Secret White House Tapes

435-040b

About this recording

435-040b
  • President Richard M. Nixon
  • J. Fred. Buzhardt
  • Manolo Sanchez
  • White House operator
May 14, 1973
Conversation No. 435-40

Date: May 15, 1973
Time: 5:21 pm-6:45 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr.

President’s election reform speech

Watergate
-Intensity
-Public interest
-Ervin Committee

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 5:21 pm.

Refreshment

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 5:45 pm.

President’s conversation with Alexander M. Haig, Jr., May 14
-29-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-40 (cont’d)

President’s record

-White House staff [?]


Ronald L. Ziegler

-Previous conversation with President

-Need for help with press briefings


Watergate

-Presidential papers

-Lt. Gen. Vernon A. Walters memorandum

-Ziegler [?]
-Possible White House staff testimony
-John W. Dean, III’s documents
-R. H. Shepherd
-Availability of copies to White House
-Committee to Re-elect President [CRP]
-Contents
-National security


*****************************************************************


BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

[National security]

[Duration: 56 s ]



INTELLIGENCE


END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

*****************************************************************


Watergate

-Dean’s documents

-30-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-40 (cont’d)

-Hunt’s activities
-White House response

-FBI

-Hunt, Liddy

-President’s obligation to national security information
-Wiretapping

-Legality

-Compared to Lyndon B. Johnson

-Omnibus Crime Act of June 1972
-Leaks
-President’s orders regarding leaks

-John D. Ehrlichman and Egil (“Bud”) Krogh

-Joseph C. Kraft

-Buzhardt’s conversation with Ehrlichman
-President’s conversation with Ehrlichman
-Possible wiretaps by E. Howard Hunt, Jr. and G[eorge] Gordon
Liddy

-Plumbers operation

-Legality of wiretaps

-Army Signal Corps

-Daniel Ellsberg

-Pentagon Papers
-Hero status
-Pulitzer Prize to New York Times
-Effect on foreign policy
-Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
-White House activities after June 1972
-National security
-Authority to order wiretaps

-President

-Court order

-Congress

-Secretary of Defense

-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]

-Secretary of State

-Attorney General

-President

-31-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-40 (cont’d)

-Henry Brandon
-Possible White House statement
-Justification for wiretaps
-Disassociation from Watergate break-in
-Hunt and Liddy
-Hunt’s and Liddy’s activities
-James W. McCord, Jr.
-Donald H. Segretti
-Watergate break-in
-Cuban nationals operation “cover”

-CIA

-Hush money [?]

-Charles W. Colson

-Witness list for Ervin Committee
-Colson, Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Dean
-Possible immunity for Dean
-Witness list for Ervin Committee
-Possible testimony

-Committee to Re-elect President [CRP]

-Liddy’s secretary

-Colson

-McCord

-Book

-John B. Connally [?]

-President’s conversation with John B. Connally

-McCord, Hunt

-McCord

-Book

-Colson, Haldeman, and Ehrlichman

-Executive privilege

-Dean

-John N. Mitchell

-Jeb Stuart Magruder

-Colson, Gordon C. Strachan, Haldeman, and Ehrlichman

-Possible testimony

-Executive privilege

-John J. Wilson

-32-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-40 (cont’d)

-Possible White House strategies
-Dean’s documents

Buzhardt talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 5:21 pm and 5:45
pm.

[Conversation No. 435-40A]

[Begin telephone conversation]

[See Conversation No. 46-67]

[End telephone conversation]

Telephone service


Watergate

-Ervin Committee

-Legal research

-Possible assertion of executive privilege

-$350,000

-Haldeman’s role

-Ehrlichman’s conversation with Richard G. Kleindienst

Buzhardt talked with Doug Parker between an unknown time after 5:21 pm and 5:45 pm.

[Conversation No. 435-40B]

[Begin telephone conversation]

[See Conversation No. 46-68]

Buzhardt conferred with the President during the conversation.

[Begin conferral]

Buzhardt’s location
-33-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-40 (cont’d)

-Executive Office Building [EOB]

[End conferral]

[End telephone conversation]

Watergate
-Dean’s documents
-Amount of material in inches
-Length of a particular document
-Pages
-Possible content
-Authorship
-Camp David
-Dean’s attorney

-Partisanship

-Democrat

-Motives


President’s schedule

-Prisoners of War [POW] dinner

-Meeting with George J. R. Pompidou

-POW dinner

-Soviet summit

-Domestic issues

-Wage and price freeze
-George P. Shultz

Controversial uses of Presidential power

-Impoundment of funds

-Vetoes

-Congress


Watergate
-Grand jury
-President’s conversation with Henry E. Petersen
-34-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-40 (cont’d)


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

Smoking

-Ashtray

-Relaxation


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


Watergate

-Grand jury

-Possible indictments
-Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Colson
-John J. Sirica
-Possible effect on Ervin Committee hearings
-Samuel J. Ervin, Jr.’s comments
-“Facts for American people”
-Ervin Committee members

-Herman E. Talmadge

-Ervin

-Howard H. Baker, Jr.

