Conversation 936-004

TapeTape 936StartMonday, June 11, 1973 at 5:42 PMEndMonday, June 11, 1973 at 6:04 PMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Sanchez, Manolo;  Nixon, F. Donald;  Bull, Stephen B.;  [Unknown person(s)]Recording deviceOval Office

On June 11, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Manolo Sanchez, F. Donald Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 6:04 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 936-004 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 936-4

Date: June 11, 1973
Time: Unknown between 5:42 pm and 6:04 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Manolo Sanchez.

       President’s schedule
              -Sequoia
              -Ronald L. Ziegler’s schedule
              -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.’s schedule

F. Donald Nixon entered at 5:43 pm.

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[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift during
chronological review 2007-2013]
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                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

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       Refreshments
              -Beverages

       F. Donald Nixon’s schedule

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Sanchez left at an unknown time before 6:04 pm.

       F. Donald Nixon’s lawyer, Stan McKiernan [sp?]
              -Previous meetings with John Mitchell
              -Meetings
                     -J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr., Leonard Garment, Fred F. Fielding
                     -Buzhardt
                             -President’s assessment
                                    -Description
                             -Work with Prisoners of War [POWs]
              -Possible meeting with Haig
                     -Haig’s loyalty
              -McKiernan
              -Meeting with Mitchell during campaign
                     -Book of F. Donald Nixon’s and Ed Nixon’s activities
                             -John W. Dean, III
                             -Content
                             -Location
                             -Shredding

Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 5:43 pm.

       President’s schedule
              -Sequoia
                      -Ziegler

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 6:04 pm.

       Watergate
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                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                      (rev. July-2011)

              -Significance
              -Safeguards

       Marriot Corporation
              -F. Donald Nixon’s employment
              -Bill Welles
              -J. Willard Marriot, Sr.
                      -Honoree [?]
                             -“City of Hope”
                      -Nixon brothers’ assessment
              -Forthcoming opening of Hotel in Los Angeles
                      -President’s schedule
                             -California
                             -State visit
                                     -Japan
                             -Europe trip
              -Possible message from President
                      -Rose Mary Woods
              -President’s assessment

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[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift during
chronological review 2007-2013]

       President’s schedule
              -F. Donald Nixon’s house
              -Clara Jane Nixon
              -Press announcement

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Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:43 pm.

       President’s schedule
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                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

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              -Sanchez, Ziegler
              -Economic meeting
              -Haig, Jr.
              -Henry A. Kissinger

Bull left at an unknown time before 6:04 pm.

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[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift during
chronological review 2007-2013]

       President’s Schedule
              -F. Donald Nixon’s home
                      -President’s visit
                              -Police escort
                      -Laguna Beach, California
                      -Newport Beach, California
              -Secret Service
                      -Directions
              -Press coverage

       Edward C. Nixon
             -Nixon Foundation
                    -Consultant
                    -Payroll
                    -Retainer
                    -Investigation
                            -Seattle media
             -Meeting with Leonard K. Firestone and Robert H. Finch
                    -Removal from Foundation
             -Whittier College oral history program
             -Export-import business
                    -Japan, Taiwan, South Korea
                    -Tokyo Electro Acoustic Company [TEAC]
                            -Gift for President
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                             -Record player, tape recorder
                             -US sales
                             -Manufacture

An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 5:43 pm.

       Oval Office notification system
             -Wrong buzzer

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 6:04 pm.

       TEAC
              -US sales
              -US manufacturing
              -US incorporation
              -F. Donald Nixon’s role
                     -Directorship
                     -Conflict of interest
                            -White House counsel
                            -Government contracts

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Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:43 pm.

       President’s schedule
              -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
                      -Rose Mary Woods
                             -Telephone call
                      -Ziegler
                      -Haig
                      -Sequoia

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[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift during
                                               -13-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                       (rev. July-2011)

chronological review 2007-2013]

       President’s schedule
              -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
                      -Julie Nixon Eisenhower
                              -Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
                      -Tricia Nixon Cox
                              -New York City

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       President’s schedule
              -Haig and Ziegler

Bull left at an unknown time before 6:04 pm.

