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Conversation: 881-007

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Start Date: 16-Mar-1973 12:31 PM

End Date: 16-Mar-1973 1:36 PM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")

Recording Device: Oval Office

881-007.mp3

NARA Description:

On March 16, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:31 pm to 1:36 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 881-007 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 881-7

Date: March 16, 1973
Time: 12:31 pm - 1:36 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

        Congressional relations
             -Problem
             -Meeting with Pete V. Domenici and family
                   -Children
                         -School
                         -Crucifix

        President's schedule
              -Meetings with people
                     -Usefulness
                     -Criteria for scheduling
                     -Domenici
                           -Value for President
                           -Encouragement
                     -Poster child

        Rose Mary Woods
             -Duties
                   -Invitations
                         -Church services
                         -Attendance by children
                                     -24-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                              Tape Subject Log
                               (rev. July-2010)
                                                      Conversation No. 881-7 (cont’d)



Church services
     -Value
           -Concern for religion
     -Invitations
           -Refusals
           -Cancellations
           -White House staff
           -Subcabinet
                  -Vacancies
           -Congress members
                  -Children
                  -William E. Timmons
     -Woods's job
     -Children
           -Presence
           -Charles McC. Mathias, Jr.
     -Invitations
           -Cancellation
                  -Circumstances
     -Congress members
           -Consultation with Timmons
                  -Bryce N. Harlow, Clark MacGregor
     -Value

Congressional relations
     -Meeting with Domenici
     -Congressional leaders meetings
           -Value
           -Ranking members of committees
                 -Breakfast meeting

Military aide to President
      -Work with Major John V. (“Jack”) Brennan
      -Conversation with Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft
      -Responsibilities
      -Relationship with Nixon family
      -Air Force and Navy officers
            -Army officer
            -Administrative work for Brennan
                                    -25-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                             Tape Subject Log
                              (rev. July-2010)
                                                     Conversation No. 881-7 (cont’d)


                 -Logistics
                 -Transportation
     -Brennan's duties
          -Choice for aide
          -Other aides’ duties
          -New acquaintance for President

Anne L. Armstrong
     -Congressional leadership meetings
           -Attendance
     -Work with Congress and John D. Ehrlichman
     -Role
           -Robert H. Finch, Donald H. Rumsfeld

President's schedule
      -Size of meetings
      -Working dinners

Congressional relations
     -John McCollister
     -Congressman from Nebraska
     -MacGregor
     -Ehrlichman’s candidate
           -White House Congressional liaison
                 -Background
                        -SOS, Chowder and Marching Society
                        -Joint breakfast
                 -Loyalty to President
                        -1968 election
                        -Ehrlichman
                 -Candidate for congressional liaison
                        -Clarence J. ("Bud") Brown, Jr.
     -Timmons
           -Status
     -White House staff
           -Budget strategy
                 -Ehrlichman, Roy L. Ash, David N. Parker
                        -Arrangements
                 -Surrogates
                        -Forms
                                  -26-

      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                          Tape Subject Log
                           (rev. July-2010)
                                                     Conversation No. 881-7 (cont’d)


                   -Train reservations
                   -Pittsburgh
                   -Speech
                   -Influence
            -Parker, William J, Baroody, Jr., Ziegler's staff
      -Need for guidance
            -Assignments
      -Responsibility
            -Ash’s role
            -Ehrlichman’s role
            -Haldeman’s role
            -Need for guidance, clear goals
            -Ash
                   -Budget
                   -Parker
                   -Ehrlishman
-Speakers
      -Placement in congressional districts
            -Bella S. Abzug, Jack F. Kemp
-Influence on Congress members
      -Pressure by major contributors
            -Walter H. Annenberg, [unintelligible name]
      -White House pressure on key people, organizations
            -Ohio
            -Indiana
            -State chair
      -Timmons's work
            -Democrats
            -Re-election
                   -Kemp, Abzug
            -Initiative
            -Pressure points
                   -Targeted list
                          -Vetoes
                   -Public pressure
            -Initiative
            -Personality, attitude
                   -Leadership qualities
            -Comparison with MacGregor
-Timmons
                                    -27-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                             Tape Subject Log
                              (rev. July-2010)
                                                    Conversation No. 881-7 (cont’d)


           -Demotion
           -Domenici
           -Democrats
           -Conceptual outlook
           -Replacement
     -Ehrlichman
           -Ash
           -Staff work
                 -Regional briefings
                       -Edward L. Morgan, Baroody
                       -Editorials
                       -Value
     -Nature of work
     -Veterans bill
     -Vocational rehabilitation bill
           -Delays
           -Veto
                 -Override
                 -Test vote
                 -Absentee votes
     -Timmons's role in White House

White House staff
      -Ash
            -Personality
            -Realism
                 -Press relations
                 -Compared with George P. Shultz
      -Shultz
          -New Summary
            -Responsibilities
                  -Workload
                       -Oil
                       -Monetary policy
                       -Wage and price controls
                       -Labor department
                       -Commerce Department
                       -Trade bill
                       -Tax bill
                  -Need to concentrate
                              -28-

