439–36

Conversation No. 439-36

Date: May 23, 1973
Time: 1:43 pm - 2:15 pm
Location: Old Executive Office Building

President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

Ziegler’s press briefing

-Length

-Thomas Hart’s opinion


Refreshment

Watergate

-Ziegler’s previous press briefing

-National security

-Hugh Scott

-Statement
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
-Domestic intelligence

-Ziegler’s previous press briefing

-CIA

-President’s knowledge of Watergate involvement
-John W. Dean III
-Timing
-Lt. Gen. Vernon A. Walters’ memorandum of conversation [memcons]
-John J. (“Jack”) Caulfield
-Scott’s statement
-Ziegler’s previous press briefing
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Spiro T. Agnew’s statement
-John B. Anderson’s statement
-Egil (“Bud”) Krogh, Jr.
-President’s knowledge of Daniel Ellsberg break-in
 -27-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. August-2011)

Conversation 439-36 (cont’d)

-Leonard Garment
-Press briefing, May 24

-Ziegler

-Gerald L. Warren

-Ziegler’s previous press briefing

President’s schedule
-Possible press conference

-Timing

-Location


Watergate
-Caulfield’s scheduled testimony before the Senate, May 23
-Scott’s statement, May 23

Press relations
-Gerald R. Ford’s statement, May 23
-Congressional votes
-House of Representatives
-President’s veto
-Senate
-Presidential leadership

-Question to Scott and Ford

-President’s possible resignation

-Courtney Sheldon [?]

-Liberalism

-President’s possible resignation

-Discussion by determining body

-Ziegler’s press briefing, May 22

-Press attitude toward President

-Prisoners of War [POW] Day

-George H. W. Bush’s conversation with Martin J. Schram

-Press attitude toward President

-Hostility

-Attitude toward President

-Compared with attitude toward the statement

-White House response

 -28-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. August-2011)

Conversation 439-36 (cont’d)

-Effectiveness of President’s press conferences
-Anger of press

-President’s response

-White House press corps

-Ziegler’s impression of support

-President’s possible press conference

-Timing


Kissinger’s possible press briefing
-Paris peace talks
-Ziegler’s conversation with Haig
-Content
-National security

Watergate
-White House response
-National security
-George H. W. Bush’s view
-Ziegler’s previous press briefing
-Ziegler’s previous press briefing

-Wiretaps on newsmen

-Confidentiality in foreign affairs

-United States-Soviet negotiations, Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
[SALT], Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction [MBFR] and Vietnam
War
-White House response

-Domestic intelligence

-Scott

-Ellsberg case


Possible declassification
-Bay of Pigs
-Ngo Dinh Diem’s death

Press briefing, May 24
-Length
-POW Day
 -29-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. August-2011)

Conversation 439-36 (cont’d)


President’s schedule
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower’s recommendation on Florida
-Camp David

Watergate
-White House response
-Ervin Committee hearings
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Dean

-Possible immunity

-Conversation with President regarding activities

-Caulfield
-Clemency

-Role of Haldeman and Ehrlichman

-Charles W. Colson

-White House response

-Public mood


President’s schedule
-Trip to Iceland

Watergate
-Ervin Committee

-Schedule

-Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.

-Appointment
-$65,000 in campaign funds
-Haldeman

Press relations
-Briefings

President’s schedule
-POW Day
-Meeting with State Whips
-Blair House
 -30-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. August-2011)

Conversation 439-36 (cont’d)

-White House
-Press coverage

Haig

Ziegler left at 2:15 pm.