       F. Donald Nixon’s visit to South Korea
              -Park Chung Hee
              -Dinner with Prime Minister
                      -Guests
                      -Wife’s gifts
                      -Cufflinks
              -Hotel site in Seoul
              -Meeting with [First name unknown] Park
                      -Cotton imports
                      -Textiles
              -Possible invitees to White House
                      -Park
                      -Support for President
                      -Dr. Choi [first name unknown]
                              -Washington, D.C.
                              -J. Williard Marriott, Sr.
              -Support for US

       Richard C. (“Rick”) Nixon
              -Meeting with [First name unknown] Gammenberger [sp?]
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                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

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               -Career activities
                      -Nursery
                      -Pottery
               -Business opportunity
               -Age

       Donald A. Nixon
             -Costa Rica
             -Robert Vesco
             -Stan [McKiernan?]

       Vesco
               -Investors Overseas Services [IOS]

       Lawrene M. (“Rene”) Nixon
             -Children
                    -Illness

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[Previous PRMPA Privacy (D) reviewed under deed of gift 03/26/2019. Segment cleared for
release.]
[Privacy]
[936-004-w007]
[Duration: 2s]

       Lawrene M. (“Rene”) Nixon
             -Children
                    -Illness
                             -President’s childhood pneumonia

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       F. Donald Nixon’s visit to Japan and Taipei, Taiwan
              -Dinner with Chiang Kai-Shek’s younger son
                     -Performance of traditional dance
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                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

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                     -Visit to US
                             -Chiang’s family
              -Meeting with Koo [first name unknown]
                     -Mrs. Koo and Chiang Mayling Soong

       Watergate
             -Support for President
             -Mitchell, H. R. (“Bob”) Ehrlichman, and John D. Ehrlichman
                    -Involvement
             -Ehrlichman
                    -Relations with F. Donald Nixon and Mitchell
             -Mitchell
             -Charles W. Colson
             -Support for Mitchell

       F. Donald Nixon and Edward C. Nixon
              -Business activities
              -Japan
              -Import-export
              -Friend’s purchase
              -Manufacturing
              -Conflict of interest
                     -White House counsel
              -Corporate positions
              -Building materials
              -Corporate groups

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[Previous PRMPA Privacy (D) reviewed under deed of gift 03/22/2019. Segment cleared for
release.]
[Privacy]
[936-004-w008]
[Duration: 5s]

       F. Donald Nixon and Edward C. Nixon
              -Business groups
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                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

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                     -Edward C. Nixon
                           -Company starting July 1, 1973
                           -Location

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       Watergate
             -F. Donald Nixon’s response
             -Popular response

       President’s schedule
              -Possible visit with F. Donald Nixon
                      -Secret Service
              -F. Donald Nixon’s forthcoming conversation with Peter J. Brennan, Jr.

       F. Donald Nixon’s forthcoming visit to Asia
              -General Chiang, Prime Minister of South Korea
              -Gifts
                     -Golf clubs

       Exit
              -Door
              -Bathroom

F. Donald Nixon left at 6:04 pm.

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.

