Secret White House Tapes

912–3

About this recording

912–3
  • President Richard M. Nixon
  • Stephen B. Bull
  • Alexander M. Haig
May 8, 1973
Conversation No. 912-3

Date: May 8, 1973
Time: Unknown between 9:23 am and 10:16 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull.

President’s signature

President’s schedule

-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

-J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr.

-Donald M. I. Kendall

-Edison (“Pele”) Arantes do Nascimento

-Trip to Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]

-Report


Haig entered at 9:26 am.

Greeting

President’s meeting with Georges J. R. Pompidou

-Iceland

-Advance trip

-Approval

-Protocol

-Meeting in Azores

-Translation

-Meetings

-Planning session [?]

-Wreath-laying

-Meeting with Iceland officials

-Legislature

-Arrival ceremony


Bull left at an unknown time before 10:16 am.
-10-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-2012)

Conversation No. 912-3 (cont’d)


Watergate
-Haig’s conversation with William P. Rogers, May 7
-Need for big play

-John B. Connally and Ronald L. Ziegler

-Rogers’s possible role with administration


Personnel appointments and management
-Haig’s conversation with Rogers
-Dr. James R. Schlesinger
-Confirmation by Congress
-William J. Casey

Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
-Need for professionals
-William E. Colby
-State Department

-Saigon

-Son

-Haig’s conversation with Rogers

-Outsider

-Counsel for President

-Leonard Garment

-[Horace] Chapman (“Chappie”) Rose

-Casey

-Balance

-Compared to Rose

-Counsel for President

-Role

-Separate office

-Questions

-Rose

Watergate
-News stories
-Harris poll
-President’s possible resignation
-11-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-2012)

Conversation No. 912-3 (cont’d)

-John W. Dean, III

-Possible charges against President

-Possible immunity

-Public’s view

-White House strategy

-Ziegler’s press briefings

-Daniel Ellsberg trial affidavit

-Delay by White House

-Garment’s possible role

-Rose’s possible role

-Haig’s forthcoming telephone call

-Garment


Personnel appointments and management
-FBI director

-Colby

-Cartha D. (“Deke”) DeLoach and William C. Sullivan

-Unknown man

-Lawyer

-Qualifications

-William D. Ruckelshaus

-Domestic Council

-James T. Lynn

-“Big play” compared to shift

-CIA

-Announcements

-Cabinet meeting

-Haig

-Kenneth R. Cole, Jr.

-Domestic council

-Cabinet

-Claude S. Brinegar

-Transportation Secretary

-Egil (“Bud”) Krogh, Jr.

-Resignation

-Haig

-Cabinet

-12-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-2012)

Conversation No. 912-3 (cont’d)

-George P. Shultz
-Concerns

-Economy

-Watergate

-Conversation with Haig
-Jamaica
-Connally
-Conversation with Haig
-Connally’s travels

-Nigeria

-USSR

-Postponement
-Announcements

-Cabinet meeting

-Press release

-Schlesinger, Colby, Rose, and Connally

-Criticism

-Henry A. Kissinger

-Compared to Connally

-“Spectacular change”

-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman

-Departures on press coverage

-FBI Director

-Unknown man

-Announcement schedule

-Ruckelshaus

-Domestic Council appointment

-Domestic Council

-Cole

-Announcements

-Defense Department, CIA, Connally, and Haig

-Rose

-Counsel to President

-Duration

-Timing

-FBI Director

-Professional

-13-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-2012)

Conversation No. 912-3 (cont’d)

-Potential candidate
-Problems
-Law school dean
-Texas

-Law school deans

-Conservative

-Career professional

-J. Edgar Hoover

-DeLoach

-Democrat

-Sullivan

-Hoover

-Loyalty

-Leadership

-William M. Byrne, Jr.

-Judge

-Ellsberg case

-Controversy

-Rulings


US foreign policy
-US – USSR summit
-Kissinger
-Haig’s conversation with Rogers

-Meeting with Hafiz Ismail

-Rogers

-USSR

-Information

-Kissinger

-Reasonableness


Watergate
-Elliot L. Richardson

-Special Prosecutor

-Meeting with Haig

-Immunity for Dean
-President’s conversations with Henry E. Petersen
-14-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-2012)

Conversation No. 912-3 (cont’d)

-Dean
-Possible immunity
-President’s possible protection of Ehrlichman and Haldeman
-Handling of information regarding Ellsberg break-in
-Justice Department
-New York Daily News
-Ronald L. Ziegler

-Confirmation hearings

-Meeting with Haig

-Possible meeting with President

-President’s preferences

-Telephone calls with Haig

-Answers to questions from Congress members


Forthcoming Cabinet meeting
-Staffing of departments
-Haig’s conversations with Jerry J. Jones, Roy L. Ash, Gen. Brent G.
Scowcroft, and ambassadors
-Scowcroft’s conversation with Rogers

-Avoid controversies

-Contributors

-W. Clement Stone
-J. Fife Symington, Jr.

-William E. Timmons

-President’s cooperation

-White House staff

-Staffing of departments

-Press relations

-Congressional relations

-Timing

-Staffing

-Schlesinger and Colby

-Connally

-Volunteer

-United States Steel

-Timing

-Announcement

-15-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. July-2012)

Conversation No. 912-3 (cont’d)


President’s schedule
-Congressional leaders
-Cabinet

Watergate
-Public’s view

-Harris poll

-Compared with John F. Kennedy and Bay of Pigs

-Administration’s successes

-Vietnam settlement return of prisoners of war [POWs]

-Forthcoming Cabinet meeting


Transition between President’s first and second terms
-Handling by Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Watergate

White House staff
-Relations with Cabinet, Congress

President’s schedule
-Cabinet meeting
-Ziegler’s announcements

Personnel appointments and management
-Clearances
-Colby
-Secretiveness with regard to publicity
-FBI Director
-President’s desire for a professional
-Police chief
-Corruption
-Richard A. Sprague
-Prosecutor of United Mine Workers president, W. A. (“Tony”) Boyle
-Potential appointment as Special Prosecutor
-President’s recommendation to Richardson
-Professional
-16-


NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM


Tape Subject Log

(rev. July-2012)

Conversation No. 912-3 (cont’d)

-William D. Ruckelshaus

-[Domestic Council]

-Stability of Cabinet appointments

-Ziegler’s view

-Daniel P. (“Pat”) Moynihan

-Connally

-Experience at Treasury Department

-Potential role in administration

-Potential attendance at Cabinet meeting

-Travel

-Length of appointment

-Special counsel


Watergate
-Resignation of Richard G. Kleindienst, Ehrlichman and Haldeman
-Ehrlichman and Haldeman
-Effect on Watergate criticism

Connally

-Stephen B. Bull [?]

-Haig’s role


Haig left at 10:16 am.
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912–3

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