of mess you're reading all over.

It's sort of like you're going to win.

No.

The matter is, the administration or the campaign is so early.

If they never investigate a Johnson campaign, how are they going to lynch the son of a bitch?

That's right.

I mean, when they try to do this, they lynch the man.

Of course you're going to help me, Jay.

I'm not going to help you, Jay.

I'm not going to look at it.

You did.

No, I'm going to look at it in the district as the president.

We didn't do it well.

Well, don't we care anything?

We should invite him up on to Alabama later.

You're the young third kid.

Yes, sir.

You're going to look at the four and a half years, the four years in proceeding.

You're going to look at the four years ahead.

Absolutely.

I think it would be wonderful if this... How can you let it go all the way through there?

I can't believe it

Some cameras go over the edge, but it really is an open revolution.

They can't, for some cameras.

Of course, you've got Congress in a rubber shape right now, I guess, and then we have the Congress, but now nobody speaks up for it.

We spoke up for it then.

This is tough, too.

But you have to fight, I guess, for another reason, don't you?

That the option of not fighting is...

It's not just a personal or what you call it, but the option of not fighting them is different.

You know, just look at the effect that would have on the Russians.

Think of the effect it would have on this country.

Uh, and so forth, if we, uh, if we could shine a light on it.

Basically, what we've got to realize is that we are fighting the same goddamn enemies.

That's what we're fighting.

Are we?

The same government.

So I said before, this is a great thing.

That's right.

They're getting another run.

They've got to work on that point, sir.

I may be.

You can raise that point that Mark struck a bit.

When I learned about moderating, whether or not we could take that category, I was saying something stated out loud.

Because I had no knowledge of any of them.

I was killed in March, I mean, then I was home.

With that, right, I had a whole lot of excuses in March.

I was like, you know, that was the best thing I could do.

It was the best thing I could do.

All right, I'll see you quarter to mid-serve.

Get off a little.

Get relaxed with us.

Two hours.

Nixon, Ziegler & Haig on Watergate and White Paper

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on May 21, 1973

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