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Conversation 934-014

TapeTape 934StartThursday, June 7, 1973 at 5:55 PMEndThursday, June 7, 1973 at 6:04 PMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Haig, Alexander M., Jr.Recording deviceOval Office
AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Haig met to discuss several pressing administrative and political matters, including the selection of an energy czar and the development of a potential 60-day economic price freeze to leverage Congressional action. They also addressed the inclusion of John Connally in White House operations and reviewed efforts to maintain message discipline within the State Department regarding nuclear war agreements and Vietnam negotiations. Additionally, the pair touched upon ongoing Watergate concerns, specifically the activities of William J. Casey and the status of internal files.

Energy policyEconomic controlsJohn ConnallyWatergateForeign policy coordinationLegislative strategy
AudioNARA Description

On June 7, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:55 pm to 6:04 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 934-014 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 934-14 (cont’d)

                                                                    Conversation No. 934-14

Date: June 7, 1973
Time: 5:55 pm - 6:04 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

       Haig’s schedule

       Watergate
             -J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr.
                     -Diligence
                     -Law experience
                     -Congress

       Energy czar
             -McComb [first name unknown]
                      -Oil industry
                      -John B. Connally’s conversation with Haig
             -Jack King Horton
                      -Southern California
             -[First name unknown] Nacet [?]
             -Horton
                      -Tenacity
             -McComb
                      -President’s familiarity
                      -Oil industry background
             -Horton
                      -Electric company background
                      -George P. Shultz’s view
             -McComb
                      -Dynamism
                      -President’s recommendation
             -[First name unknown] Nacet [?]
                                     -27-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                            (rev. September-2011)

                                                    Conversation No. 934-14 (cont’d)

National economy
       -Wholesale price index
              -Percentage change
       -Preparation of economic package
              -Camp David
              -President’s possible speech
       -Possible 60-day freeze
              -Pending legislation
              -President’s recommendation
                      -Gasoline
                      -Soybeans
              -Effect on Congress
                      -Legislation
                      -Veto
                      -Leverage over labor unions

       Connally
             -Travel to Camp David
             -Role on White House staff
                    -Attendance of Cabinet, Energy Committee, and Cost of Living
                      Council
                    -Conversation with Haig
                            -Role as Advisor
                                   -Position papers
             -Role with law firm
             -Publicity
             -Unpredictability
             -Meetings with President
                    -Oval Office, Sequoia
                    -Frequency
             -Role on White House staff

Agreement on the Prevention of Nuclear War
      -William P. Rogers
             -Henry A. Kissinger’s call to Haig
                    -Notification
                                             -28-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                     (rev. September-2011)

                                                             Conversation No. 934-14 (cont’d)

                                     -Discipline of message
                      -Washington Special Action Group [WSAG]
                      -State Department
                      -Helmut Sonnenfeldt’s briefing
                              -Discipline of the Department

       Vietnam Negotiations
             -Kissinger
                    -Notification

       Rogers’s schedule
             -Central Treaty Organization [CENTO]
             -North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]

       Watergate
             -William J. Casey
                     -Forthcoming conversation with J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr.
                     -Movement of files
                            -John W. Dean, III
                            -John N. Mitchell
             -Mitchell
             -Effect on White House staff
             -The media
                     -Haig’s conversation with James B. (“Scotty”) Reston
             -New York Times

The President and Haig left at 6:04 pm.
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Hello, Ralph.
Did you work the other day?
Yes, sir.
Well, I just left the meeting.
Do you want to manage these arms?
No, we just finished.
As I said last night, I'm going to take my time today.
You know, he's a real tiger, isn't he?
He's a real tiger.
He's a real tiger.
He's a real tiger.
Well, he combines everything he can with the work that he's done.
He knows what he's doing.
He knows what he's doing.
Well, how about the energy, sir?
Who's going to feed him?
Well, we're now at a... Infest?
No, I've got a consensus of a man named Cone.
All right.
He suggested that I call him, and we can't let him work in Southern California.
Horrible section.
Another good man, and he's interested, we know.
And then we have a third thing that's to follow, and that's...
do here, sir, and it hasn't been done.
There's still a lot of carping on this.
I got to call all the boys.
We've got a consensus.
We're all supportive.
Well, I'll tell you, I know McCall well.
His name, he's an oil manager now.
That's right.
Yeah, there's, uh, the, uh, at Horton's, uh, well, he's, he's electric energy.
Uh, the only guy that didn't like Horton was Schultz.
He said he didn't think he was that good, but everyone else was very high on him.
We'll set a price index like 2%.
Well.
and on soybeans and all the rest.
It just isn't going to affect us.
If you need this, it's a police bulletin that the Congressmen show that we'll have trouble in two months, but we may have less trouble.
I mean, it gives us, it also allows us to prod the Congress to get to work on all the other legislative hands.
They let us take these 60 days to get them out to work and so forth.
That's right.
It gives you a base to, it gives us a base to over these goddamn crazy bills.
it gives you a leverage to help labor god damn it that if you put us in this position now if you want a more a less restrictive program after the six days 60 day period to get busy on our legislation up there because they can control that congress if they want to get working at it oh gosh yes
But I don't think it'll be.
It's a definite hit.
It wouldn't come if you didn't really go up there.
Yes, sir.
That's great.
He's a good soldier, though.
I can't.
He's been in here for two hours.
He's just been, you know, full of ideas.
He's just very, very good.
I think we've got a format now.
He's willing to play that role.
Also,
Right now, I think he probably wants to hang in a little bit.
Now, he accidentally had told his people back home that he was coming back.
unpredictable fellow, but I think actually that our, I think actually our meeting here in the office and the meeting in the boat got him, got him realizing how important he is against us.
You think so?
Exactly.
Or do you, or I don't want to worry if he comes if I'm wrong.
No, I have a very strong feeling that he's, he's right there.
I think it's fragile.
I think if we don't tend to care for him yet,
Well, I think what we have to do now is we've got to arrange.
He comes up here about once.
I can't do it.
There's just so much time, but about once every two weeks for sure, maybe once every week if we possibly can.
He just goes along on some sort of a thing.
He likes that.
He likes it.
Then he'll get some benefit.
There's got to be something in for him.
I think he's a very good fellow right now.
It's really been helpful.
I didn't know this thing today.
I had Bill Rogers on board on this.
He was gone tomorrow.
Henry called me and said, Jesus Christ, he's got to know.
The way I played it with him was I said that Henry's staff wasn't out.
They thought he knew about it.
I wanted him to know what it was.
I said, my God, it's got to be disciplined.
Henry was told the same thing about it.
Well, they're all on board.
He's on board.
I had three boys on the phone with me.
It was the whole thing.
He said, you know, discipline the department.
He didn't understand why we didn't do it.
Or no copper from there.
Yeah.
It's in good shape.
And we briefed him on the Vietnam thing, too, so he'll know where we're staying.
Anything later in Vietnam today?
No, sir.
We haven't gotten word from him yet.
There's meetings.
Fred tells me he's afraid of kissing someone.
Well, I was going to talk to Casey and ask him.
Fred's up soon.
Is he?
Oh, that's great.
That's great.
He must be as vulnerable as the other fellow was.
He has to be.
I'm sure these things have been done in spades before.
many good honest people in this administration everybody started getting a bad rap well why don't you get up and walk around
Well, if they would do that.
Now, I'm going to take some time with you, because I'm so depressed at the end of the day.
And I can talk to somebody else, too.
But you're going to have a hell of a lot of fun.
Really?
Yes, sir.
How about you?
No, I'm not going to.
You're right.
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