Nixon Haldeman Haig Conversation May 11 1973

Transcript of a conversation between Richard Nixon, H.R. Haldeman, and Al Haig.

Introduction and majority of the transcript taken from Stanley Kutler's Abuse of Power. Some edits and additions have been made by uploader.

Audio is taken from two files, at these URLs:

http://www.nixonlibrary.gov/forresearchers/find/tapes/tape916/916-019a.mp3

http://www.nixonlibrary.gov/forresearchers/find/tapes/tape916/916-019b.mp3

Sections lacking a transcript are marked by a start and end time in the merged audio files of 916-019a and 916-019b, inside parentheses, for example: (3:00-4:00).

Audio accompanied by transcript is on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrK4BmY0MA8

MAY 11, 1973: THE PRESIDENT, HALDEMAN, AND HAIG, 12:53-2:02 PM, OVAL OFFICE

In the just-concluded conversation, Haig warned the President that it was inadvisable for him to see Haldeman. But Haig lacked the power to prevent it and Haldeman arrives to see Nixon. The conversation appears to reinforce Haig's command. Nixon and Haldeman review their "story." Nixon covers himself regarding the plumbers. The two maintain they did not concoct the fake CIA cover story; they do acknowledge their intent to limit the Watergate investigation for fear it might unveil other White House activities. Nixon insists that Buzhardt understand "that the purpose of that talk had nothing to do with not pursuing the Watergate burglary. It had to do with not getting into the national security aspects." Passionately, Nixon adds: "I want him to believe." Nixon continues to worry about Ehrlichman's loyalty, Haldeman says he did not know Dean dealt with Walters. In effect, Haig now has full knowledge of the cover-up and is part of the new one to conceal the old.

SEGMENT ONE

NIXON
Robert, how are you, boy? I'm glad to see you...Uh, I wondered if you've got this fill in on this latest flap, uh-

HALDEMAN
Yeah. Just, just talked to Buzhardt....

NIXON
Oh, I see...

HALDEMAN
And just talking about Al [Haig].

NIXON
We want to keep Al a little bit away from it...be (unintelligible) of what you say.

HALDEMAN
You can't keep Al far from it, though. He's in the middle of that one. When you get to the material. Because he got it.

NIXON
We're talking two kinds of material. I'm talking also about the Walters thing [the Walters memcoms].

HALDEMAN
I know there is a Walters memcom on me, that Walters and Helms had (unintelligible). That's the only thing I know about that-

NIXON
And Dean. Dean was not there?

HALDEMAN
I don't think so.

NIXON
...On-on the situation, let me say first that it was a Buzhardt thing - trust him completely. He's alright for now. He's on our side here in on this. And I think we might very well consider...there's only one memorandum in there...give that to the damn...give it to Byrne [Judge Matthew Byrne, the judge in the Pentagon Papers case]. Say it's national security, but here it is. It happened long before the Pentagon thing, and it resulted in the discharge of the employee involved...Well, relieved of duty. He was transferred. He was transferred away from that post as a result. I'm not concerned about that. That we're going to fight the (unintelligible) over. Here's the thing: [James] Schlesinger has called [General Vernon] Walters back from a trip so that he would be available to discuss this matter [the CIA's role in Watergate] with [Henry] Petersen, you know, of testimony of Gray's to the effect that Gray called...In fact, there was a discussion between Walters and [Acting FBI Director L. Patrick] Gray about possible CIA cover and/or involvement in this matter...

HALDEMAN
The question was raised: was there any? At least that was what I was told by (unintelligible). Ehrlichman and I met with Helms and Walters. One morning. Up in John's [Erlichman's] office. Helms at that meeting said that Gray had contacted him. A day or two preceding, or something. The question was whether that had been any CIA involvement. Whether the CIA was in this, because there had been some leads that looked like it was. And Helms had told him it was not.

NIXON
Yeah well, here's Helms' story, full stop. Apparently, Walters had several memcoms that he has made. Fortunately, he's a loyal fellow and brought them back; they're in the White House at the present time, including the memcom of the meeting when Helms  was present - Helms, you, Ehrlichman, Dean - at which point that the, uh, discussion was there were - where some of the discussion was the effect that Walters ought to do what he could to - that, that - this Watergate is-getting-out-of-hand thing. That Walters (get in touch?) with Gray, because of the possible CIA embarrassment and or involvement. The main element I wanted to tell you, I want to talk to you about is this so...when you and John will be asked about it,...that John, there's no concern about you, will be on track in terms of what the story really is. The story is that they - that Hunt had been with the CIA - our story is that he had done some national security work -

HALDEMAN
Right.

