Conversation No. 929-5

Date: May 29, 1973
Time: 9:12 am - 9:48 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

       Watergate
             -President’s previous conversation with Ronald L. Ziegler
             -President’s possible grand jury appearance
                    -White House response
             -White House response
                    -White Paper
                            -Effect on prosecutors
                                    -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman
             -Ziegler
                                      -6-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                              Tape Subject Log
                               (rev. July-2011)

                                                       Conversation No. 929-5 (cont’d)

              -John B. Connally
              -Possible actions by Elliot L. Richardson and Congress

Request for Executive decision
      -Presidential proclamation
      -Disaster relief
              -Arkansas
              -Mississippi
              -Tornadoes

President’s schedule
       -William P. Rogers
               -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
               -Henry A. Kissinger
               -John A. Scali
       -Middle East
               -Negotiated settlement
                       -Arabs
                       -Israel
                       -US focus
       -Scali’s statement
               -Kissinger
       -Bipartisan Congressional leaders
       -Briefing
               -Kissinger
               -Paris
       -Bipartisan Congressional leaders
               -Rogers
       -Rogers
               -Newspaper
               -Travel
                       -South America
                               -Reports
               -William E. Timmons
       -Eighth Armored Division Association Award
       -People’s Republic of China [PRC] journalists
               -Logistics
                                        -7-

             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. July-2011)

                                                         Conversation No. 929-5 (cont’d)

                       -Cabinet        

         -[Quadriad] economic meeting          

               -Haig’s meeting with Connally          

                       -Activities of George P. Shultz and Herbert G. Stein
               -Opinion of Connally and Roy L. Ash
               -Academic, theoretical environment
                       -Action
                       -Status quo        

               -Arrival of Connally         

               -Activities of Shultz and Stein 


National economy
       -Arthur F. Burns’s view
              -Boom

                      -Slowing down           

                      -Balloon burst        

                              -Recession        

       -Connally’s view         

       -Legitimacy of views          

       -Shultz’s view        

              -Haig’s view         

                      -“Theoretical purity”         

       -Timing         

              -Lack of confidence         


Energy
         -Bill
         -Peter M. Flanigan’s efforts
                -Meeting with Haig        

         -Shultz’s efforts       

         -Haig’s meeting with Connally 

         -Camp David meeting on energy 

         -President’s schedule         

                -Iceland
         -Bureaucratic fights        

                -Organizational structure      

                -Rogers C. B. Morton, Shultz and Flanigan 

                                      -8-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                              Tape Subject Log
                               (rev. July-2011)

                                                      Conversation No. 929-5 (cont’d)

       -Czar        

               -Flanigan        

                      -Haig’s view       

               -Connally’s view       

                      -Recommendation         

               -Flanigan        

                      -Status       

                      -Role of czar      

                              -Clerk
                      -Conversation with Haig

White House staff
      -Morale
      -Handling
             -Replacements
             -Coddling
      -Peter G. Peterson
             -Future plans
                     -Ambassadorship
                            -Announcement
                            -Lieber Brothers [?]
                            -Leave of absence
             -Haig’s conversation with Henry A. Kissinger
                     -Negotiating position
             -Kissinger’s birthday party
                     -Peterson’s toast
                            -Critique of White House operation
                            -Kissinger’s response
      -Kissinger’s mood
      -Flanigan
      -Haig’s handling
             -Replacements
             -Coddling
             -Position changes
                     -Value

National economy
                                       -9-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                               Tape Subject Log
                                (rev. July-2011)

                                                         Conversation No. 929-5 (cont’d)

       -Shultz’s view
              -Recognition of a problem

                      -Substance                   

                      -Attitude                  

              -Energy
       -President’s meeting                 

              -Connally             

              -Quadriad              

              -Burns           

       -Burns
              -[Price] controls                  

                      -Indirect controls                   

                      -Interest rates                  

                      -Freeze                  

       -Haig’s view         

              -Dedication               

       -Quadriad meeting               

              -Length            

              -President’s attendance                    

              -Democratic Congressional leaders reception         

              -President’s decision                    

              -Follow up meeting                     

       -Confidence factor              

              -Wall Street               

              -Connally             

              -Mood            

       -President’s decision                 

              -Controls            

              -Uncertainty                 

              -Force         

              -Leadership                


Peterson
       -Kissinger’s view
       -Possible role with administration
       -Attitude
       -Sally Peterson
                                       -10-

             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. July-2011)

                                                         Conversation No. 929-5 (cont’d)

                -Source of stories      

         -Tenure       


President’s schedule
       -Rogers
               -Kissinger
                      -Press photograph         

               -Scali      

               -Timing        


Kissinger
       -Press briefing
               -Bryce N. Harlow
       -Possible reaction in Congress to confirmation as Secretary of State
               -Prestige
               -Wiretaps
                       -Confidentiality

Rogers
         -Tenure
                -Conversation with Haig
                        -Rogers’s future
                                -White House counsel
                                         -Watergate
                                -Secretary of State
         -Continuance in office          

                -Reorganization            

                -Relations with Kissinger          

                        -Effect
                                -Attitude
                                -State Department
                                -National Security Council [NSC]
                        -President’s feeling         

                        -Resolution          

         -United States foreign policy issues 

                -Vietnam

                -Soviet Union          

                                       -11-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. July-2011)

                                                        Conversation No. 929-5 (cont’d)

       -Kissinger’s role in administration 

       -Timing of departure         

              -Announcement            


Foreign policy structure
       -Conflicts
               -Kissinger
               -Rogers
               -Compared to Committee on International Economic Policy [CIEP],
                      Quadriad
                      -Shultz
                              -Energy
                              -Trade
                              -Cost of Living Council [COLC]
                              -Secretary of the Treasury
                              -Team player
               -Haig’s discussion with Connally

President’s schedule
       -Ziegler
       -Haig’s staff meeting schedule
               -Timing          

       -Ziegler         

               -Press briefings       

                       -President’s comments        

               -Florida trip       

               -Mood          


Watergate
      -News reports regarding the President’s possible grand jury appearance
             -Seymour M. Hersh
             -Archibald Cox
             -Evidence
      -White House response           

             -White Paper         

                     -Effects       

      -Prosecutors’ goals       

                            -12-

    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                      Tape Subject Log
                       (rev. July-2011)

                                             Conversation No. 929-5 (cont’d)

       -Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman 

       -Effect of White Paper          

               -J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr’s view        

       -John W. Dean III            

-Possible indictments
       -John N. Mitchell and Jeb S[tuart] Magruder
       -Washington Post story
       -Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Dean, Mitchell and Magruder
       -Cox
-Washington Post story
       -President’s possible grand jury appearance
       -Evidence
-White House response
       -President’s press conference
               -Timing          

                       -Camp David          

                       -Ziegler       

               -Substantive announcement           

               -Timing          

               -Reorganization           

               -Energy           

               -Economy            

               -Georges J. R. Pompidou’s meeting     

               -Shultz        

                       -Energy        

               -Kissinger-Rogers situation         

               -Leonid I. Brezhnev’s visit       

               -Congress           

               -Robert P. Griffin’s view       

               -President’s handling         

               -Content          

                       -Introduction
                       -Reorganization
                       -Pompidou
                       -Rogers, Kissinger
                       -Brezhnev
                       -Energy
                                            -13-


                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM 


                                     Tape Subject Log 

                                      (rev. July-2011)

                                                          Conversation No. 929-5 (cont’d)


       President’s schedule      

              -Haig        

                      -Morning meeting       

              -Ziegler       

              -Kissinger       


Haig left at 9:48 am.