435–23

Conversation No. 435-23

Date: May 15, 1973
Time: 1:38 pm-2:45 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

Press relations

-Ziegler’s press briefings

-Watergate
-White House investigation
-President’s statement, August 1972
-John W. Dean, III
-Statements by Samuel J. Ervin, Jr. and Howard H. Baker, Jr.
-Ziegler’s conversation with Robert H. Abplanalp

-Frank DeMarco, Jr.

-Possible press conference
-Television [TV]
-Possible commentary that President’s hiding

Watergate

-Ziegler’s previous press briefing

-William D. Ruckelshaus

-Files

-Daniel Ellsberg break-in

-William M. Byrne, Jr.

-Tone


Press relations

-Ziegler’s press briefings

-Symbolism
-Herbert G. Klein
-Ziegler’s forthcoming conversation with John B. Connally
-Openness by White House
 -12-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-23 (cont’d)

-Ziegler’s handling of press briefings

-Dean

-Grand jury’s actions

-President’s appearance

-Ziegler’s handling of press briefings

-John D. Ehrlichman

-Patrick J. Buchanan

-Raymond K. Price, Jr.

-David R. Gergen

-Gerald L. Warren

-Frequency of press briefings

-Ziegler, Warren

-Press criticism

-Ziegler’s dismissal

-Henry A. Kissinger

-Seymour M. Hersch’s story
-James B. (“Scotty”) Reston
-Wiretaps
-Political motivations
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

-Connally’s possible view

-Frequency and handling of press briefings

-Warren

-Cabinet officers

-Watergate questions

-Warren

-Tone

-President, Ziegler


Watergate
-Documents

-Ehrlichman, President, and William H. Sullivan

-President’s knowledge

-Sullivan
-Wiretap [?]

-Presidential appointments

-Haig’s view

 -13-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-23 (cont’d)

-Disappointment
-Ruckelshaus
-Judgment
-Loyalty
-Sullivan

-Elliot L. Richardson

-Ziegler’s views

-Richardson

-Challenge to Ziegler

-Disappointment

-Richardson, Ruckelshaus

-Independent prosecutor

-Richardson

-Criticism

-White House recommendations

-White House cooperation

-Ruckelshaus’s criticism

-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]

-Sullivan

Press briefing
-President’s home

-Statement

-Nixon Foundation

-Trust
-Abplanalp and Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo

-DeMarco

-Relationship

-Government contracts

-Business ownership

-Securities and Exchange Commission [SEC]
-Auditing
-Private trust
-Difficulties

-Tone

-News

-Previous focus on President’s involvement
 -14-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-23 (cont’d)

-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] and FBI stories

-Ziegler’s handling


Watergate
-Dean
-Documents
-Ziegler’s conversation with Haig
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-FBI

-Egil (“Bud”) Krogh operation

-J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr.

-Lyndon B. Johnson’s wiretaps

-J. Edgar Hoover

-United States Secret Service [USSS]

-Wiretaps

-Ehrlichman’s comments

-E. Howard Hunt, Jr.’s files [?]

-President’s involvement

-Haldeman, Ehrlichman

-Public impressions

-Sullivan

-Hunt, G[eorge] Gordon Liddy, and Charles W. Colson

-Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Concerns

-FBI

-Lt. Gen. Vernon A. Walters

-CIA
-Presidential files

-Public impressions

-Executive privilege

-Documents and conversations
-Haldeman’s and Ehrlichman’s meeting with Walters

-CIA involvement

-President’s conversation with Henry E. Petersen

-Liddy’s pictures

-Justice Department

-Ellsberg break-in
 -15-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-23 (cont’d)

-Ehrlichman and Dean
-Krogh
-Dean
-Meeting with President, March 21
-Guilt
-Jeb Stuart Magruder and John N. Mitchell
-Haldeman, Erhlichman

-Indictments

-Convictions

-President’s conversation with Petersen, May 15
-Press briefings
-Frequency and brevity
-Topics
-Ervin Committee
-Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Dean
-Animosity
-Lawrence M. Higby
-President
-Ehrlichman
-Haldeman
-Ehrlichman
-Interview in Washington Star
-Presidency
-Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Beliefs regarding role in Watergate

Refreshment

President’s schedule

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time afer 1:38 pm.