NIXON
The story is that you didn't know what the situation is and that's why you asked this guy here, but you at no time ever suggested to Walters that Walters should, uh - and basically - put out a cover story that it was the CIA business. And get Gray to go along those lines...Now Walters is like a rock, Walters has got his neck down and he will say I cannot reveal-

(withdrawn, natsec)

But he has his diary and his photographic memory. Walters is going to say that what happened was that he met here and that he was asked to talk to Gray and he did talk to Gray about this matter, but determined there was no CIA involvement....[T]hese memcoms are mostly Dean hammering him over and over and over again - Goddamnit, you've got to do something about getting (unintelligible) CIA cover-up of this thing. Now, as I told Al - I'll say this again - points up the Dean thing. But, the point that I make, I said to Al, what this has to do in terms of Walter's memcoms if they got out. They're not going to get out, because I'll sit on them till hell freezes over....[T]he point is-

HALDEMAN
What do we do about Helms?

NIXON
Yeah, but Helms...your conversation with Helms...that was a conversation with him?

HALDEMAN
-conversation with Walters.

NIXON
What was the conversation with Helms about?

HALDEMAN
It was about the problem of these people being former CIA people. The question of whether there was any CIA involvement - we didn't know.

NIXON
If you were asking that question, you were raising problems.

HALDEMAN
We raised our questions. We were raising the concern - I forget why, but Bay of Pigs came into this. It was a concern making the point to Helms - if this - if these people are drawn out. See we had a concern at that time with Helms, Hunt, and Liddy - well, Liddy not so much - but Hunt, and the Cubans.

NIXON
They were all in the Bay of Pigs.

NIXON
Yeah, well, John - Bob - just be sure that you and John [Ehrlichman] talk exactly that way....

HALDEMAN
Yeah. The thing I wonder is that if we ought to look at - one of us ought to look at Walters's memcom, because it would be accurate.

NIXON
It would be accurate - (unintelligible) some of it, he says, well, I, Al, has looked at it. Al believes that some of it would be damaging...Walters said he always asked, well, does the President approve, wants you to do any of this, and he couldn't get anything in writing from Dean on that. Thank God, thank God that everybody-

HALDEMAN
I don't care about the Walters stuff with Dean, I don't know what Dean's up to....There was concern about Bay of Pigs coming out - you told us, you know, get in Helms on this promptly because Helms - I think you had some knowledge that I didn't know about - that Helms was concerned about some Bay of Pigs stuff at that point in time because Helms blocked at that meeting, and said, well OK, I'm not concerned about the Bay of Pigs because no matter what comes out or something. That's the part I remember clearly is Bay of Pigs stuff.

NIXON
Well, I remember you saying that because CIA people were in this, to get them in....Now, that doesn't bother me - it would only bother me if....Walters were told to go over to Gray and say, look cool your investigation. In fact, here's the problem, and then Congress will understand....The problem with the memcom does not involve you, but it does potentially involve John [Ehrlichman], according to Al....[I]t could make it appear that John was trying to get Walters to talk to Gray to basically make it appear more like that there's more of a national, of a CIA and other kind of a thing....I hope you talk to John...

John should say his only concern was the whole CIA involvement and so forth and wanted to be sure that the - this investigation of Watergate didn't get out, as he put it, didn't get out of hand. John used that term, apparently in the conversation, getting out of hand-

HALDEMAN
Getting out of hand had nothing to do with apprehending the Watergate criminals and trying them. Getting out of hand had to do with exactly what's found out-

NIXON
Yeah.

HALDEMAN
-which is we believe all this Pentagon Papers-

NIXON
That's right.

HALDEMAN
-investigation-type set-up, leave the Plumbers operation-type stuff. Wiretapping of the reporters and staff members type stuff. And we still got another one, I think we gotta figure out.

NIXON
Henry [Kissinger]?

HALDEMAN
Yeah.

