Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 921 › Conversation 921-016

Nixon & Haig on Watergate and Political intrigue

Thursday, May 17, 1973 · 12:13 PM–12:21 PM ET · Oval Office · 59 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.Conversation921-016 on Tape 921StartThursday, May 17, 1973 at 12:13 PMEndThursday, May 17, 1973 at 12:21 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 921-016 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Haig consult regarding a suspicious letter sent to Haig from New York, which the President dismisses as a "phony" crank communication. The two speculate that the letter may be part of a deliberate setup designed to manipulate or implicate individuals involved in the Watergate scandal. Nixon ultimately instructs Haig to handle the matter as he sees fit, deferring to his Chief of Staff's judgment on how to dispose of the document.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Oh.
Oh.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, it's from New York.
It's a clear phony, then.
Clear phony.
All right.
Yeah.
It's a crank letter, of course, then.
You think that somebody's trying to set somebody up?
I see.
All right.
Fine.
I have time.
Okay.
Fine.
Fine.
Do whatever you like.

NARA Description

On May 17, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:13 pm and 12:21 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 921-016 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 921-16

Date: May 17, 1973
Time: Unknown between 12:13 pm and 12:21 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President talked with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

       Watergate
             -Doctor’s letter to Haig
                    -Set-up
                                          -32-

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Also recorded on May 17, 1973

  • 921-012 11:45 AM · 23 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Mustafizur Rahman Siddiqui, Hossain Ali, Roger E. Johnson, Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:45 am to 11:57 am.
  • 921-013 11:57 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:57 am to 12:02 pm.
  • 921-014 12:03 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Mrs. Mrs. Cleo Noel, Mrs. Mrs. G. Curtis Moore, Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:03 pm to 12:13 pm.
  • 921-015 12:13 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:13 pm and 12:21 pm.
  • 921-017 12:13 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:13 pm and 12:21 pm.
  • 921-018 12:21 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Donald D. Clancy, Chester Cornett, Thomas Donovan, Mrs. Thomas Donovan, Danny Donovan, Betsy Donovan, Shawn Donovan, Max L. Friedersdorf, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:21 pm to 12:25 pm.
  • 921-019 12:25 PM · 26 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:25 pm to 12:26 pm.
  • 921-020 12:26 PM · 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ralph J. Perk, George H. W. Bush, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., James H. Falk, members of the press, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:26 pm to 12:45 pm.

All 70 conversations from May 17, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 921-016, May 17, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/921-016 (accessed October 12, 2026).