Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 866-017
Date: Thursday, March 1, 1973 at 1:06 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); [Unknown person(s)]; Dean, John W., III
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/866-017

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:16] I just re-read that and marked a really key part where it was towards the end that was noted throughout the difficulty.
[0:31] And then towards the end on the... Yeah, it's in the back here on what's number page 1005.
[0:42] on August 5th, the day Mr. Hiss first appeared before the committee.
[0:45] Now it's the charge of the committee to mention the presence of the president.
[0:51] Where?
[0:52] Ah, the statement.
[1:23] He issued a presidential directive which ordered all administrative agencies of the government to refuse to come over any information related to the employment of any government employees in the federal committee.
[1:31] Now what the hell is that?
[1:34] What if the wall fell in right down?
[1:37] Well, totally, totally, from that time on, we didn't get anything from the FBI or anything else.
[1:43] That's what I meant.
[1:45] That's a pretty shocking record.
[1:46] It is.
[1:47] There's another example here that I found in the record that
[1:51] That's my file, so it'll be Dr. Conley.
[1:59] Where the double lines are there is the pertinent remarks you made at that point.
[3:21] I think that's what Malenhov might at some point raise with you to try to impeach any position
[3:56] One, the posture we're taking in the statement you're issuing on executive privilege, and that's talking about under normal circumstances, a White House member declines to appear.
[4:06] It's not talking about appearance of members of the President's staff.
[4:09] It's talking about procedures for gaining information.
[4:13] We're talking about a different situation.
[4:15] We have never said that we wouldn't provide information.
[4:18] We don't say that in that statement either.
[4:22] That's all I was asking for.
[4:24] I wasn't asking for people to testify.
[4:25] You were asking for the information.
[4:27] I was asking for the information.
[4:28] You're exactly right.
[4:29] And therefore, you could point that out to our friend, that's right, that all we have is information, and they refuse information.
[4:38] And therefore, we've got to be particularly strong on that way, that we were willing to furnish the information, but it's on the basis of the proper way that it's going to be on the basis of the erotic rights and not on the basis of
[4:51] That preserves the precedent, the principle, and doesn't let them make a circus out of who they bring up to the hill.
[5:04] That's right, obviously.
[5:07] I think we can do that.
[5:08] We can make that distinction, and we can keep ourselves well-postured so that they can't say that you're hiding information about anything related to the Watergate at any time, and we can supply the information.
[5:18] The question is, when they get up there and start some
[5:25] And one word and things like that.
[5:28] Oh, boy.
[5:30] All right, sir.
[5:39] All right.
[5:57] Yes, sir, you will.
[5:58] I will do it.
[6:01] But I think the point is to keep a close touch.
[6:04] I did it hard on him.
[6:07] I mean, I watched him for a few years, worked with him for a while.
[6:11] I know the best way is to suddenly and constantly keep his attention on him.
[6:17] I mean, you know, that's the right thing.
[6:19] Oh, Dick is a loyal... Oh, I see.
[6:22] Yeah, he's a great...
[6:26] That's the guy that's most vulnerable here.
[6:48] I don't think we need it today.
[6:50] It's warm.
[7:18] All right.
[7:20] All right.
[7:20] All right.
[7:27] All right.
[7:28] All right.
[7:46] For him, too, he of course is just enormously indebted to anyone, loves him like a father, and I just gotta tell him that that's the guy that's most vulnerable here.
[8:00] He is, in fact, he is.
[8:02] You talk about the White House staff and everybody else, sir, they might have known something.
[8:06] I don't think they did, at least, or somebody's lifeline counsel, but in this case, the presumption is he did.
[8:18] I don't think we need it today.
[8:22] It's warm.
[8:23] It's warm.
[8:23] It's nice out.