    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                       Tape Subject Log
                        (rev. July-2010)
                                                Conversation No. 881-7 (cont’d)


                   -Trade
                   -Taxes
                   -Monetary policy
                   -Deal with Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
                         -Frederic B. Dent
                         -Kissinger
                   -Labor-Management relations
                   -Phase III
                   -Comparison with John B. Connally
                   -Energy
                          -William E. Simon
                    -Quality of advice
-Peter M. Flanigan
       -Use of abilities
           -Shultz
             -Under-utilization
      -Ehrlichman
-Ash
       -Management
-Ehrlichman
       -Role in White House
             -Advocacy
             -Kenneth R. Cole, Jr.
       -Views
           -Flanigan
                 -Taxes
                 -Trade
                 -Bias
                         -Compared with Ehrlichman
       -Responsibilities
             -Talks with businessmen
                 -Automobile prices
                   -[First name unknown] Townsend
                   -Flanigan
                   -Dent
                          -Personality
                          -Judgment
                   -Flanigan
                          -Dealings with businessmen
                               -Time
                                       -29-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. July-2010)
                                                       Conversation No. 881-7 (cont’d)


                          -Governors
                               -Cole
             -Use of abilities
             -Shultz
             -Ash

Congressional relations
     -McCollister
           -Nebraska
           -Budget battle
                  -Focus on House of Representatives
     -Congressional leadership abilities
           -Joint breakfast
           -Organizer of meetings
                  -SOS
                  -Chowder and Marching
           -Intelligence
           -Attitude
           -Appearance
     -Timmons
           -Replacement
                  -Harlow
                  -Lobbyist
                        -Problems
     -MacGregor
           -Location
                  -Washington, DC
           -Recruitment
           -Financial obligations

Press relations
      -Ronald L. Ziegler
             -Abilities
             -Quality of work

Congressional relations
     -Colson as White House Congressional liaison
           -Charges of involvement in Watergate related matters
           -Qualities
           -Problems
                                 -30-

      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                          Tape Subject Log
                           (rev. July-2010)
                                                Conversation No. 881-7 (cont’d)


-John O. (“Jack”) Marsh, Jr.
      -Possible recruitment
      -Personality
-Costs of elections
-Dwight L. Chapin, Colson
      -Abilities
-Budget battle
      -Cabinet meeting
      -Surrogates program
            -Assistant secretaries
            -Value
      -Rogers
      -Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger
            -Cabinet
-James T. Lynn
      -Abilities, appearance
-MacGregor
-Need for positive, cheerleader attitude
      -Lynn
      -Timmons
-Speaking tours
      -Value
      -Washington, DC
      -Rotary Clubs
            -Massusa [?]
      -Lynn
      -Weinberger
-MacGregor
      -Judgeship
      -Watergate
      -Plans for next three years
            -Judgeship
            -Attorney General
      -Supreme Court appointment
            -Circuit court
                   -District of Columbia
      -Counselor position in White House
            -Legislative advisor to President
                   -Lawyer title
                   -Budget matters
                                     -31-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                              Tape Subject Log
                               (rev. July-2010)
                                                       Conversation No. 881-7 (cont’d)


                -Timmons
                -Financial hardships
                -Boredom
     -George H. W. Bush
          -Abilities
          -Work with Republican National Committee [RNC]
          -Leadership abilities
                -Strategy
          -Contacts with Congress
          -Comparison with Robert J. Dole
     -MacGregor
          -Abilities
          -1974 election

Watergate
     -Issuance of report or White Paper
           -Need for future conversations with John W. Dean, III
                 -Richard A. Moore
           -Strategy
           -Cooperation with Congress
           -Questions from press
           -Staff testimony
                 -Dean
                 -Guidelines, restrictions
                        -Written questions
     -Strategy
           -Maximum disclosure
                 -Advantages, problems
                 -Watergate burglars
                 -Containment of testimony
                        -Hugh W. Sloan, Jr.
                        -Danger of confessions
     -G. Gordon Liddy
     -Sloan
           -Cooperation
           -Dissension
           -Conflict with Jeb Stuart Magruder
           -Dean's concerns
                 -Knowledge
                 -Speculations by Sloan
                                            -32-

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. July-2010)
                                                              Conversation No. 881-7 (cont’d)


            -Liddy
                 -Danger to administration
                       -Knowledge of Donald H. Segretti's activities
                             -Recruitment by Chapin
                             -Contacts with Herbert W. Kalmbach
                             -Work with Liddy
                                    -John N. Mitchell
                       -Links among various activities
                             -E. Howard Hunt, Jr.
                 -Possible statements
                       -Current position on responsibility for Watergate
                       -Statement on Magruder
                             -Implication of Colson, Dean and Mitchell
            -Magruder
                 -Involvement in Watergate
            -Colson
                 -Knowledge of Watergate
            -Magruder
                 -Statement about Haldeman
                 -Discussion with Dean
                 -Link in chain
                 -Emotional state
                 -Testimony in court, Senate
                       -John J. Sirica's evaluation
            -White Paper
                 -Advisability
                       -Dean's opinion
                 -Need for action
                 -Haldeman's opinion

Haldeman left at 1:36 pm.