Conversation: 885-001
Prev: 884-025 Next: 885-002Start Date: 20-Mar-1973 4:09 PM
End Date: 20-Mar-1973 5:39 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ehrlichman, John D.;Recording Device: Oval Office
NARA Description:
On March 20, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:09 pm and 5:39 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 885-001 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 885-1
Date: March 20, 1973
Time: Unknown between 4:09 pm and 5:39 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with John D. Ehrlichman. This recording began while the conversation was in
progress.
Watergate
-White House statement
-Judiciary Committee
-L. Patrick Gray, III
-Charges
-White House statement
-Treatment before Congress
-Double standard
-John W. Dean, III
-Republican Congressmen
-Edward J. Gurney
-Hugh Scott
-Gerald R. Ford
-Defense of administration
-Leadership meetings
-Discussion of Watergate
-Ronald L. Ziegler's view
-Dangers
-Advantages
-Dwight L. Chapin
-Gordon C. Strachan
-Charles W. Colson
-Ehrlichman
-Relationship with E. Howard Hunt, Jr.
-Revelations
-Claims
-Ehrlichman
-Dealings of Hunt
-Edward M. Kennedy
-Campaign funds
-2-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept. 2010)
Conversation No. 885-1 (cont’d)
-Allegations of misuse
-Maurice H. Stans
-Statement
-Herbert W. Kalmbach
-Statement
-Use of funds
-Accountability
-Existing laws
-Kalmbach
-Use
-Polls, hiring of personnel
-Kalmbach
-Testimony
-Immunity
-Future problems
-Subpoenas of White House staff by Ervin Committee
-Confrontation
-Contempt citation
-Court fight
-Constitutional issues
-Administration's strategy
-Justification for immunity
-Research on legalities
-Court case
-Need to provide a record
-Status of advisors
-Formulation of administration's position
-Richard G. Kleindienst
-Preparation of administration's case
-Joseph T. Sneed
-Senate committee
-Scott's opinion
-Samuel J. Ervin, Jr.
-Criticism of colleagues
-Interview by Roger Mudd
-Questions
-Television [TV] appearances
-National Broadcasting Company [NBC]'s "Today Show",
-3-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept. 2010)
Conversation No. 885-1 (cont’d)
Columbia Broadcast System [CBS] news
-“Meet the Press”
-Number
-Publicity
-Impact on Senate colleagues
-Colson's operation
-Effectiveness
-George S. McGovern's campaign
-Administration strategy
-Counterattack
-Effectiveness
-A statement from President
-White House investigation
-Results
-Show of concern for issue
-Dean's efforts
-Public relations exercise
-Written interrogatories
-Release of information
-Deficiencies of approach
-Disclosure of information
-Benefits
-Disadvantages
-White House statement
-Separation of power
-Ehrlichman's opinion
-Reasons for involvement by participants
-John N. Mitchell and Martha Mitchell
-Weak points
-Jeb Stuart Magruder
-Hugh W. Sloan, Jr.
-Defendants
-Hunt
-Knowledge of Committee to Re-elect the President [CRP]’s
activities
-CRP
-Stans
-President's knowledge of activities
-4-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept. 2010)
Conversation No. 885-1 (cont’d)
-Hunt, H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman, Colson
-G. Gordon Liddy
-James W. McCord, Jr.
-Reliability
-Magruder
-Reliability
-Strachan
-Future job
-Chapin
-Effect on White House
-Dean
-Quality of work
-President's support
-Relationship with President
-Confidentiality of contacts and amount of information provided the
President
-President's involvement in case
-Ehrlichman's views on strategy
-Richard A. Moore's analysis
-Full disclosure
-Statement by President
-Other possibilities
-Reasons for withholding information
-1972 election
-Counterattack
-Problems
-Public concern about Watergate
-Growth
-Role of media
-Administration strategy
-Staff testimony before Ervin Committee
-Problems
-Ehrlichman's opposition
-Executive session testimony
-Press conference
-Dean
-Watergate as an issue
-Tenacity
-5-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept. 2010)
Conversation No. 885-1 (cont’d)
-Effect on Presidency
-Staff testimony
-Mitchell
-Grand jury on Robert L. Vesco
-Mitchell's testimony
-Vesco campaign contributions
-New direction for investigation
-Securities and Exchange Commission [SEC]
-Involvement of Mitchell
-Allegations
-Culpable intent of contribution
-Intervention with SEC and Justice Department
-Administration handling of case
-Dean
-Public statements
-SEC investigation
-Ehrlichman's meeting with G. Bradford Cook, March 20
-Civil action
-Referral to Justice Department
-Vesco
-Costa Rica
-Extradition
******************************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
[Dwight] David Eisenhower, III
-Law school
-Other career opportunities
-Possible Congressional race
-Law school
-Age
-Possible Congressional race
-Qualifications
-Pennsylvania
-York
-Republicans
-6-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept. 2010)
Conversation No. 885-1 (cont’d)
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
******************************************************************************
President's schedule
-Meeting of counselors
-Cabinet
-Domestic Council
-Therapy
-John A. Volpe, Walter J. Hickel, George W. Romney
-Loyalty.
