Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 525
Nixon White House Tape 525 (June 17, 1971)
2 conversations · Oval Office · about 56 min of released audio
Featuring Nixon, Woods, Ehrlichman, Haldeman, Ziegler
President Nixon met with H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, and Henry Kissinger to coordinate an aggressive administration response to the New York Times' publication of the Pentagon Papers. Nixon emphasized the need to frame the issue as a defense of the integrity of the presidency and the necessity of maintaining national security, rather than merely litigating the court case. The group discussed strategies to pressure the press, leak information regarding Daniel Ellsberg, and discredit the previous administrations of Johnson and Kennedy regarding their Vietnam policy.
Secret Service personnel discussed administrative arrangements involving a request for leave. One agent explicitly instructed the other to formalize an order placing him on leave status. The exchange concludes with the transfer of responsibilities and a brief, cryptic exclamation.