436–5

Conversation No. 436-5

Date: May 14, 1973
Time: 1:25 pm - 2:05 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

Watergate
-Ziegler’s previous press briefing on Watergate

-Earl L. Butz’s statement about Sam J. Ervin, Jr.

-Ervin Committee procedures

-Grand jury investigation

-Effect on witnesses

-John W. Dean, III


An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 1:25 pm.

Refreshment

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 2:05 pm.

-Ziegler’s previous press briefing

-President’s speech on Watergate, April, 30

-Dean

-J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr. and Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-President’s statement, August 29, 1972
-Henry A. Kissinger’s activities
-Le Duc Tho
-Press interest
-Motives
-Focus on Watergate
-Public view of President’s role

An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 1:25 pm.
 -5-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. May-2012)

Conversation No. 436-5 (cont’d)

Refreshment

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 2:05 pm.

Watergate

-William D. Ruckelshaus

-Ziegler’s previous press briefing

-Leaks and national security

-1969-1971

-Declassification of documents
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman, Ehrlichman and Kissinger
-Ngo Dinh Diem
-Bay of Pigs
-Haig
-Guidelines
-Diem’s death
-President’s belief
-US Army
-Books
-Henry Fairlie’s The Kennedy Promise, Malcolm E. Smith’s John F.
Kennedy’s Thirteen Great Mistakes in the White House
-President’s conversation with Haig

-Ruckelshaus

-Records of wiretaps
-John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B Johnson
-Disposition
-Self-preservation
-Wiretaps
-Kennedy and Johnson
-Kennedy’s actions during steel price crisis
-Possible leak by White House
-Kenneth W. Clawson
-William Baroody, Jr
-President’s assessment
-Access
-President’s statement in news conference
-Federal Bureau of Investigation’s [FBI] records
 -6-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2012)

Conversation No. 436-5 (cont’d)

-Kennedy and Johnson

Watergate
-Ziegler’s forthcoming press briefing
-FBI files at the White House
-President’s knowledge
-J. Edgar Hoover
-Possible threats
-William C. Sullivan
-White House cooperation in search for files
-Ehrlichman
-Kissinger
-Role in wiretapping to find source of national security leaks
-Wiretaps
-President’s knowledge
-Danger of leaks to Vietnam War and Strategic Arms Limitation
Talks [SALT] negotiations

-Kissinger’s role

-FBI records

-Kennedy and Johnson
-Ruckelshaus

-Press relations

-Wiretaps

-Possible White House leak to release story
-Hoover

-Johnson and Kennedy

-Dwight D. Eisenhower

-Ruckelshaus

-White House cooperation

-Legality of wiretaps

-Wiretaps

-John N. Mitchell’s statement

-Richard G. Kleindienst’s statement

-Mitchell’s role

-Files from Johnson and Kennedy

-Possible White House leak
-Ziegler, Patrick J. Buchanan
 -7-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. May-2012)

Conversation No. 436-5 (cont’d)

-Effect on Ruckelshaus

-Declassification

-Diem

-Ziegler’s forthcoming press briefing

-White House files on wiretaps
-Mitchell’s opinion of Hoover
-Sullivan
-Hoover
-Robert C. Mardian
-Erlichman

-Dean

-Possible attacks

-Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III

Watergate

-Ziegler’s previous press briefing

-Gray

-FBI files

-Haig

-Ruckelshaus


The President talked with Haig at an unknown time between 1:25 pm and 2:05 pm.

[Conversation No. 436-5A]

[Begin telephone conversation]

Watergate
-FBI files
-Wiretaps during Kennedy and Johnson administrations
-Ruckelshaus
-Location
-President’s conversation with Ziegler
-Daniel Ellsberg

[End telephone conversation]
 -8-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2012)

Conversation No. 436-5 (cont’d)


Watergate
-President’s previous conversation
-Letter to Hoover
-Egil (“Bud”) Krogh and Plumbers
-Washington Star story
-President’s letter to Hoover concerning Krogh
-Pentagon Papers investigation
-President’s knowledge

-Plumbers

-Ellsberg burglary

-Krogh

-Ziegler’s previous press briefing

-Krogh

-President’s knowledge

-Haig

-Buzhardt

-Role in White House

-Contrasted with Haldeman’s role

-Krogh

-President’s orders

-White House strategy

-Contrasted with actions

-Location of FBI files

-Ziegler’s forthcoming press briefing

-Ruckelshaus

-President’s knowledge and activities

-Wiretaps
-Leaks

-Haldeman, Ehrlichman

-Pentagon Papers

-SALT

-National Security Study Memoranda [NSSMs]
 -9-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. May-2012)

Conversation No. 436-5 (cont’d)

*****************************************************************


BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

[National security]

[Duration: 12 s ]



INDIA-PAKISTAN


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

*****************************************************************


Watergate
-White House roles

-Kissinger

-Haig

-Buzhardt’s role

-Leonard Garment

-Dean’s documents

-News summary
-President’s annotated note for Dean
-President’s conversation with Lawrence M. Higby
-President’s handling of news summary action items
-Haldeman, Ehrlichman and Krogh
-Possible memorandum from President
-White House strategy
-President’s schedule
-White House files on wiretaps

-Ehrlichman’s departure from staff

-Mitchell’s statement

-Haig and Buzhardt

-White House strategy

Ziegler’s forthcoming conversation with Raymond K. Price, Jr.
 -10-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. May-2012)

Conversation No. 436-5 (cont’d)

-President’s schedule

-Nelson A. Rockefeller


Ziegler left at 2:05 pm.