Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 920-009
Date: Wednesday, May 16, 1973 at 5:39 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Buzhardt, J. Fred, Jr.
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/920-009

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] I was dealing with the Solomon column.
[0:07] I was going to get you in the next.
[0:15] My feeling is, I guess you'd rather check with, uh, I guess Marty.
[0:22] Uh, 50.
[0:28] I think, Fred, that that thing was rescinded.
[0:30] That's the problem.
[0:31] I think I borrowed a dial for it and there's something.
[0:35] I mean, I cannot recall, but there's something there.
[0:38] Uh, Houston seems to be looking.
[0:41] Is that correct?
[0:41] That's correct.
[0:43] Also, it's the IAEA they have.
[0:46] So I think that thing was rescinded.
[0:48] They think it was.
[0:49] They can't find the paper.
[0:50] They are now looking.
[0:51] I've got them looking.
[0:53] I can find one piece of paper.
[0:54] My business.
[0:57] Where else would I want to do it?
[0:58] The CIA?
[0:59] The CIA.
[1:00] I haven't gotten to Lexington yet.
[1:01] Somewhere they can't reach, which is unusual.
[1:06] Maybe Walters.
[1:12] That's true, but Walters didn't know anything about this.
[1:15] Lexington knows nothing about it, but if he can find the right people to inquire of, we might be a little better.
[1:21] Since Walters is a witness.
[1:22] I agree, I agree.
[1:23] Walters is a witness.
[1:24] I think we shouldn't.
[1:27] We know it's going to be a witness.
[1:28] I'm going to take Al and let's get him something to eat and get him out of this house.
[1:33] And we'll call you perhaps when that works.
[1:38] You've got to go too, don't you?
[1:40] I'll be here.
[1:41] I'll be here.
[1:42] But I think if we can detain us, then we can handle this.
[1:45] I think there's a, I have recollection that the goddamn thing is a, look, I know it's not an operation.
[1:53] It hasn't been an operation for two years.
[1:55] I don't know how it went out of business.
[1:58] That's my point.
[1:59] I'm sure it has been operating legitimately.
[2:03] Ain't quite a while.
[2:03] I feel that's true.
[2:06] Without it, it hasn't operated as a group.
[2:10] It hasn't operated with an original authorization.
[2:13] And then, the question is...
[2:15] It was terminated, but we can't find a record of the termination.
[2:19] That would be our best bet to find the records of termination.
[2:22] But you can't still say it was terminated.
[2:23] We'll still have to say it was terminated.
[2:25] It was terminated.
[2:26] Right.
[2:26] And all the agencies would then say that, but they can't back it up.
[2:30] That's right.
[2:31] Well, that is the recollection of DI.
[2:37] They're looking for the papers.
[2:38] I believe we'll find the papers.
[2:41] DI says they think it was terminated.
[2:43] They think it was terminated.
[2:45] They think that the mountain, and they told me independently from Houston,
[2:49] that they think the approval was recalled.
[2:54] And that's what Justin said.
[2:55] He thought he recalled the approval he gave them.
[3:00] Now, we're going to have to check this thoroughly with the NSA.
[3:03] And the reason it's important is because, if you remember, that was the most aggressive group to go forward.
[3:11] NSA.
[3:12] NSA.
[3:13] And I suspect they're the only ones that did totally reach them.
[3:18] They're on the way in here, man.
[3:19] It's a traffic car.
[3:20] It takes a while to get four feet in here.
[3:24] But they'll be here shortly.
[3:25] Well, I've got to tell them.
[3:29] So, I'm going to find out.
[3:31] I'm just confident that I never heard of them ever doing anything on this.
[3:35] You know what I mean?
[3:36] Whatever their operations are, there's no problem with that.
[3:39] NSA, DIA, and so forth and so on.
[3:42] DIA says they did absolutely nothing.
[3:44] Yeah, NSA probably did something.
[3:49] We'll defend that.
[3:50] We can defend it.
[3:51] The problem with the memorandum is what it says with regard to the break-in.
[3:57] That's our problem.
[3:57] Because it says a break-in.
[4:00] I was asking if it says surreptitious entry.
[4:04] What?
[4:05] In the accompanying memorandum, it says this is a forced burglary.
[4:10] That's our problem.
[4:11] The accompanying memorandum is from me.
[4:13] From Houston.
[4:20] For Christ's sake, it's his characterization of the thing.
[4:23] But the way we will have to answer that is to say that it's his characterization of the service and crew you command.
[4:32] Electron, he's...
[4:33] He's my service president in my brand.
[4:36] This one's spelled out.
[4:37] This one is spelled out in my brand, so there's no...
[4:50] how they're finding out what are the domestic disturbances.
[4:54] And with respect to the selected internal security targets, to find out what's the same thing, what they're doing, what they're planning.
[5:03] The Weatherman, things like that.
[5:05] They name them.
[5:05] The Weatherman, the SDS, the Black Panthers.
