President Nixon met with Lawrence M. Higby to coordinate the final details of his upcoming public statement regarding the Watergate scandal. The discussion focused on refining the language of the statement, specifically consulting with John D. Ehrlichman and key Senators to ensure the messaging was appropriate. Additionally, the President reviewed his schedule to arrange a subsequent meeting with Ehrlichman and H.R. Haldeman to finalize the administration’s response strategy.
On April 17, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Lawrence M. Higby met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:49 pm and 3:50 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 898-022 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 898-22
Date: April 17, 1973
Time: Unknown between 3:49 pm and 3:50 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with an Lawrence M. Higby.
President’s statement on Watergate
-Editing
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Senators
President’s schedule
-Meeting with John D. Ehrlichman and H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
The unknown man left at an unknown time before 3:50 pm.
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
(rev. October-2011)No transcript is available for this conversation. The audio may not contain audible speech, or the recording may not yet have been processed.