How are you?
Good.
How are you doing?
Good to see you.
Here I come.
Would you like coffee, tea, or Coca-Cola?
I'm okay.
I just walked three blocks, sir.
I think she's a teen now.
It's been a long day here.
What's up with the president?
He's seeing a lawyer here.
No, I'm standing right here in this back room with me.
He came through back at the same time.
Sanders, you know, the guy that's standing out.
My attorney, we met with your lawyer.
Your man here that we're supposed to talk to now instead of in lieu of Mitchell.
Mitchell?
No, John Mitchell.
I said John Mitchell, not Winnie.
Oh, he said anything that we kept him appraised of anything that we were doing.
Oh, yes.
This is the bizarre.
Pardon?
Who'd you say bizarre?
Garment.
Garment.
Bizarre.
Bizarre.
Oh, this is the fellow, the alien.
What's his name?
He's the White House Superior Counsel.
That's Buzar.
Buzar.
Buzar.
That's him.
Buzar.
He's got a thin face.
He's got a nice bow.
He did a great job for you with the DOWs, I guess, too.
Yeah, he's totally like a thin bow with a tight face.
And he's completely, you have all the knowledge for him.
I know.
You can trust me.
I'm sure you can trust me.
He's conservative.
He keeps his counsel.
So any advice that I need to have as to what we should or shouldn't do, if the audience can take this advice on?
Yes, yes.
And the other person, the only other person that you should talk to in this area is L.A. in general.
I've met him occasionally, but I'd like to be able to do that.
I'll tell him.
Al Haig is my closest friend now.
He's a general.
He died before he could ever get out, so he's the greatest of compliments here.
What I had to do, prior to the campaign, I said,
We did go back and we put together, I suppose we were looking at John Mitchell, completely, I've got to be able to stand right here.
I want to lay everything on the line, everything that might ever be pointing to the dead or myself, either one.
Yeah.
And I wrote that.
So we put out a big black, I mean, it was a black book with all these different things in the package, you know, that David and I wanted to share.
That damn book, we still haven't, it has not come back.
And we're just going to have a lot of names.
Well, I go, no, no.
Mitchell had a speaking group of people here.
And supposedly, I said, John, I'm going to call 100 yards and 20.
And I thought I would talk to John here and ask him for, that he could find this thing.
Because it should, I hope he should have it.
because there's nothing in it, there's nothing wrong with it.
Well, why don't you check first to see unless you're sick or you can go.
Yes, sir.
I don't want to go with the others.
Just to get it.
Unless you're sick or you can go, I have to go on.
All right.
Well done.
Don't worry about it.
There's nothing, nothing, nothing that I can worry about.
Anyhow, we're, uh,
I want to tell you that as far as we're concerned out there, we're backing all the way on this damn thing.
And, oh, sure, this is a bunch of shit.
If you're going to come out stronger, you know, real frankly, I think Watergate is probably a good thing to have happened.
I'm having people say this.
But maybe this gets left off the home and out of it.
But, uh, seeing the fact that he built to have never had to be on like this, and also the fact that, uh... Well, it was such a crappy thing.
It's a nice thing to learn.
I'm such a lousy little thing.
It's a stupid little thing.
Anybody should do it.
I fired the whole staff.
I never heard her try to do it.
They were going to make her pay, but somebody else was doing it.
Yeah.
Are you, uh, are you with the Stale American?
Yeah.
Good.
Well, he's a great guy.
He's got a power struggle.
Bill is in Europe right now.
We've got Bill.
Shane here is a great guy.
He's the one, yeah.
You know, he's going to be on there.
But he's sitting with a whole Los Angeles audience, you know, for a big dinner.
It'll be in our new hotel.
We've got one big hotel in Los Angeles, right?
You know, it would be a great thing.
It doesn't mean a hell of a lot.
He never asked me to do this, I know.
But if you were to, it's going to be in September, sometime September.
They're going to have their opening, you know, they're out there.
It's not going to be a big crowd.
It's going to be very lovely crowd people.
But he would come out or at least...
I couldn't come.
I just said, I'll be back here in a little bit.
You wrote it down for me.
I said, as long as I come from July, I'll be there in a couple weeks, for a couple weeks in August.
I've got to be back here for a whole quarter of a second.
Japanese coming, I have to go to Europe and everything.
So September and October, it goes back.
It always does.
Well that's when you get out there, in July.
What I would appreciate if you ever could work it out is when you're taking on those afternoons, you're like, come on, I'll sit there.
I mean, that was pretty, I mean, I thought about the prayer thing.
I take the heat off.
I heard people say, well, this is a better time to see you.
I said, well, Christ is busy.
You know, you could just walk me to the least.
But when I drive, you know, when I get my license, I don't, I just basically, I don't stop or I have to announce it to the Christ.
I don't know about that.
We'll see.
Never.
Yes, sir.
What is the situation?
I don't know.
I don't know.
Yeah.
Yeah.