(11:14-51)

HALDEMAN
Buzhardt [White House counsel] is under a misunderstanding as to how it all worked. He thought John was the principal in that bugging operation. And as you probably recall, Ehrlichman had nothing to do with that. He- I don't know that he even knew about it. Yeah, I guess he did, because he saw some of the output once in a while, but that was basically Henry. And then it was shifted to me.

NIXON
Yeah, I know.

HALDEMAN
Because it involved Henry's staff.

NIXON
And Hoover didn't want to talk to anybody, and Henry said, I don't want to talk to anybody else. Finally, he talked to you. And then eventually it was John. Right?

HALDEMAN
Yeah.

NIXON
We're going to fight for that, we're going to be on the defensive for that. Let me say, I'm not pessimistic about this one.

HALDEMAN
Good.

NIXON
I think we should fight the hell out of it.

HALDEMAN
I don't know if you read the news summary today, there's a London- one of the London papers has some guy writing- and looking for some guy, and he says, what the hell's wrong with the United States government trying to protect the leak of secrets?

NIXON
That's right.

HALDEMAN
But then-

[Haig enters.]

NIXON
...I just want to be sure that John [Ehrlichman] doesn't communicate that the President directed him to get Walters to get Gray to turn this off....

HALDEMAN
John would never indicate that.

NIXON
First, it wasn't true.

HALDEMAN
A) it wasn't true. B) That's under the area we don't testify anyway. Which is both good and bad. What the President tells us to do is not - not public - for public consumption.

NIXON
Except that I always preface that by saying...that the President had nothing to do with it. You know what I mean? I can say that I don't have the slightest involvement. But, basically, Bob, I think...we've found the thing you talked to me about the other night, or yesterday. It seems to me that more and more that Dean proves to be the guy, frankly, that's concocting the whole Goddamned story and it's astonishing...

HALDEMAN
Hell, he knew what he was doing (unintelligible.)

NIXON
I suggested getting in Walters and Helms...I don't know why I suggested it. You think it's because the Bay of Pigs?

HALDEMAN
And that's the only thing I remember really about it was the concern about the Bay of Pigs stuff and Helms-

NIXON
And Helms said he wasn't concerned. Helms tol me there's no problem in this. No, I think we did it just straight arrow on this sort of thing. He assured me there was no problem on the thing.

HALDEMAN
In that meeting, that we had with Helms present and Walters, Ehrlichman did do all the talking so that whatever Walters says would have in the memcom would basically been Ehrlichman. I don't think I said much.

NIXON
That's right. There's nothing on this but - let me say there's nothing on you in it.

HALDEMAN
Well, I'm not - that's not my concern. My concern is how to deal with the implications of each of these. See, I don't worry about - I've got the facts in this. I worry about the implications in each one, cause that's what they like. They don't pay any attention to those facts, you know. The implication of there even being such a meeting poses the problem obviously. But, it's perfectly rationalized, what the hell? It looked like - and the FBI - we were told - I was told by Dean, uh, and I think it was in the papers that the FBI was convinced, for months, that this was a CIA operation-

NIXON
And so we were trying to find out-

HALDEMAN
And that's one of the points we were trying- Because if it was a CIA operation, that was another factor. Or, if there were CIA embellishments to it, which was another possibility.

NIXON
The only thing that is bad here is the implication on the part of Walters that-

HALDEMAN
That's why I would sure like to look at that memcom, if I can. I would like to see what he implies.

NIXON
He isn't going to say that, though.

HALDEMAN
I know. But Helms may.

NIXON
We'll find out here. [over phone] Could I have those memcoms, do you have those? Yeah. Yeah.

(17:08-18:00)

HALDEMAN
It's a different thing. This isn't presidential papers. This is an FBI report. Christ, don't send it to the FBI-

NIXON
He's the guy [Mark Felt, Deputy Director of the FBI] who's doing all the leaking. We've finally- (unintelligible) has finally come out, you know.

HALDEMAN
They've confirmed it?

NIXON
Well. Basically yes, according to Al Haig. He's (unintelligible) put the story out on the west coast. He leaked to the New York Times this story, that there was this earlier bugging of Ellsberg.

HALDEMAN
That doesn't threaten us. (unintelligible)

NIXON
This was done...I mean, he is tryng to...butter his own bread. Fucking kill Sullivan [Bill Sullivan, head of the FBI] (unintelligible) Fucking hate him. Says Sullivan is rotten.

