915–12

Conversation No. 915-12

Date: May 10, 1973
Time: 11:21 am - 12:05 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

Nixon Foundation
-Employment of Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman
-Considerations on access and retention of security clearances
-Value to Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Possible grand jury actions
-Timing
 -19-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2012)

Conversation No. 915-12 (cont’d)

-Leonard K. Firestone and Taft Schreiber

-Roy L. Ash


Maurice H. Stans
-Committee to Re-Elect the President [CRP] Finance Committee funds for
defendants’ legal fees

-Republican National Committee [RNC] employees

-White House staff

-Gordon C. Strachan and Lawrence M. Higby

-Possible transfer to RNC

-George H. W. Bush

-Strachan


Watergate
-Samuel J. Ervin, Jr.
-Ervin Committee hearings
-Effect on rights of possible defendants

-News coverage

-John Chancellor

-Ervin Committee hearings

-Comparison of forum with court setting
-Kenneth Clawson
-President’s meeting with Haldeman and John W. Dean, III, September 15, 1972
-Recollection and Haldeman’s notes

-President’s log

-Dean’s request for information

-David C. Hoopes’s response

-Meetings, August 14, 1972 and February 1973
-Haldeman’s log
-President’s recollection
-New York Times story

-Dean’s evidence

-Documents in safe deposit box

-Seymour M. Hersh

-E. Howart Hunt, Jr.

-President’s meeting with Haldeman and Dean, March 21, 1973

-Executive privilege

 -20-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2012)

Conversation No. 915-12 (cont’d)

-Haldeman’s possible testimony

-President’s motives

-James W. McCord, Jr.

-Richard A. Moore

-Dean’s presentation

-$350,000

-Blackmail

-Hunt’s alleged threat regarding Ehrlichman
-President’s response
-President’s methodology
-Dean’s conversation with John N. Mitchell
-Thomas A. Pappas
-Dean as focus of problem
-President’s order for meeting among Dean, Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and
Mitchell
-Meeting among Dean, Mitchell, Haldeman and Ehrlichman, May 22
-Dean’s desire for immunity
-Erlichman’s and Kalmbach
-Haldeman and $350,000
-CRP
-President’s statements regarding funds for defendants
-William O. Bittman
-President’s statements regarding clemency
-Blackmail
-Dean

-Relationship with prosecutors

-Jack N. Anderson

-President’s meeting with Dean and Haldeman, September 15, 1972
-Logs of the President’s daily schedule

-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

-Dean’s possible actions

-Haldeman’s notes
-Ervin Committee hearings

-Special Prosecutor

-Effect on defendants’ rights


White House staff
 -21-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2012)

Conversation No. 915-12 (cont’d)

-President’s conversation with Haldeman, May 9, 1973

-President’s needs

-Reassurance

-Advisor


President’s previous meeting with Gerald R. Ford, Hugh Scott, Robert P Griffin, and
Leslie C. Arends
-President’s speech, May 9
-Senatorial reaction to Watergate
-Griffin
-William Proxmire
-Barry M. Goldwater
-Republicans’s performance
-Lack of counterattaci

Watergate
-Washington Post column regarding television [TV] news stakeout of Haldeman,
May 16
-Ehrlichman and Haldeman
-President’s meeting with Haig, May 9
-Leonard Garment, [Horace] Chapman (“Chappie”) Rose and J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr.
-Haldeman’s notes
-Statement by Haldeman’s lawyer
-Haldeman’s lawyers’ meeting with Garment
-Executive privilege
-John W. Wilson
-Compared to Joseph McCarthy
-Haldeman’s notes
-Dean’s call to Haldeman, March 26
-Dean
-Actions
-President’s response

Haig
-Role on White House staff
-Haldeman’s experience as Chief of Staff
 -22-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. May-2012)

Conversation No. 915-12 (cont’d)

Congress
-Program
-Republican leaders
-William E. Timmons
-Work ethic enthusiasm

President’s speech, May 9
-Crowd’s reaction

-Lobbyist

-Duty to supporters


Watergate
-Dean’s possible testimony
-Meeting on September 15, 1972
-Alleged bribe to Cubans
-President’s possible response

-Haldeman’s memory

-Ehrlichman

-Testimony in Robert L. Vesco case

-Dean

-Frank Strickler

-Egil (“Bud”) Krogh, Jr.
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] allegations regarding Hunt
-Letter from Robert Cushman
-Krogh
-Memorandum from Cushman
-Popular opinion

-CIA

-Break-ins and bugging

-Watergate and Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office
-Cover-up

-Haldeman’s role

-Obstruction of justice

-Recognition as legal problem

-Haldeman’s working relationship with Dean

 -23-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. May-2012)

Conversation No. 915-12 (cont’d)

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Watergate
-Haldeman’s working relationship with Dean
-Haldeman’s intent regarding funds for defendants
-Dean’s role as lawyer
-Failure to point out illegalities
-Instructions
-Haldeman
-Gordon C. Strachan
-Wilson
-Haldeman’s intent
-Ronald L. Ziegler’s public statements
-Clearance with Dean
-Dean
-Possible counterattack by Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-John B. Connally
-Haldeman’s morning routine
-Contrasted with Garment
-Media

-New York Times story, May 10

-John W. Chancellor’s comment

-Teapot Dome scandal
-Motive
-President’s possible departure from office
-Spiro T. Agnew
-Effect on American political system
-President’s possible response to impeachment
 -24-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. May-2012)

Conversation No. 915-12 (cont’d)

-Bella S. Abzug

-Paul N. McCloskey, Jr.

-President’s meeting with Dean and Haldeman, 9/15/72


Haldeman left at 12:05 pm.