Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 935 › Conversation 935-006
Nixon, Ziegler & Haig on Watergate and John W. Dean III
Monday, June 11, 1973 · 9:49 AM–10:01 AM ET · Oval Office · 23 min
AI Summary
President Nixon, Ronald Ziegler, and Alexander Haig met to discuss communication strategies for managing the fallout from the Watergate scandal and countering negative press narratives. They analyzed recent media commentary, specifically columns by Joseph Alsop and Patrick Buchanan, to reinforce their resolve against John Dean and the Ervin Committee hearings. Nixon and his advisors decided to shift the White House's public focus toward positive domestic issues, such as the national economy and the forthcoming visit of Leonid Brezhnev, while adopting a more aggressive, "slam-bang" stance toward political opponents.
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data
Each line starts with a timestamp button; press it to play the audio from that point.
NARA Description
On June 11, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:49 am to 10:01 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 935-006 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 935-6
Date: June 11, 1973
Time: 9:49 am - 10:01 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.
Press relations
-Watergate
-Paris Peace Talks
-White House news summary
Watergate
-Joseph W. Alsop’s column, June 11, 1973
-John W. Dean, III
-Judgments concerning character
-Congress
-Dean
-Forthcoming cross-examination
-J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr.
-Documents
-Meetings with President
Press relations
-Forthcoming Leonid I. Brezhnev visit
-National economy
-President’s forthcoming speech
-Timing
-Vietnam
-Watergate
-Shifts in focus
-President’s events in Florida and Illinois
-Staff organization
-Melvin R. Laird, Clarence M. Kelley
-Watergate
-Economy
-Staff changes
-Vietnam
-President’s tenure
-President’s resolve
-Alsop
-Forthcoming Brezhnev visit
Watergate
-Ervin Committee hearings
-Maurice H. Stans
-Jeb Stuart Magruder
-Dean
-Dean
-Immunity
-Archibald Cox
-Purpose
-Charles W. Colson, John D. Ehrlichman, H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-White House response
-Buzhardt
-Dean
-Gerald L. Warren’s statement, June 10, 1973
-Press coverage
-Newsweek story
-Tone
-Forthcoming testimony of Colson, Haldeman, Ehrlichman
-Alsop column
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-Column, June 11, 1973 in New York Times
-Joseph C. Kraft, Washington Post
-1972 election
-Effect of Watergate
-Spiro Agnew
-Forthcoming speech, June 11, 1973 on Ervin Committee
-William E. Timmons’s activities
-President’s meeting with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson’s statement
-Brezhnev’s visit
-Gerald R. Ford, Barry M. Goldwater, Buchanan, Agnew, Hugh Scott
Alexander M. Haig, Jr. entered the office at an unknown time before 10:01 am.
Ziegler left at 10:01 am.Also recorded on June 11, 1973
- 935-001 8:43 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:43 am and 9:05 am.
- 935-002 8:43 AM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:43 am and 9:05 am.
- 935-003 8:43 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Nellie L. Yates met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:43 am and 9:05 am.
- 935-004 9:05 AM · 1 hr 35 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:05 am to 9:45 am.
- 935-005 9:45 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:45 am and 9:49 am.
- 935-007 10:01 AM · 2 hr 49 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., John B. Connally, George P. Shultz, Herbert Stein, and John T. Dunlop met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:01 am to 12:11 pm.
- 935-008 12:11 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:11 pm and 12:15 pm.
- 935-009 12:11 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:11 pm and 12:15 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 935-006, June 11, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/935-006 (accessed October 12, 2026).