HALDEMAN
He's emotional. But he's emotional in the right way.

NIXON
Is he emotional?

HALDEMAN
He's sortof a top (unintelligible)

NIXON
....But, let me tell you, Bob, as I told you yesterday, and I want you to know how much that meeting meant to me in the Lincoln Room last night. I, I've kind of reached a - where you kind of reach low spots sometimes in life....It just was good to talk to you and to know that we had no choice. I don't mind the choice. That is to fight like hell. Finally, we're right, and we're not going to allow this stuff.

HALDEMAN
We can't - we can't. We just can't let those - all this breastbeating - this isn't the worst scandal in history -

NIXON
You're right.

HALDEMAN
-and all this kind of crap. It isn't the worst scandal - it isn't really a scandal.

NIXON
It's broader, but not deeper.

HALDEMAN
It's broader because - because it's unraveling. These are unrelated things, really. I mean, like Krogh's [Plumbers] operation, they tied that into Watergate. Doesn't have a fucking thing to do with Watergate.

NIXON
But neither did Vesco...And here was poor Mitchell and Stans, isn't that a crime?

HALDEMAN
Ooh yeah. That one I'm just watching and speculating. Poor old Stans being had.

NIXON
Had by whom?

HALDEMAN
Mitchell. And if he is, he'll come out of that thing. When he goes to trial. I mean, you have to have some faith, because Maurice said last night, and I'm sure he means it, faith in god. Faith in god, and faith in the American judicial system. And when he has the opportunity to defend himself...The Grand Jury is terrible...I mean, it's a valuable instrument for being criminals to account, but it's a terrible thing to think that you're in a big, dark room with these - these hostile people here and these merciless prosecutors and they tear you up and you - you have no lawyer there. You're all alone and feel like the bull in a bull fight, and everybody's taking kicks at you, and everybody's loudly cheering. There's nobody there that's on your side and you're accused of something. You don't know what you're being accused of.

NIXON
....When you spoke to John [Ehrlichman]...I don't mean his case, but our case could be terribly jeopardized by whatever's in this memcom, indicating that we were - the memcom's not going to get out, I can assure you. It'll be burned first but, uh-

HALDEMAN
Don't burn it.

NIXON
Don't worry. You know what I mean.

HALDEMAN
Too much burning already.

NIXON
You know what I mean. It'll be in a file. What I was going to say: John must not indicate that the President said set up a fake cover with the CIA. Bob, we never talked about a fake cover with the CIA. We never told Pat Gray this or that. We, frankly, did not know. You know that.

HALDEMAN
Well, that's right. I think that John raised the question of whether there was a CIA involvement - whether this running, unravelling - this did pose a problem for the CIA, and that it did pose- and he was thinking of the Pentagon Papers-

NIXON
I suggested you meet with Helms and Walters,right?

HALDEMAN
Yeah.

NIXON
You met with Helms and Walters, and what's your recollection of that meeting?

HALDEMAN
That's the meeting where John...I think John did all the talking. He laid down the problem. Well, he laid out the theory, that...it's hard to recall, I would guess he said that the FBI apparently has a feeling that there's a CIA factor in this [the Watergate break-in] or that the CIA's involved in this...if there are problems here, that are going to unravel CIA stuff. I think it was directed at eliminating the investigation to the Watergate, and avoiding getting the thing going beyond Watergate and into other activities of these persons.

NIXON
Exactly.

HALDEMAN
And wasn't that our concern? And I think we have to admit that it was. And I think we can show that it has gone to those, and it's been damaging.

NIXON
It's ruined the Ellsberg case.

HALDEMAN
That's right.

NIXON
Even though the CIA...

HALDEMAN
Incidentally, you've got a strange thing there with [former CIA Deputy Director] Bob Cushman too....Cushman today is filing a sworn affidavit that says that Ehrlichman called him on July 7th [1971] and told him to provide the CIA support for Hunt and Liddy...Ehrlichman says he did not make that call. And, when Cushman first recalled that Ehrlichman did, Ehrlichman talked to him and said Bob, I didn't make that call. And Bob [Cushman] said well somebody from the White House did. I thought it was you - that it was you or Dean or somebody from the White House did. I thought it was you - that it was you or Dean or somebody who called me and that was the way that was left. And John said, I'd like a memorandum from you to that effect. Because there's a thing now saying that...this is all a long time ago...

