426-004b

Conversation No. 426-4

Date: March 29, 1973
Time: 2:45-4:20 p.m.
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with John D. Ehrlichman.

H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman

Watergate
-Haldeman's phone conversations
-John W. Dean, III
-John N. Mitchell
-Draft statement
-Mitchell
-Dean
-Wording
-Dean's forthcoming grand jury testimony

Haldeman entered at 2:46 pm.

-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Sherman Adams
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Robert B. (“Bobby”) Baker and Walter Jenkins
-Motivation
-Case
-Statement
-Dean
-Wording
-Dean's forthcoming grand jury testimony
-Waiver of executive privilege
-Mitchell's recommendation
-Limitation
-Ronald L. Ziegler's presence

Haldeman talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 2:46 pm and 3:01
pm.
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 426-4 (cont’d)



[Conversation No. 426-4A]

[See Conversation No. 44-68]

[The call was placed on hold]

Ziegler
-Meeting with the President

Watergate
-Accusations
-Forum for hearing
-Seriousness

Haldeman talked with Ziegler at an unknown time between 2:46 pm and 3:01 pm.

[End of telephone conversation]

Watergate
-Forum for handling of charges
-Ervin Committee
-Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.
-Possible responses to questions

Haldeman talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 2:46 pm and 3:01
pm.

[Conversation No. 426-4B]

[See Conversation No. 44-69]

[The call was placed on hold]

Ziegler entered at 3:01 pm.

Press briefing

Haldeman talked with John W. Dean, III at an unknown time between 3:01 pm and 3:30 pm.
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 426-4 (cont’d)



[The call was placed on hold]

[Ehrlichman talked with Dean at an unknown time.]

[End of telephone call]

President's forthcoming speech, March 29
-Advance text


[The above portion of the conversation took place simultaneously with Conversation No. 426-
4B]

President's speech
-George P. Shultz
-Vetoes
-Defense budget
-Briefing by Shultz
-Advance text

Watergate
-Jack N. Anderson's column
-President's forthcoming statement
-Ehrlichman's conversation with Dean
-Briefing
-Timing of release
-Briefing
-Charges in Los Angeles Times
-Dean [?]
-Mitchell and Jeb Stuart Magruder
-Role of privilege
-Wire service reports
-Timing of release
-Ehrlichman's meeting with publishers
-Interest in Watergate issue
-New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times
-Dan Rather's commentary on President's forthcoming speech
-Issues addressed in speech
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 426-4 (cont’d)


-Timing of release
-Reaction of press
-Form and timing of White House release
-Mitchell, Charles W. Colson story
-Wording of statement
-Former White House staff members
-Cooperation with grand jury
-Timing of release
-Mitchell
-Dean
-Reaction
-Roger M. Mudd, television commentators
-Weicker, Hugh Scott
-Timing of release of Watergate statement
-Effect of release prior to evening speech
-President's forthcoming speech, March 29
-Networks' possible commentary
-Newspapers, March 30
-James W. McCord, Jr.'s possible testimony
-E. Howard Hunt, Jr.'s possible testimony
-Strategy
-Ehrlichman
-Ervin Committee

Ziegler left at 3:30 p.m.

-L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III
-Senate Committee's forthcoming meeting
-William E. Timmons
-Charles McC Mathias, Jr., John L. McClellan
-Possible motion
-Confirmation by Senate
-Howard H. Baker, Jr.
-President's meeting at the Executive Office Building [EOB] with Baker
-Administrative assistant's statement regarding desire for White House
contact
-George D. Webster
-White House contact
-Richard G. Kleindienst
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 426-4 (cont’d)


-Ehrlichman
-President
-Spiro T. Agnew
-Ehrlichman
-Ehrlichman
-Committee's procedures
-Written interrogatories
-Executive session
-Stonewalling
-Campaign
-Form of information
-Privilege
-Possible party at interest
-Ervin's concerns
-Instructions from President
-Grand jury
-Executive privilege
-Edward J. Gurney
-Ervin Committee
-Timmons, Agnew
-Baker
-Leaks
-McCord's testimony
-Ervin's and Baker's meeting with Samuel Dash
-Special counsel to White House
-Qualifications
-Dean's possible counsel
-Qualifications
-Donald Santarelli, Frank Gustus
-Dean
-Statements to President regarding Haldeman
-William P. Rogers
-Instructions from Ehrlichman
-Call to Baker

Ehrlichman left at an unknown time before 4:05 p.m.