We used to have sometimes a thing you would try to sort out, but they don't like that.
They're right.
Yeah.
They never seem to understand.
So I'll tell you what to do if you would leave with the Secret Service directions when you get there as to how you get to your place.
And then what we'll do, we'll take you to I-5 for the press.
I don't mind the press coming.
No, no.
What I mean is, we'll tell the press afterwards what we're thinking.
If you announce it in advance, the speakers are there.
That's why we never... You can do it.
How's Eddie doing?
Eddie's pretty good.
Of course, we're going through this situation, but he's going to have to get off the audition.
payroll.
I don't know payroll, but he was on Sonic Soul.
Oh, they feel that some damn guys from the press up in Seattle were trying to make an issue.
This guy was delving in and was trying to find work, and he was on a barrel with the awning on the container.
And he had tied it.
So I think, what the hell's not shot that thing wrong with this?
But I bring this up because it was made an issue.
I was upset about it because I guess he had a meeting with Firestone and with Finch.
They want him off, and they feel that under certain circumstances he should get off, but I think that's the end of this next month in July.
And then he'll go to Whittier College for a couple of months to wrap up the oral history program, and then he's through.
So what we've done, this is something I'm just telling you off record here, but that's the problem.
I'm going to get involved in an exporting court situation.
Some will be Japanese, some Taiwan.
saw the period of loss of late, maybe some other countries.
The Japanese for their finest of equipment here for, in fact, they want to give you a set that you probably need every minute now.
They have the finest new equipment for record players, and the tape recorder, you know, for music.
They're doing 20 million last year in the United States.
They're really manufacturing .
I'm sorry, I've done it the wrong way.
Okay.
There, this year we'll do 30.
Yeah.
In the United States, they're going to come to the United States and build their line here and manufacture here before I can do a company.
The American Japanese company is going public with it here.
They've invited me to become director of the company.
I talked to your man this morning and he said that
So I'll probably have to sell it to the other guy.
Anything to do with it?
Anything to do with it.
I think we'll have Rose call us next Sunday.
I have to deal with it.
I have to deal with it.
I have to deal with it.
I have to deal with it.
I have to deal with it.
Yeah, I know that I know the secret.
Yeah, we were just on that three-week trip that you were in.
And it was a beautiful reception over there in Korea, South Korea.
We had dinner at the, this week, didn't arrange this at all, but the president of the park heard we were coming there.
And we asked the primary care worker to have us a dinner at his home.
So we had a beautiful spread of electronic equipment.
And I sat there and she gave us a beautiful jewelry that she had designed.
Gave me two beautiful solid gold, you know, secure cups.
And we had some breaking games in them.
We're going to have a hotel, so the streets are going to be closed.
But at the same time, we're looking at hotel sites.
We found a beautiful site there.
We met a Mr. Park, who was the largest importer of cotton.
Over $60 million last year in the United States.
This year, he will buy $100 million.
He's got the largest textile mill in the world in Korea, South Korea.
A wonderful fellow.
And what I would like to do sometime is never a bad match for him.
is sometimes invited to the White House.
There's a man that's a pro, he's a pro backer.
He's so strong.
And there's Dr. Choi that lives here.
His name, indeed, lives in Washington, D.C.
He should be invited with him because he's a good friend of Mr. Moran's senior, Choi.
There's Dr. Choi.
And these Koreans, I'll tell you, are friends.
Oh, I try.
And the South Koreans are particularly nice people.
This man is
Tell me, uh, the, uh, how's, uh, how's, uh, Ricky?
Rick is fine.
I think he's fine.
He's ditched.
He's, uh, you remember Gaffer?
Gaffer?
Yes.
Flores.
Flores.
Flores.
He's also has a pharmaceutical.
Yeah.
Well, Rick didn't know what they wanted in schools.
Well, I said, Rick, do you want to get in?
Oh, that's my secret.
He's going to have to get this for himself some way.
And I suggested to him, I said, we're going to hear about the nursery events.
He's always like that.
Flowers, we're going to hear about that.
And he said, there's pottery events.
He makes all this pottery.
And he did all this stuff.
You ought to see it.
It's a collection.
It's amazing.
It's cool.
So I suggested this, and I took him over to see Gaffer and Gaffer.
I told Gaffer I had time.
I said, Gaffer, I'm starting it out here.
you know, the lowest area, and let him learn the thing, and make it tough, make it, if he wants it, he'll find he likes it.
He's learning this stuff, he loves this grocery business, he's in sales, marketing, he's working there, he wants to learn his business, he's already been offered, a Harvard graduate that's got 25% of this deal, is offering him an opportunity to go into this food.
Now, and he's gonna have to go and get some more school, you know, in this area, but I think he's found something nice to do, right?