NIXON
Yeah.

HALDEMAN
And, so Cushman wrote him about it, as I understood it from John. This says I did not - I do not recall that it was you who called me. I know that there was a phone call. Now, at least today, but had sworn an affidavit saying Ehrlichman was involved, I think. I don't know.

NIXON
But, uh, has John sworn to the contrary?

HALDEMAN
Probably...

(25:45-29:06)

SEGMENT TWO

NIXON
...When I heard, uh - when I was informed of this thing afterwards, the CIA was in the thing. I told, uh, Bob [Haldeman] to meet with Helms and Walters to find out - is that true?

HALDEMAN
Yes, sir.

HAIG
And that's exactly the way it should be.

NIXON
And I remember, I said, yep, find out what the hell the score is. And we didn't know, we didn't know. I thought maybe, Christ, that we were getting a bad rap cause these Cubans and so forth, we didn't know. Believe me, that's how unknowledgeable I am. I don't think you knew.

HALDEMAN
And, as I said, there was something-

NIXON
All Helms said - Helms, Helms said, that's how it is. This is the meeting when you didn't even mention Helms when you were in before, so I was trying to think I thought you said - there was a meeting in which Walters, Dean, Ehrlichman, Haldeman-

HALDEMAN
No, no, no. Dean was not there.

NIXON
That's curious because that looks like I ordered Walters, my old friend, over to do some cops and robbers. Do you think I would call Helms into something that I wanted to screw up?

HAIG
Never....

NIXON
And I said - I said to them, my God what the hell, is the situation here? I said if it leads, and I said, because the CIA gets involved or CIA people are involved - we don't want the CIA to be pulled into this <i>Watergate bugging</i>. Now, that basically is where - is that approximately what your recollection is of what I said - or is, Bob?

HALDEMAN
And, there was - as I mentioned there's a - in the back of my mind, there is a Bay of Pigs connection in this....

NIXON
YES. The reason was, I also said, I understand that: Hunt and the five people were all in the Bay of Pigs. And so therefore, they oughta get in and find out-

HALDEMAN
And you were concerned, about raising the point with Helms about the Bay of Pigs.

NIXON
Later on, Helms told me...I checked this whole Watergate thing, and the CIA has no problem in it. Period. And that was months later. That's what that is, basically. I just wanted to be sure how the meeting came about. I don't want to give the impression that Bob and John called up Walters, and said, come over here, we're going to concoct a story to get Gray the hell off the trail. And stick this with the CIA. That was not-

HAIG
No no no. And that's not the connotation of that meeting. But the subsequent discussions with Dean are very clearly that.

HALDEMAN
And does Dean imply that he's acting on anybody else's-

HAIG
No.

HALDEMAN
He does not?

HAIG
No. And Walters is very strong on that.

HALDEMAN
Because I don't think that I have any knowledge of Walters having any meetings- or that Dean was having any meetings with Walters. I thought the only-

HAIG
You oughta look at them, Bob. That's the best way to do it. Let you get the feel for it.

NIXON
Does he need to see the (unintelligible)?

HALDEMAN
I'd rather not. You've characterized them...if they don't get into this...

NIXON
Let me ask you this: does this involve the President?

HAIG
No.

NIXON
Tell me the truth, if it does.

HAIG
No. No it does not. There's a hearsay from Gray.

NIXON
Hearsay from Gray?

HAIG
Hearsay from Gray to Walters.

NIXON
To the effect that?

HAIG
To the effect that he'd called you.

NIXON
That's right. No no no, I called him. I told you about that. And he expressed his concern about it, and I told him, I told him, to go ahead and carry on the investigation. Does the hearsay say carry it out, or not? It doesn't?

HAIG
No, it doesn't say that. There was another...

HALDEMAN
Is the one there on Dean meeting with Nelson? John Dean?

NIXON
See, Gray can't claim...that he was restricted in his investigation because when I talked to him, I called him on that hijacker thing, he said some of your boys (unintelligible), I said, "Go right ahead." Carry on your investigation. Don't talk to me about (John Dean?). Don't give up the hearsay from Gray. Is that it? Is that going to be something that's going to be in the memcom now?...