[5:10] And all of these organizations that describe their capabilities of killing, all it's laid out.
[5:17] And they're to find out there what they're doing.
[5:19] That's right.
[5:34] Well, I don't do, but I still think the threat is to place it in a separable instance.
[5:40] I know that the groves are separate.
[5:43] I know what it was that this grove... Oh, yeah, but so is the case.
[5:46] The operating computer...
[5:48] And, uh, with my toilet room, my toilet room, my pergury, big pergury, but I thought it was a stupid, but nevertheless, Pergury's a great guy, and I'm good here.
[6:01] I was totally aware of him.
[6:03] That was everybody else in the shop.
[6:05] But when you get down to the chapel, to the break-in, the killing, that was, that thing was a part of the burglars' time as a cover.
[6:14] Those assholes were trying to have a cover.
[6:18] or a CIA cover.
[6:19] I didn't mean to talk about that.
[6:22] I'm just saying that he conducted, and it might come out that he conducted more than what we now know about this person.
[6:30] All the indications are now that the thing got badly askew, and by the sake of this document, I can only assume that he wasn't aware of evidence
[6:49] of the turn-off of this thing, or the withdrawal of approval.
[6:52] If there was one.
[6:53] If there was one.
[6:54] And that... he thought he had a cover.
[7:00] A cover for everything he had done.
[7:02] Everything he had done, in the form of a document that would give him color of presidential approval.
[7:08] And I can't help but feel, you know... No, but I don't...
[7:11] I don't think he needed it for that, because I don't... because he wouldn't have followed us off the water table.
[7:17] He says...
[7:20] I really think what happened is horrible.
[7:25] You mean to say that the water gang was a group because of this?
[7:31] I anticipate it might be.
[7:34] Because you know, we've heard the stories of the reason.
[7:38] We've read the paper that their court has said the reason they were going in was to find out their connections with the distant groups and to demonstrate.
[7:50] If Dean is using this as a cover, particularly if we can find a memorandum of withdrawal or something of this, it cuts him off to water.
[8:00] I suspect, looking at the date, see, Dean didn't get this document back until the summer or spring of 72.
[8:06] He probably didn't recognize the utility of it in terms of his activities until much later.
[8:15] And it's an afterthought, right?
[8:19] He didn't even know the document existed.
[8:22] He probably knew it existed, but he didn't have this copy of it, probably.
[8:27] When?
[8:27] Until when?
[8:28] Until 72.
[8:29] I don't know.
[8:29] You see, it's not clear how much of the material was sent to him by Saul Landenbaum.
[8:34] But when did that happen?
[8:36] March of 72.
[8:37] March of 72.
[8:38] He probably didn't even think about this document, the cover, until long after the incident occurred and he got on.
[8:48] I suspect that he really didn't think of it as a cover, perhaps, until the week.
[8:53] He really made the break when he was looking desperately for something to cover with.
[8:59] He may have come apart in a while.
[9:03] He sent him a memorandum which said, I am enclosing documents.
[9:07] I don't know how many of those documents were enclosed.
[9:10] How many of these documents were actually enclosed with lemon bombs and memorandums?
[9:22] But I suspect that sometime around the time he went to Camp David, he was desperate.
[9:30] He looked in the files and found this document, thought he needed a cover, and took it on the outside.
[9:36] And from there on in, probably thought he'd get a smug out.
[9:40] Let me say, this, however, document is not authorized.
[9:45] Not for a metal detector.
[9:47] No, sir.
[9:47] Now that, sir, he has no cover for that.
[9:49] Yeah.
[9:50] He thinks it was.
[9:51] Huh?
[9:52] I told you he brought it here.
[9:55] Yes.
[9:56] Huh?
[9:56] Yes, he brought it here.
[10:14] Is there anybody else you can check with?
[10:16] I mean, I don't know.
[10:17] He's looking at his own files.
[10:19] I think we'll find a key on one of the agencies.
[10:25] One of the agencies.
[10:27] You got it.
[10:28] That's one time.
[10:30] We're going to look.
[10:32] We can cut these boys right off in the past.
[10:34] Then we can really lay in the woods.
[10:37] Lay in the woods and cut them off in the past.
[10:41] Okay.
[10:44] We'll call you when we get back.
[10:45] All right.
[10:46] I'll go and dig in the hotel for you.
[10:49] I'll tell you, I've got another check, man.
[10:51] So who else do you got to call that did not agree to get with you?
[10:55] Marty Sullivan.
[10:57] Wait a minute.
[10:59] Why did Marty... Is Marty going to be available now?
[11:03] Yes.
[11:04] Why did Marty...
[11:07] I'll ask about this.
[11:08] Because Marty worked with Danes.
[11:12] this thing was turned over to dean according to houston yeah and they had an intelligence committee i think probably all that committee did was analyze yes but don't you call me
[11:49] All that committee did was analyze...
[11:55] Yes, but don't you call them.
[11:58] I can try to call outside your office if you want me involved.
[12:13] Amen.