President Nixon: : I think you need a team. This is a big job. But you need a commander of the team, and—
H. R. "Bob" Haldeman: : Well, this—
President Nixon: : Maybe—
Haldeman: : —[Richard V. "Dick"] Allen's point.
President Nixon: : Maybe—Incidentally, Allen should not be the commander, should he? All right. But shouldn't [Charles W. "Chuck"] Colson be, when you come down to it, Bob? Is this—are we—
Haldeman: : Probably.
President Nixon: : Are we putting too much of a load? What is—
Haldeman: : Well, it's structured so he can get—
President Nixon: : He's got a lot of people working for him, hasn't he?
Haldeman: : Yeah. And he's got good people that he's, you know, that—
President Nixon: : His instincts are particularly good. [Pause.]
Haldeman: : All right.
President Nixon: : I think we ought to consider this fellow. I think we ought to pull him over here. You know, on temporary duty for the purpose of working on this.
Haldeman: : Well, the beauty of this type of CIA guy is that—
President Nixon: : USIA.
Haldeman: : Oh, you're talking about this guy now?
President Nixon: : Well, either one of them.
Haldeman: : OK.
President Nixon: : Both sound good.
Haldeman: : The CIA guy, the fact that he's working outside, we can just hire him as a consultant.
President Nixon: : Yeah. Right.
Haldeman: : There's some merit to getting a guy from outside.
President Nixon: : Right. Good. Fine.
Haldeman: : If he knows his way around here.
President Nixon: : Good.
Haldeman: : We can get this guy, too.
President Nixon: : This guy, just get him. [Francis J. "Frank"] Shakespeare can bring him over.
Haldeman: : Just have him assigned here.
President Nixon: : I like the idea of a young bearcat who thinks there is a conspiracy. I'd put him on the conspiracy side, with the CIA guy, you know, [on the] declassification side.