438–15

Conversation No. 438-15

Date: May 17, 1973
Time: 3:11 pm - 3:43 pm
Location: Old Executive Office Building

The President talked with J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr.

[Conversation No. 438-15A]

[Begin telephone conversation]

[See Conversation No. 46-98]

Ronald L. Ziegler entered at 3:15 pm.

[End telephone conversation]

Thomas G. Eagleton
-Allegations in letter
-White House response
-President’s earlier meeting with Buzhardt and Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-President’s knowledge
-Possible actions
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman, and John W. Dean, III
-Possible White House response to unknown doctor’s letter
-Henry E. Petersen
-Psychiatry
-Ziegler’s research

-Mayo Clinic

-Extent of public knowledge

-Psychiatric hospital


Watergate
-Dean
-Access to Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] interviews
-Possible White House statement
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2011)

Conversation No. 438-15 (cont’d)


President’s orders
-John V. Brennan
-Thoroughness
-Bureaucracy
-United States Secret Service [USSS]
-Open files
-Threats against the First Family, President
-Ziegler’s report
-Camp David
-Computers
-Technicians
-Set-up
-Records
-Violent demonstrations
-Full reports
-Attack on the President’s car during inauguration
-Disclosure of attack
- President’s previous request

-Camp David


Ziegler’s conversation with Howard K. Smith
-President’s schedule
-Smith’s commentaries on President’s record
-Edward J. Gurney
-Treatment of Jeb S[tuart] Magruder

President’s investigation of Alger Hiss
-Compared to Ervin Committee

-Questions

-Appearance to public


President’s orders to Rose Mary Woods
-Mail to President
-Distribution to White House staff

-Haig, Ziegler

-Morale

 -10-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2011)

Conversation No. 438-15 (cont’d)


Eagleton’s medical history
-Charges against President
-[San Clemente]
-White House handling of allegations

-Concerns of Haig and Haldeman

-Lyndon K. (“Mort”) Allin


Watergate
-President’s possible television [TV] speech
-Buzhardt’s view
-Dean
-Documents

-Howard K. Smith’s and Stewart J. O. Alsop’s views

-President’s possible TV speech

-Possible White Paper

-Dean

-Documents

-Possible news coverage

-Knowledge of Huston Plan

-National security

-President’s press conference

-Leonard Garment

-Raymond K. Price, Jr.

-President’s opponents

-Changing tactics

-Press

-Congress

-Samuel J. Ervin

-White House response

-Tactical reasons

-Speech

-White Paper

-Patrick J. Buchanan
-White Paper

-Threats against the First Family, President

-Numbers of demonstrators

 -11-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2011)

Conversation No. 438-15 (cont’d)

-Washington Post
-Anti-war
-President’s response to threats
-Compared to Franklin D. Roosevelt and Robert F. (“Bobby”)
Kennedy during World War II
-Attorney General
-FBI figures

-Press conference

-J. Edgar Hoover

-Theme
-Radical groups
-Threats to Silent Majority
-Protection of society
-Support from embassies
-Local groups
-Investigation
-National Security Council [NSC]
-Investigations at President’s order
-Staff
-State Department
-Defense Department
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
-FBI
-Compared to Pentagon Papers
-Threats to United States foreign policy
-Peace initiatives
-Soviet Union
-People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT]
-White House response
-Ziegler at press conference
-White Paper
-Buchanan
-Press conference

-Ziegler’s opinion

-Public support

-George H. W. Bush
 -12-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2011)

Conversation No. 438-15 (cont’d)

-White Paper
-Speech
-President’s previous meetings
-Desire for peace
-Spiro T. Agnew
-White House response
-President’s possible actions
-Press conference compared to speech
-Dean

-Possible activities

-Ziegler’s opinion of Dean

-President’s opinion of Dean

-Credibility

-Ervin
-Gurney

-Actions

-Robert C. Odel, Jr. [?]

-Prosecutors

President’s speech on Election Reform Commission
-Press coverage

-Newspapers

-TV

-Washington Star [?]


Brennan
-Conversation with Ziegler
-[USSS report on threats against the First Family, President]

Ziegler left at 3:43 pm.
 -13-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2011)