"How much money is involved?"

Photo: Library of Congress

This conversation illustrates how difficult Watergate was to understand, even for the people orchestrating the cover-up. The recording captured President Richard M. Nixon wondering once again why the break-in at the Democratic national headquarters had occurred. Although he personally had called for a political intelligence-gathering operation to aid his reelection, he could only wonder why the illegal aspects of it were run out of his own reelection committee. Moreover, neither he nor White House chief of staff H. R. “Bob” Haldeman knew where several hundred thousand dollars in campaign contributions had gone.

Date: 1972-08-01
Time: 10:33-11:50
Participants: Richard M. Nixon, H. R. "Bob" Haldeman
Location: Oval Office
Tape: 758-011 B

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(President Nixon): It's just [Jeb S.] Magruder's a guy who [ unclear]. He's a decent fellow. [John B.] Connally [Jr.] apparently asked Magruder . . . just couldn't possibly be . . .

He [Magruder] thinks [Hugh W.] Sloan [Jr.] pocketed the money?

(H. R. "Bob" Haldeman): He can't understand where it all went. There's something confusing apparently to Jeb. [ Clears throat.]

(President Nixon): How much money is involved? Is it a lot?

(Haldeman): A couple hundred thousand [dollars]. It's two or three hundred thousand.

(President Nixon): Well, then [ unclear] I think somebody stole it, too.

(Haldeman): Well, it wasn't just for this operation. It was for other stuff.

(President Nixon): Oh, I see, that whole . . . I see. [ Pause.] And we're continuing to get information from other sources, I suppose.

(Haldeman): For some.

(President Nixon): Huh?

(Haldeman): Some.

(President Nixon): Not much. That was a very bad place to have it, Bob.

(Haldeman): [ Unclear.]

(President Nixon): To have that sort of operating in the Committee [to Re-Elect the President].

(Haldeman): It was absurd. Except this was something John [N. Mitchell] was after, apparently.

(President Nixon): Mitchell? That's what I think.

(Haldeman): On the finance thing.

(President Nixon): Yeah, the idea of getting their contributors.

(Haldeman): Well, he had some [ unclear] on who it was or where it was coming from or something. He thought he had something. There probably is something on the [ unclear] [ President Nixon attempts to interject] money sources business or something.

(President Nixon): Yeah.