-Edward J. Gurney


President’s San Clemente property

-Santa Ana Register story

-Ervin Committee

-Denial
-Leonard Garment
-Robert H. Abplanalp
-Allegations of misuse of campaign funds
-Garment

Parker talked with Buzhardt at an unknown time between 5:45 pm and 6:45 pm.
-35-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-40 (cont’d)

[Conversation No. 435-40C]

[Begin telephone conversation]

[See Conversation No. 46-69]

[End telephone conversation]

Watergate

-Buzhardt’s previous telephone call

-Sirica’s actions

-Dean’s documents

-Sirica
-Possible motives
-Possible threat to Presidency
-Haldeman, Ehrlichman
-Funds for defendants
-Thomas A. Pappas
-Possible guilt
-Motives of participants
-Million dollar fundraising
-[Unintelligible name]
-Dean
-Knowledge
-William O. Bittman’s demand for $120,000
-Hunt
-President’s conversation with Dean, March 21
-Bittman’s demand of Paul L. O’Brien
-Blackmail
-Hunt and Liddy
-Dean
-Relationship with Ehrlichman
-Position of President’s counsel
-Activities in Watergate investigation
-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
-Ziegler
-Possible actions
-36-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-40 (cont’d)

-Possible immunity

-Impact of Senate testimony

-Ehrlichman

-Possible actions
-Immunity
-Special Prosecutor
-Transactional immunity

-Haldeman and Ehrlichman

-President’s conversation with Petersen

-Incentive to lie
-Peterson’s concern

-Hunt and McCord

-Dean’s possible actions

-Justification of testimony to Special Prosecutor
-John J. Wilson’s possible response
-Haldeman’s, Ehrlichman’s, and Colson’s future
-Contact with White House
-President
-Lawrence M. Higby
-Buzhardt
-Executive privilege
-Perception of cover-up
-Statements by Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Need for chronology
-Ervin Committee hearings
-Effect on possible trials

-Mitchell

-Compared with Bobby G. Seale’s trial

-Sirica

-Jury trial

-Juror’s race

-Christian Science

-Ehrlichman

-Unknown woman [?]
-Possible trials
-Obstruction of justice
-Conspiracy
-37-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-40 (cont’d)

-Grand jury
-Petersen
-Certainty of case
-Indictments
-Ehrlichman and Haldeman
-Walters
-L[ouis] Patrick Gray and Richard M. Helms
-Helms
-Walters’s conversation with Gray
-Dean
-CIA involvement

-Walters

-Gen. Robert E. Cushman, Jr.’s statement

-Date confusion
-Ehrlichman’s alleged conversation with Cushman

-Departure for California

-Krogh

-Break-in at Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office
-Colson
-Hunt
-Cushman
-Possible legal penalties
-Intent of break-in

-Breaking and entering

-Burglary

-Copying documents

-Misdemeanor

-Felony

-California law

-Krogh

-Dean

-Hunt

-Timing of Ehrlichman’s knowledge

-President’s conversation with Petersen

-Film

-FBI

-Dean

-38-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-40 (cont’d)

-Conversation with Peterson, April 15
-Conversation with President, March 21

-President’s conversation with Kleindienst

-Photograph

-Psychiatrist’s office
-Handling by Justice Department

-Hunt

-Petersen

-Embarrassment

-Dean’s knowledge

-Kleindienst

-Petersen

-John J. Martin [?]

-Buzhardt’s testimony

-President’s conversation with Petersen

-Ehrlichman

-Accusations against Buzhardt

-William M. Byrne, Jr.

-Buzhardt’s testimony

-Ellsberg’s hearing
-Document
-Public Affairs office
-Author’s testimony
-Byrne
-United States Attorney Dave Nissen
-Haig and Henry A. Kissinger
-Wiretaps
-Dean’s documents
-Buzhardt’s instructions
-Bob Frankel
-Possible contents

-Presence of classified information

-Executive privilege

-Earl J. Silbert

-Timing of delivery of information to White House

-Possible contents

-Dean
-39-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 435-40 (cont’d)

-Motive for production of documents
-Possible contents
-Relation to wiretaps
-Immunity

-Ehrlichman’s knowledge of Ellsberg break-in

-Dean’s documents

-Possible advantage to White House
-Dean’s testimony
-Value to possible defendants
-Wilson and David Shapiro
-Dean
-Sensationalism
-President’s involvement
-Contacts with President regarding Watergate
-March 21, 1973 meeting
-“Cancer on the Presidency”
-Camp David trip

Buzhardt left at 6:45 pm.
Secret White House Tapes |

435-040b

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