419–23

Conversation No. 419-23

Date: March 14, 1973
Time: 12:47 pm - 1:30 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Richard A. Moore and John W. Dean, III.

Ronald L. Ziegler's briefing on Watergate
-Length
-Comparison to James C. Haggerty
-Limits
-Format
-Subjects
-Written interrogatories
-President's appearance
-Congressional investigation
-Compared with Henry A. Kissinger’s informal consultations
-Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy and Birch Bayh
-Samuel J. Ervin, Jr., Howard H. Baker, Jr.
-Meeting with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman, John D.
Ehrlichman and lawyers
-Peter M. Flanigan
-Separation of powers

Watergate
-Thomas Lumbard's interview with Washington Post
 -35-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept-2010)
Conversation No. 419-23 (cont’d)



-Work for Committee to Re-elect the President (CRP)
-Dean's conversation with Donald E. Santarelli
-Washington Post report
-Link between G. Gordon Liddy and Dean
-Counsel duties
-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
-L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III
-William C. Sullivan
-Ervin Committee
-Subpoenas
-Authority over administration
-Common Cause law suit
-Dean's subpoena
-Administration lawyers
-Abilities
-John W. Gardner
-Lawrence F. O'Brien's suit, Maurice H. Stans's libel suit
-Administration counter-offensive
-Ervin Committee
-March 13, 1973 issuance of subpoenas for Dean, Jeb Stuart Magruder, Hugh
W. Sloan, Jr., Murray M. Chotiner
-Ervin Committee
-Objectives
-Investigation of Stans
-Questions for Dean
-CRP personnel structure
-O'Brien suit against CRP
-Dean subpoena
-Use of executive privilege
-Court fight
-Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Written interrogatories
-Congress
-Rules
-Subpoena
-Court challenge
-Executive privilege
-Dan Rather's questions
 -36-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept-2010)
Conversation No. 419-23 (cont’d)



-President's statements
-Alger Hiss case
-President's criticisms of White House
-Harry S Truman's non-cooperation
-Response of press corps
-Previous appearance before Congressional Committee as Vice-President
-FBI
-Sullivan
-Problems
-Knowledge of certain activities
-Trust settlement
-Democratic abuses
-Possible release
-President's statements for press
-Release of material
-Precedents
-1968 campaign
-Allegations of wiretapping
-Sullivan
-Knowledge of illegal activities by Democrats
-Corroborating evidence
-John N. Mitchell's conversation with Cartha D. DeLoach
-Spiro T. Agnew [?]
-J. Edgar Hoover
-Conversation with President
-Sullivan
-Use of information
-Hoover
-Conversation with President
-Wire taps
-National security
-Removal of equipment
-Sullivan’s testimony
-Impact on Democrats
-Attorney General Richard G. Kleindienst
-Job performance
-John B. Connally’s viewpoint
-Gray
 -37-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept-2010)
Conversation No. 419-23 (cont’d)



-Intelligence
-Political skills

-Testimony to Congress
-Affidavit
-Herbert W. Kalmbach
-Contacts with Dean
-Donald H. Segretti
-White House response
-Policy statement
-Dean's reports to President
-Questions from press
-Responses
-Investigation of Segretti

Campaign contributions
-Robert L. Vesco
-Connection with Stans
-Seriousness of problem
-Cash contribution
-DeVan L.Shumway
-Donald A. Nixon
-Work with Vesco
-Dick Tuck
-Mexican banks
-Stans' role
-Current investigation

Watergate
-Gray
-Testimony to Congress
-Press conference
-Ehrlichman
-Segretti case
-Questions for President
-Response
-Ehrlichman
-Executive privilege
 -38-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sept-2010)
Conversation No. 419-23 (cont’d)



-Guidelines
-Double privilege
-Washington DC Court of Appeals
-David L. Bazelon
-Supreme Court
-Attitude toward executive privilege
-William H. Rehnquist
-Justification
-Colson
-Truman administration
-Total non-cooperation in Hiss case
-Justice Department raw files compared to summary report
-Contrast with administration's position
-Ervin Committee
-Administration cooperation
-Dan Rather
-Hiss case
-Truman administration's non-cooperation
-Democratic illegalities
-Press leaks
-Need for publicity

Moore and Dean left at 1:30 pm