39–16

Conversation No. 39-16

Date: May 25, 1973
Time: 12:58 am - 1:25 am
Location: White House Telephone


The White House operator talked with Tricia Nixon Cox. The President and unknown persons
can be heard in the background.

Incoming telephone call from Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

Tricia Nixon Cox conferred with the President at an unknown time.

[Begin conferral]

Paul W. Keyes

Incoming call

[End conferral]

The President talked with Alexander M. Haig, Jr. Tricia Nixon Cox and unknown persons can
be heard in the background.

Former prisoners of war [POWs] dinner

-Haig’s assessment

-Press reaction

-Ronald L. Ziegler

-Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon Eisenhower

-President’s activities

-POWs’ reaction

-December 1972 bombing

-Haig’s conversations with POWs

-Press reaction

-Demonstrations

-Henry A. Kissinger’s reaction

 -13-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. February-2011)

Conversation No. 39-16 (cont’d)

Watergate
-White House reaction

-Kissinger

-President’s possible response

-Effect on foreign policy

POW dinner
-Statements by James (“Jimmy”) Stewart and John Wayne
-Haig’s reaction

Watergate
-Goal of President’s opponents
-President’s conversation with Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon
Eisenhower
-Democrats
-Impact on Republican Party, President
-White House response
-President’s speech, May 24

-Compared with Kissinger

-Content

-New York Times and Washington Post

-Contrasted with popular opinion


POW dinner
-POWs’ reaction
-President’s activities
-Meetings with wives

-Black women’s response

-Female reporters’ reaction

-Helen A. Thomas

-Press reaction


Watergate
-White House response
-President’s possible resignation

-Political landscape

-Effect on President

-Public support for President

 -14-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. February-2011)

Conversation No. 39-16 (cont’d)

-POWs

-White Paper [Statements about Watergate, May 22, 1973]

-Effect on stock market

-Wall Street Journal

-Television [TV] coverage

-Effect on President

-J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr.’s stories

-John W. Dean, III’s possible statements

-Elliot L. Richardson characterized

-Richardson

-Meeting with Haig

-Cabinet

-Rogers C. B. Morton

-Suicide of William O. Mills

-Congressional response

-Hugh Scott

-Haig’s conversation with Leslie C. Arends

-Meeting of Republicans, May 23
-Kissinger

-President’s assessment

-Forthcoming press briefing, May 29

-White House response

-President’s speech, May 24

-Press response

-Daniel Ellsberg


POW dinner
-TV coverage

-Keyes’s efforts

-Compared with Ellsberg trial

-Gen. John P. Flynn, James (“Jimmy”) Stewart, and Vic Damone

-Afternoon reception

-Women

-December bombing

-President’s speech

-Reaction of POWs and families

-Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon

-Afternoon reception

 -15-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. February-2011)

Conversation No. 39-16 (cont’d)

-Women

-President’s speech

-Patriotism


Watergate
-Archibald Cox
-Possible actions
-White House response

-Ronald L. Ziegler

-Press

-Kissinger’s comments to Jerrold L. Schecter

-President’s opponents’ goals


POW dinner
-Patricia Haig’s reaction
-President’s activities
-Reaction of POWs and families

Watergate
-Public reaction

-Contrasted with Washington, DC climate

-Haig’s family’s view

-Contrasted with New York Times

-Effect on administration

-Soviet summit

-Confidence in President

-Wall Street
-Cabinet

-George P. Shultz

-Claude S. Brinegar

-Earl L. Butz and Morton

-Dr. James R. Schlesinger

-Richardson

-Motives

-Possible actions

-Cox

-Haig’s assessment

-Possible trials

 -16-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. February-2011)

Conversation No. 39-16 (cont’d)

-President’s accomplishments

Haig’s schedule

-Florida


President’s schedule

-President’s family


Watergate

-Effect on President

-Possible resignation
-Spiro T. Agnew
-Effect on nation
-President’s opponents’ goals
-Democratic control of Congress
-White House response
-President’s foreign policy activities
-Meeting with Georges J. R. Pompidou in Iceland
-Soviet summit
-Vietnam
-Dean

-Possible statement

-White House response


POW dinner

-Press reaction

-Betty Beale


The President conferred with Julie Nixon Eisenhower at an unknown time.

[Begin conferral]


*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

Julie Nixon Eisenhower’s schedule

-Telephone call to [Dwight] David Eisenhower, II

 -17-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. February-2011)

Conversation No. 39-16 (cont’d)


[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************


[End conferral]

Watergate

-White House response


POWs
-Support

-Blacks, Puerto Ricans

-Enlisted men

-Flynn

Watergate

-White House response

-Cabinet


President’s schedule

-Cabinet


POW dinner

-President’s activities

-Response

-President’s speech, May 24

-Press coverage
-Washington Post
-TV coverage
-Compared with President’s Norfolk speech
-Delivery
-Compared with afternoon reception
 -18-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. February-2011)