That was, you know, funny.
He's got a lot of time, got a lot of time.
Tommy's still not married.
Costa Rica, I'm worried about.
That's where the hell that little fart's doing.
Vesco has got him still.
I tried to get him to leave us.
Harrison.
Harrison.
I can't do it.
I tried to tell him.
Stan tried to tell him at the inauguration.
We all tried to work on him.
And, uh...
Those claims the investors have done no harm.
These investments are still good.
He has not taken the IOS investors, made his son do it.
I don't know if he's right.
No investment.
What investors are doing on that IOS thing.
IOS was a damn mess.
It already drained the thing by a large amount of money.
One of the twins just had the flu and the hospital's gone off.
She had one set of twins, had a little boy.
Oh, God, I was going to say, I didn't think the other was going to make a difference.
That's a lot.
One of the twins just got out of the hospital for that morning.
The hospital for four days.
Yeah.
Well, listen, I just want to come by to let you know that everyone, you just don't know, people in Japan, oh, in Taipei, Taiwan, General Chang, Tai Shih, his son, his youngest son, entertained us to death in our room.
It was so beautiful.
The hotel there had a special show there of all the amazing things that's been happening.
And he's going to visit over here, and I invited him to come to our home.
He's a really nice fellow, General Chang.
He's the top military guy there now.
It's not that I remember.
Now, what's the other guy?
The other fellow is what?
Yeah, he's my successor.
He's Chang's son, but I've never heard of him.
Mr. Ku was our host there.
And I want you to know you've got friends who have these people.
They said it's just politics and all this.
It's a bunch of politics.
How can you get these goddamn Democrats?
This guy came up with a thought.
He said, what do you want me to do?
Put out a reward for $100,000.
Go hang on the Democratic side of the money house and explode some of the shit that they've been going on.
That's what we do.
Well, it's too bad that he hasn't been able to do it.
Well, it's just a part of the deal.
It's too bad that such a nice man like my children, my children, children, all of them are hurt.
They're all decent guys.
And really, most of them are involved.
But they get caught up.
They got caught up in that.
Early on, there was one that did it, which I hear from all of them.
Early on, I pulled a few things off of him that I didn't like very well.
And I know Mitchell didn't like it really fully.
I can tell you that.
Mitchell didn't like it very well.
But he...
They wouldn't want that.
What you do is say, Mitchell, I'm going to try to see him tomorrow.
I'm going to see him very privately.
He's probably going through the tortures of hell.
I know that.
So, of course, this is bullshit and so forth.
But, you know, Colson.
Well, Colson did that.
They all did that.
So, he doesn't like Colson.
Boy, we're all boring me.
I've passed messages through them through me, so I can't talk properly because of them.
Well, it was a program.
Well, it was a program.
They all asked me to come and so forth, so I, by golly, I'm just confident in this service down here that that poisons every damn child that we're going to ever meet.
It's horrible.
It's just horrible.
We must get through this.
It's a bad feeling.
Okay, well, that's that one.
It's going to come up.
This is this Japanese thing.
It's due to a product that's got me.
It's going to Japan.
They're going to be manufacturing in Japan.
They're also going to be exporting product from here, because we're going to be exporting a lot of things to Japan, as well as other countries.
This Japanese friend of mine has bought a dandruff.
He writes for a few dollars.
He's going to Japan, manufacturing there.
He's asked me, you know, I chatted this this morning with your man here.
And he said that he saw a whole problem with this.
This group wanted me and wanted Ted to become a part of that company, to help grow the product.
It's a tremendous product.
It's used in every new high-rise building today, both metal and cement.
And from this, this will be indicative of starting this group of companies.
So, I'm just telling you this so you can get that over with.
And as far as I'm concerned, I'm waiting for my intel to come up.
So, we're in good shape.
Anyhow, this damn thing will open another door.
The ambassadors have been given a road to hang themselves sky high.
Well, that's tough.
I mean, they've been real brutal in all these situations and so forth and so on.
Parts and shit.
Maybe a few people are getting a little tired.
Maybe.
Maybe a few of you out here.
All of our friends.
We hear from our friends.
Well, maybe we'll see you out there.
Maybe we'll see you out, uh, California.
Yeah, I'll arrange that.
Come up to the service.
I'll tell them.
I'll tell them.
I'll tell them.
I'll tell them.
I'll tell them.
You know, by the way, if you were to do something like this general change, if you were to do the same thing like this Francis or South Korea, well, I've got to go back to Japan next week.
I mean, next month.
And I'm going back to those countries.
These people need the kids.
I'm going to knock on your door.
I'm going to knock on your door.
I'm going to knock on your door.
I'm going to knock on your door.