Refreshment

-Dubonnet


Sanchez left at an unknown time before 2:10 pm.
 -16-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-23 (cont’d)


Watergate

-Haig

-Buzhardt


Congressional relations

-President’s previous meeting with Congressional leaders

-Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield [?]


Watergate
-Attitude toward President

-Mansfield

-Carl B. Albert

-W[illiam] Stuart Symington

-Dean

-Possible motives

-Documents in possession


The President left at an unknown time before 2:10 pm.

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 1:38 pm.

Press button [?]

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 2:10 pm.

The President entered at an unknown time after 1:38 pm.

Watergate

-Buzhardt

-James W. McCord, Jr., Hunt, and Dean

-Effect on President

The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 1:38 pm and
2:10 pm.


[Conversation No. 435-23A]

 -17-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-23 (cont’d)


[Begin telephone conversation]

[See Conversation No. 46-56]

[End telephone conversation]

Watergate

-Samuel Dash’s conversation with Garment

-Press


The President talked with Alexander M. Haig, Jr. between 2:10 pm and 2:15 pm.

[Conversation No. 435-23B]

[Begin telephone conversation]

[See Conversation No. 46-57]

[End telephone conversation]

Watergate

-President’ previous conversation with Haig

-Ehrlichman’s notes

-Clark MacGregor

-L[ouis] Patrick Gray

-Conversation with President

-President’s reaction to break-in

-CIA

-Magruder

-Haldeman and Ehrlichman

-Colson

-Ziegler’s reaction to break-in

-Magruder

-Mitchell

-Possible testimony regarding President’s role
-Buzhardt
 -18-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-23 (cont’d)

-Conflicts

-Magruder, McCord, Mitchell, Dean, Ehrlichman

-Walters and Richard M. Helms

-Colson
-Statement to President
-Veracity
-Role in White House
-New Majority
-MacGregor’s visit to San Clemente in summer 1972
-President’s and Ziegler’s recollections of meeting
-Dennis Haliday [?]
-Concern
-Committee to Re-elect the President [CRP] [?]
-Possible statement by President
-Walters
-Conversation with Haig
-Testimony
-Memoranda of conversations [memcons]
-Conversation with Haldeman, Ehrlichman
-Classified information
-White House
-Colson, Dean
-CIA
-Ehrlichman, Haldeman, Colson, and Mitchell
-Contrasted with Dean

-Washington Star interview

-Ehrlichman

-Walters
-Release of documents
-Executive privilege
-Answer to possible press questions

-Haig

-Classified information

-Helms and Walters
-Executive privilege
-Public statements
-Ziegler
 -19-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-23 (cont’d)

-President

-Gray [?]

-Haldeman

-President

-Address at Republican fundraising event

-Haldeman, Mitchell


Press relations
-Ziegler’s forthcoming briefings
-“Under siege”
-President’s schedule

-Camp David

-Conversation with Stephen B. Bull


Watergate
-Possible statement by President, summer 1972
-MacGregor

-Haig

-San Clemente [?]

-MacGregor’s role

-Magruder

-Frederick C. LaRue

-White House cooperation in investigation

-Magruder

-Mitchell and Dean

-Mitchell

-Motives of participants

-1972 presidential campaign

-Press

-Duration

-Indictments

-Possible comment by President

-Format
-Content

-Perceptions of embarrassment

-Television [TV]

-Harassment

 -20-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-23 (cont’d)

-Compared to Vietnam, bombing
-Questions

-Indictments

-Timing

-Haig

-MacGregor

-Gray

-Hijack
-FBI investigation of break-in

-Press conference

-Grand jury

-MacGregor


Ziegler left at 2:45 pm.