-Periodic meetings
-Value
-Congressional leadership meetings
-Value
-Ford, J. Burt L. Talcott [?]
-Cabinet meetings
-Groups of officers
-Value
-Topics of common interest
-James T. Lynn
-Community development
-Natural resources
-Meetings with agency heads
-Donald E. Johnson
-Lynn
-Community development
-Under Secretaries
-Floyd H. Hyde
-Claude S. Brinegar
-Peter J. Brennen
-John Pierce [?]
-Community Development Committee
-Support for counselors
-Value
-Scheduling
-Domestic topics
-7-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept. 2010)
Conversation No. 885-1 (cont’d)
-Cost of living
-Lynn
-Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger
-Earl L. Butz
Watergate
-Members of Cabinet Secretary's staff
-Boost for morale
-Watergate statement
-White House staff
-Involvement
-Ehrlichman
-Haldeman
-Magruder
-Dismissal of guilty
-Magruder
-Involvement in Watergate
-McCord's accusations
-Perjury
-Need to refute charge
-Colson
-Culpability
-Ehrlichman
-Targets
-Haldeman, Mitchell, Colson
-Chapin, Strachan
-Position in hierarchy
-St. Louis Post-Dispatch story
-Chapin's ties to Haldeman
-Haldeman
-Newsweek article
-Human interest element
-Neutral opinion
-Attacks on President
-Old establishment
-Harvard, Yale
-Motives
-Impact of Watergate on administration
-8-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept. 2010)
Conversation No. 885-1 (cont’d)
-Briefing of Cabinet
-Spiro T. Agnew
-Dean briefing
-White House staff
-Need for assurance
-Skittishness
-George H. W. Bush
-A briefing on Watergate
-Dean
-Value, disadvantages
-Briefing of Cabinet, leaders
-Reassurance
-Problem of separation of powers
-Use of Patrick J. Buchanan
-Willingness to testify before Congressional committee
-Peter M. Flanigan
-Executive privilege
-Sherman Adams case
-Chapin
-Possible charges
-Haldeman
-Magruder charges
-Problems
-Accessory to case
-Possible sources of problems
-Flanigan's Congressional testimony in International Telephone and
Telegraph [ITT] case
-Attempt to differentiate between Watergate and ITT case
-George P. Shultz
-Role in White House
-Status
-Claim to executive privilege
-Kleindienst
-ITT case
-Charges against
-Colson
-Vesco case
-Executive privilege
-9-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept. 2010)
Conversation No. 885-1 (cont’d)
-Adams
-Shield laws
-Precedents
-Testimony of journalists
-Adams case
-Charge of criminal actions
-Alger Hiss case
-"Five percenter" case
-Harry S Truman
-Administration's strategy
-Public statements
-Public denials
-Bush's concerns
-Contributors' responses
-Need for an explanation
-Past statements
-Ziegler
-Statements
-Timing
-Watergate sentencing
-Weaknesses
-Watergate burglars
-Sentences
-Anticipation of harshness
-John J. Sirica
-Sentences
-McCord
-Harshness
-Reaction of McCord
-McCord
-Dislike of jail
-Bail revocation
-Danger of statements
-Work with CRP
President's schedule
-Ehrlichman's schedule
-Trip to West
-10-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept. 2010)
Conversation No. 885-1 (cont’d)
-Ehrlichman's plans
-Veto message
-President’s speech
-President's plans
-Andrews Air force Base
-Meeting with Shultz
-Arrangements
-Congressional relations
-Time, Length
-William Simon
Shultz
-Meeting with Ehrlichman
-Meeting with President
-Labor Management Advisory Board
-Meeting with Ehrlichman
-Phase III
-Taxes
-Trade
-Report for President
-Deadline
-Meeting with President
-Camp David
-Preparation
-Henry A. Kissinger's return from trip
-Georges J. R. Pompidou, Leonid I. Brezhnev
Watergate
-Dean
-Encouragement
-Recommendation of L. Patrick Gray, III
-Mitchell
-Kleindienst
-Kleindienst and Gray
-Problems
-Targets of attack
-Dean
-Haldeman, Colson
-11-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept. 2010)
Conversation No. 885-1 (cont’d)
-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] directorship
-Nominees
Ehrlichman left at 5:39 p.m.