Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 937
Nixon White House Tape 937 (June 12, 1973)
20 conversations · Oval Office · about 4 hr 17 min of released audio
Featuring Nixon, Haig, Sanchez, Woods, Cox
President Nixon and Alexander Haig met to coordinate the President's schedule with congressional leaders, specifically addressing briefings on the upcoming Leonid Brezhnev summit and Vietnam negotiations. They decided to postpone a meeting with congressional leaders regarding economic controls to avoid presenting an appearance of unresolved conflict in Paris. The discussion also briefly touched upon the political implications of current Watergate-related news and Vice President Spiro Agnew's recent activities.
President Nixon held a brief administrative exchange with a White House operator to facilitate an outgoing call. This routine interaction served as a communication bridge to connect the President with another party for official business. No substantive policy discussions or significant decisions were recorded during this brief connection.
President Nixon and Rose Mary Woods discussed the ongoing political pressure from the Watergate scandal, focusing on the negative impacts of the Ervin Committee hearings and hostile media coverage. Nixon and Woods strategized on how to handle potential campaign contributions and expressed frustration regarding the testimony of figures like John Dean. Throughout the discussion, Woods emphasized the widespread public support for the President and the importance of maintaining his resolve against calls for impeachment.
President Nixon initiates a brief communication through the White House operator to place an outgoing telephone call. The exchange serves primarily as a logistical request for the operator to connect him with an unspecified party. No further policy or substantive discussion occurs during this short administrative interaction.
President Nixon met with Bryce Harlow and Alexander Haig to manage the political fallout from the Watergate scandal, coordinate the administration's stance on economic policy, and prepare for the upcoming state visit of Leonid Brezhnev. The participants discussed strategies to deflect partisan criticism, including leveraging statements from sympathetic senators and countering media narratives regarding past wiretapping practices. Additionally, they coordinated a briefing schedule for Congressional leaders to maintain support for the administration's foreign policy and Vietnam negotiations amid ongoing domestic instability.
President Nixon held a brief, three-minute meeting in the Oval Office with an unidentified individual, followed by a discussion with Press Secretary Ronald L. Ziegler. Due to the limited duration of the recording and technical audio issues, the substantive content of these exchanges remains unrecoverable. No specific policy decisions or significant action items were documented during this interval.
Stephen B. Bull met with Rose Mary Woods in the Oval Office for a brief, three-minute interval. The discussion appears to involve administrative coordination or logistical support, though the limited audio content precludes a detailed assessment of specific policy or political developments. No substantive action items were recorded during this brief encounter.
President Nixon and Ronald Ziegler discussed media strategy and public relations, focusing on methods to counter unfavorable Watergate coverage, specifically regarding John Dean's upcoming testimony and immunity. They reviewed the importance of cultivating support among key congressional allies and influential columnists to defend the administration's record. Furthermore, the two explored ways to highlight the President's foreign policy achievements, particularly regarding Vietnam, to shift public focus away from the ongoing domestic scandals.
President Nixon requested that the White House operator place a call to Howard Clark, the president of Procter & Gamble, at his office in Cincinnati. The brief exchange served as a logistical coordination to initiate this external communication. No further policy matters or significant developments occurred during this brief request.
President Nixon held a brief, five-minute meeting with an unidentified individual in the Oval Office. Although the transcript remains officially undefined, the meeting coincided with a scheduled discussion involving Roy L. Ash regarding matters on Capitol Hill. No substantive details or policy decisions were recorded during this brief encounter.
President Nixon met with his personal aide, Manolo Sanchez, to facilitate a brief coordination of logistics regarding a phone call from Charles G. “Bebe” Rebozo. The discussion touched upon Rebozo’s current location in New York and his upcoming travel plans to Florida. No major policy decisions were made during this short administrative check-in.
President Nixon consulted with an unidentified staff member regarding adjustments to his daily schedule. The discussion focused on coordinating appointments with Roy L. Ash and the White House barber. The participants concluded the exchange by deferring the finalization of the President’s itinerary until the following day.
President Nixon met with Roy L. Ash to strategize a response to ongoing national economic difficulties, specifically discussing the potential implementation of a 45-to-60-day price freeze. The participants emphasized the need to "condition" public opinion and regain control of the economic narrative, noting that while a freeze may be poor economic policy, it serves as a necessary political tool to stop Congress from imposing more restrictive measures. Additionally, Nixon and Ash briefly discussed the political fallout of the Watergate scandal and the President's approach to managing congressional relations amid upcoming veto battles.
President Nixon held a brief, two-minute meeting in the Oval Office with General Brent Scowcroft and an unidentified individual. The discussion, characterized by ambiguous remarks regarding a lack of a "storefront," remains largely unintelligible due to the brevity and indistinct nature of the recording. No definitive policy decisions or significant administrative actions were captured during this exchange.
President Nixon and General Brent Scowcroft met to discuss the status of stalled Vietnam peace negotiations, specifically focusing on Henry Kissinger’s ongoing efforts in Paris to finalize a communiqué. The conversation centered on South Vietnam’s refusal to accept proposed language regarding elections and territorial zones of control, which the President viewed as minor procedural hurdles. Nixon and Scowcroft expressed deep concern that a failure to reach an agreement would alienate Congress and accelerate U.S. isolationism, potentially jeopardizing the long-term survival of the South Vietnamese government.
President Nixon initiates a brief communication via the White House operator to facilitate an additional telephone call. The exchange serves primarily as a logistical step to connect the President with another party, as indicated by the instruction to start at the beginning of the line. No substantive policy matters or political strategies are discussed during this brief administrative interaction.
President Nixon held a brief, private meeting with an unidentified male visitor in the Oval Office. The limited transcript does not reveal the substance of the discussion, containing only brief logistical exchanges regarding the guest's departure. No policy decisions, political strategies, or significant actions were recorded during this interaction.
President Nixon and J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr. discuss the ongoing Watergate investigation and the public perception of the administration's involvement. The two men review the political implications of the case, expressing frustration over public sentiment and the perceived bias of investigators, while emphasizing the need to frame their own narrative. Nixon explicitly rejects any possibility of delaying the proceedings, insisting that the administration must maintain a posture of transparency and innocence regarding the scandal.
President Nixon met with Alexander M. Haig, Jr. to coordinate White House strategy regarding ongoing economic policy, administrative personnel appointments, and the unfolding Watergate investigation. The discussion focused on managing the upcoming testimony of John W. Dean, III before the Ervin Committee and preparing a public relations response that would emphasize presidential leadership and reinforce denials of culpability. Additionally, Nixon and Haig evaluated potential presidential vetoes of Congressional spending bills and discussed utilizing radio addresses to communicate directly with the public on economic concerns.
An unidentified tour guide or staff member conducts a walkthrough of the Oval Office, describing the space to visitors. The dialogue focuses on the room's significance as the seat of government, highlighting its use for press conferences, televised speeches, and the display of service flags to denote the President's role as Commander-in-Chief. The participants also briefly discuss the President's movements between the Oval Office and the Executive Office Building and note the presence of press photographers.