Nixon, Haig & Ziegler on Watergate and White House Press Relations

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I wondered if you had that particular character at the top.

I don't know if you wanted to call, but they'll be catching something from that one.

Or do you just want to?

I think I'd rather just do this one.

Okay.

And it says, I wonder if we could do something special to get around with him.

At one time, he might be the top man in the country, and I don't think there'll be any special letters.

Will we do anything like that at the beginning of the film?

Sure.

You see, our name is so good, we've started a new start.

Hey, look at you.

Okay.

So hard to work all those things through, you know, because of, like, Congress is so hard to work without, or, you know, people that are so busy.

It's such a bunch of discouraged people.

But they're, they did their part, and it's basically, we have to be members of Congress, which we are.

Well, they're always, we're always self-centered.

But these guys are going to work hard.

These guys are going to do their part.

He's...

I said, man, you know, you don't expect me to separate from you forever, but I'm sending all this out, and I'm really going to be proud of that.

And he said, he'd like to spend more time with you.

And I said, well, you know, I'm a scout.

And I said, well, you know, I'm a tech minister.

I'm nervous at this time, and the spirit of your being here was a great output from this meeting.

And I said, well, I'm proud of you.

But he's prepared to say it.

I told him we were going to talk about something.

Now, if you, Rachel, could use the record to tell us what's in the announcements, please.

No, no, I'm just not sure.

Well, I know it wasn't in my pocket, but I respect my family.

I think it's a good boost to this thing.

Yeah, just say that the counselors were listening.

their capacity to be advisory rather than honorary.

How does that sound to you?

Or do you want to say that, or do you just can't insist?

No, I think what I would say is that we can't do it directly.

But the, what, direct line?

Yeah, but you just kind of need to say that as far as the counselors are concerned, that the president decided to go, the Congress approves the organization's contents.

that we will not move forward with that.

Do you understand?

Yes, sir.

I've got it.

I just wonder.

I've got the words.

Right.

I just, the question was, do you want me to announce it now?

Yes.

Really, this is a lot of, you know, just ask, you know, direct lines that, just say, well, what about the, the, the, the, no, they said, well, the Congress, there was the reason, the Congress, the Congress, pretty, felt that they ought to, you know, approve the,

and that we want to plan that, and that on an ad hoc basis there will be committees of the cabinet that will coordinate the programs of the Constitution.

We'll set up various committees, yeah.

reporting on the thrust of the cabinet.

I don't think that in the briefing that I should get into, you know, new ways of working with the press.

I just think we just make the announcements.

I'd rather have that come out through the media.

Then I can do this basic announcement and then after the, in the afternoon, I can work with the wires and the network and the basic field.

I really do a hell of a good job on this.

It's complex.

I hope you

Yeah.

Well, he can do the follow-up thing, but then...

In the briefing.

But you don't mind me leaking a little... All the leaks in the world are mine.

Okay.

What else do you have on here?

Well, I'll tell you about the deed at the New York Times soon.

The New York Times story is what I mentioned here.

The New York Times played the story today that they can find no evidence at all that Dean has in terms to tie the presidency in, both the Justice Department and the Senate committee.

Also, a source at the Justice Department said that they have a pretty good idea of what's in those papers and there's nothing at all in them.

In other words, they're really minutiae papers.

It was down about in the 25th paragraph, so let's just say it.

going to be plagued with this story for a long time.

Well, this is a positive story.

I know.

But the main thing is, we get to get that talent, and then I could get the powers within, like some of the animalists.

Everybody's gone, and you and everybody have just got to put on a positive look.

Absolutely.

And those who do that, I make sure other people don't go around hanging off that attitude.

You know what I mean?

You're this child.

It's tough, it's tough for me to have to make a speech last night.

I mean, so, Harry sending a mail on something we found was not a problem after all.

I think that more, since we were talking last night, I think there's more non-problems than are being addressed in problems.

There's problems in this whole damn thing that's probably not as complex.

trying to get everybody up there and put them on, what did you do, and all that sort of thing.

It's going to be a hell of a show.

You're not going to be able to stop me during that.

I sensed that in the meeting with the congratulations that he's going to try to sense what I did, how it's going to work.

The only other thing I was thinking of was

Yes, that's good.

If we get a prosecutor, we can start.

And we've got it.

Let me say this, if it's going to come on, the way I look at it, we've just got to take it.

And frankly, they'll ruin the court case.

So that's, that's, that's right.

That's the only thing.

Thank God, it's already a fun situation.

The court case that you guys have all pleaded, you know, that, you know, that, that you and I are going to get better, because of the tolerance going in.

Their rights are being prejudiced.

There'll be the ends, we will have some.

I wonder what, if Dean could just start to put that kind of a story out there, so that he could sort of... What, the, uh, do you know what that means?

No, he didn't put it out.

I don't think so.

Dean slipped.

I just saw a water service coming to the store, coming over the wires, and Dean just put out a statement through an intermediate area that people were out to get him.

Well, just let him go.

You know, the guy starts talking that way.

You know what I mean?

He slipped.

People were out to get him.

Right.

Sounds pretty good, right?

I don't think he's up to that.

He's not that kind of a guy.

He's doing this now.

Yeah, his lawyers are.

Okay.

Okay, good.

All right, let's start.

What kind of scenario is that?

I'm going to be using the song.

I'll try it.

I had a rumor that the president was not coming to the meeting.

The meeting didn't go well with him.

I said, I didn't care about him.

And he said, you know what, three days ago, what three days ago was the first thing that happened to me.

And then we got a call out from the gate.

And we got a call out from the gate.

Okay, let's do this.

I need water.

Let's go to the bathroom.

Nixon, Haig & Ziegler on Watergate and White House Press Relations

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on May 10, 1973

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