-Special counsel to White House
-Ehrlichman
 -7-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 426-4 (cont’d)


-George H. W. Bush
-President's forthcoming statement
-Timing of release
-Bush
-Robert J. Dole
-Agnew
-Beliefs regarding White House staff
-President's schedule
-Gerald R. Ford
-Colson
-Mitchell
-Baker's conversation with Agnew
-G. Gordon Liddy's testimony
-Hunt
-Statement to grand jury
-Questions
-Chile
-Embassy
-Knowledge of higher-up's involvement
-Mitchell
-Colson
-Dean
-Liddy
-Bush
-Haldeman's forthcoming call
-President's forthcoming statement
-Executive privilege
-Executive privilege
-Senate
-Grand jury
-Ziegler
-Colson's answer at National Press Club

Ehrlichman entered at an unknown time after 3:30 p.m.

-Ehrlichman's previous phone call to Baker
-Focus of responsibility at White House
-Baker's conversation with Agnew
-Ehrlichman's forthcoming meeting with Baker and Ervin
 -8-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 426-4 (cont’d)


-Previous negotiations regarding Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
raw files
-Kleindienst's meeting with Ervin and Baker
-Committee's reaction
-Henry A. Kissinger's procedure
-Oath-taking

Marjorie P. Acker entered at 4:05 pm.

President’s signature [?]
-Rose Mary Woods [?]
-Congratulations

Acker left at 4:06 pm.

Watergate
-Ehrlichman's forthcoming meeting with Baker and Ervin
-Ehrlichman as point of contact
-Timmons
-Scott, Ford
-Haldeman's forthcoming call to Bush

Haldeman left at an unknown time before 4:20 pm.

President's forthcoming speech, evening of March 29
-Length
-Content
-Shultz [?]
-Vietnam
-National economy
-Defense budget
-Preparation

Watergate
-President's morale
-President's involvement
-Conversation with Ehrlichman regarding convicted burglars
-Timing
-Burglars' desire for clemency
 -9-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 426-4 (cont’d)


-Conversation with Colson
-Death of Dorothy Hunt
-Conversation with Ehrlichman
-Timing
-Demonstrators in Miami Beach
-Magruder's statement
-Question of knowledge
-Haldeman
-Colson
-Ehrlichman
-Orders for Watergate break-in
-Bugging
-Watergate
-Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
-Colson
-White House information regarding Democrats' plans
-Secret Service
-Liddy [?]
-Cubans
-Possible testimony by Ehrlichman
-Knowledge of Watergate
-Mitchell
-Conversations with President
-Plans with Robert C. Mardian
-Approval of Liddy's plan
-Control of Committee to Re-elect the President [CRP]
-Magruder's knowledge
-Haldeman, Colson, Ehrlichman
-Other White House activities
-National security
-Leaks within government
-Daniel Ellsberg case
-J. Edgar Hoover, William S. Sullivan

President’s policy decisions

-Vietnam
-Speech
-White House staff opinions
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Sep.-2010)
Conversation No. 426-4 (cont’d)


-Buchanan, Colson
-Shultz
-Melvin R. Laird
-Economy, crime
-Publicity
-Statistics
-Hard line
-Capital punishment

Watergate
-Special counsel to White House
-Choice of criminal lawyer
-Ehrlichman's choice

Ehrlichman left at 4:20 pm.