906–8

Conversation No. 906-8

Date: April 27, 1973
Time: 3:48 pm - 4:30 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with William D. Ruckelshaus.

Ruckelshaus’s job

Watergate
-L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III

-Destruction of documents

-President’s relationship

-Work at Justice Department

-Ruckelshaus’s replacement

-Destruction of documents

-Need to investigate

-Ruckelshaus


Ruckelshaus

-Current job

-Assignment at Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]

-Acting director
-President’s conversation with Richard G. Kleindienst
-Nomination for director
-FBI staff changes
-J. Edgar Hoover’s legacy
-Clyde A. Tolson, William C. Sullivan and Cartha D. (“Deke”)
Deloach, W. Mark Felt
-Morale
-Compared with acting director
 -12-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 906-8 (cont’d)

-Current job

-Deputy Director

-Tenure

-Political, judicial options


Watergate
-John N. Mitchell’s indictment
-Attorney general
-Replacement
-Martha (Beall) Mitchell
-Distraction from work
-Grand jury

Ruckelshaus
-Watergate
-Connection, knowledge
-Assignment at FBI
-Ruckelshaus’s background
-Justice Department, Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]
-Nomination for director
-Law enforcement experience
-Compared to Gray

-Congress [?]

-Vance Hartke [?]

-Bob [unintelligible name][?]

-Acting director

-Duration

-FBI study

-Reorganization

-Lines of authority

-Attorney General

-President

-Kleindienst


Watergate
-Gray
-Response to White House requests
 -13-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 906-8 (cont’d)

-Materials turned over to John W. Dean III

Ruckelshaus
-Announcement of appointment

Watergate
-Possible statement
-Gray and raw files

Ruckelshaus
-Assignment at FBI

-Gray’s successor

-Reorganization

-Evaluation of staff members

-Felt

-Possible press conference

-Gray announcement

-Resignation from EPA

-Meeting with John D. Ehrlichman

-Statement

-Standards under Hoover
-Compared with Gray
-President’s search for permanent Director of FBI
-Ruckelshaus’s role
-FBI files

Watergate
-Possible investigations
-President’s instructions
-FBI investigation
-Quality

-John D. Mitchell


Ruckelshaus
-Conversation with Ehrlichman
-Record of service
 -14-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 906-8 (cont’d)

Watergate

-Possible White House staff changes

-Forthcoming grand jury indictments

-Mitchell

Gray

-Announcement of resignation

-President’s return from Mississippi

-Staff at FBI


President’s conversation with Kleindienst

The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 3:48 pm and
4:10 pm.


[See Conversation No. 906-8A]


[Begin telephone conversation]


[See Conversation No. 45-33]


[End telephone conversation]


Presidential appointment

Kleindienst
-Relationship with Mitchell

Ehrlichman entered at 4:10 pm.

Ruckelshaus
-Acting director
-Transfer
-EPA
-Leave of absense
-Instructions from President
-FBI reorganization
 -15-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 906-8 (cont’d)

-Announcement of appointment

-Kleindienst

-Ronald L. Ziegler

-Press conference

-Ziegler

-Location


Watergate
-President’s instructions
-Grand jury
-Ruckelshaus’s relationship with Mitchell
-Henry E. Petersen and Kleindienst
-Ruckelshaus’s service in Justice Department

Ruckelshaus

-Reputation

-Relationship with Mitchell

-Duration of appointment


The President talked with Kleindienst between 4:14 pm and 4:16 pm

[Conversation No. 906-8B]

[Begin telephone conversation]

[See Conversation No. 45-34]

[End telephone conversation]

President’s previous conversation with Kleindienst
-Felt

Felt
-Leaks from FBI

-Washington Post, Time

-Gray

-Position in FBI
 -16-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 906-8 (cont’d)

-Information from Time magazine lawyer

-Instructions for Ruckelshaus


FBI Directorship

-Attorney General’s prerogatives

-President’s telephone call to Hoover


Ruckelshaus’s possible statement to press

-Announcement of appointment


An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 3:48 pm.

Request for meeting with Ziegler

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 4:30 pm.

Ruckelshaus’s statement to press

-Acting director

-Transfer

-Leave of absence

-Resignation


Watergate

-Integrity of FBI


Press relations

-Ruckelshaus’s appointment to FBI

-Acting director
-Attorney General’s appointment
-Press statement phrasing
-Search for permanent director
-Importance of director appointment
-Impact on Gray’s resignation
-Return to EPA
-Press questions
-Ruckelshaus’s potential permanent appointment as director
-Declination
 -17-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 906-8 (cont’d)

-Desire for appointment
-President’s view

Watergate
-President’s instructions to Ruckelshaus
-Possible press statement
-Content and wording

-Ziegler’s view

-Wording regarding investigation questions


Press relations
-Ruckelshaus’s role
-Statement compared to answering questions
-Zielger’s statement

-Attorney General

-Acting Director

-President’s additions

-Leave from EPA
-Duration as Acting Director

-Ruckelshaus’s role

-Location of announcement

-White House compared to EPA

-Environmental reporters


Watergate
-Ruckelshaus’s response to questions
-Possible statement
-Press satisfaction

-Appearing at home

-Jill Ruckelshaus

-Gray

-Possible response to questions

-Resignation


Congratulations

President’s schedule
 -18-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Conversation No. 906-8 (cont’d)

-Telephone call

Ruckelshaus, Ehrlichman, and Ziegler left a t 4:30 pm.