HAIG
I don't know what Gray said. We've got to find that out. He testified yesterday.

NIXON
Well, I can't believe Gray. Good God almighty. After all the hell I went through for him, that poor dumb sonofabitch...would ever misrepresent now, what I said to him. He raised the point about this whole CIA crap. About the investigation. And I said, Pat, you gotta go ahead and deal with it. And I didn't know what the hell it was all about.

HALDEMAN
This does say, "he was instructed by me to talk with Gray, to tell him that the investigation not be pushed further." See that...

NIXON
Walters said it. Now wait a minute. Is Helms in this meeting? And what's it say?

HALDEMAN
He gives a little lead-in and then he says, "Haldeman says Ehrlichman was getting embarrassing...It was the President's wish that Walters call on acting FBI Director Patrick Gray and suggest to him that since five suspects had been arrested, it should be sufficient, and it would not help to have the inquiry pushed, especially in Mexico. Director Helms said he had contradicted a previous statement when he said (unintelligible). Haldeman then stated, 'I can tell Gray that I had talked to the White House and suggest the investigation not be pushed further.' Now Haldeman stated that I, Walters, could tell Gray that I, Walters, had talked to the White House and suggest the investigation not be pushed further. Gray would be receptive, as he was looking for guidance in that." Now that, I already knew. That Gray had raised the question here- we'd been told that Gray had raised the question- how, where was he supposed to push it? Which directions? And the question here was not pushing it in the direction of the CIA. Not pushing it in the direction it would uncover Bay of Pigs and national security. We were concerned about not only the CIA, but also the thing the CIA didn't know, which was (unintelligible) Pentagon Papers..."The director then agreed the agency would like to (discuss?) the matter, I agreed to talk to the director, Ehrlichman replied, I could do this, if necessary, I'd try to do it today. Meanwhile, the White House had discussed the matter briefly with the director, returning to the office I called Gray, and with some urgency he agreed to see me at fourteen thirty that day." Is there a June twenty third fourteen thirty meeting with Gray? This implies that he [Haldeman] saw Gray at two thirty on the twenty third of June. Okay, perfect. "Although further investigation of the Watergate affair had not touched any current or on-going covert projects of the Agency, its continuation might lead to some projects. I recalled the FBI and the agency then agreed in this respect Gray was aware of this, and I should (unintelligible) the problem was not a low-key matter, now that it was launched. He said a lot of money was involved, and I urged to check on the Mexican bank (unintelligible) Gray said this was the most (unintelligible). If the investigation were pushed south of the border, it could trespass onto some of our covert projects. In view of the fact that five men involved were arrested and under investigation already. He would have to talk to John Dean about it. Gray said he reportedly co-operated closely."

NIXON
Who said he had to talk to Dean?

HALDEMAN
Gray. He said he would have to talk to John Dean about it. See, this is where you get into the implications again. You get one hell of a mess about what it implies, even though what's there is- At no point were we concerned about this investigation going beyond Watergate.
NIXON
Al....Walters and Helms were called for the purpose of seeing that the investigation, ah, delved into Watergate but did not get into the covert operations of the CIA. Other covert operations - I didn't - none of us knew what in the hell they were. Is that basically what the thing is?

HALDEMAN
Yeah, plus we didn't know - I didn't know any specifics but I knew there had been this project with Hunt working on the leak business. The plumbers operation. We didn't want to get into that.

NIXON
That's right.

HALDEMAN
We didn't want to pursue Hunt and Liddy....They have arrested them. They had them there. They had them on the thing. Well, maybe they hadn't yet.

HAIG
You see Walters in his discussion with Gray - uh, keeps hitting upon the fact that some middle/lower White House guy - he's referring not by name to Dean - he's constantly trying to involve the White House in things that will involve the President. And the efforts from that and all that Walters would testify to, would be that Dean was there....and two, that in his discussions with Dean, he could never get any authority. For what Dean was asking.

NIXON
This is what Walters has told Al.

HALDEMAN
I don't believe I had any knowledge from Dean that he was dealing with Walters at all. I thought that the only contact with the CIA, and you recall, and you raised it, and I remember meeting with Walters and Helms-

HAIG
There's a 28 June meeting with Dean, 27 June meeting with Dean.

HALDEMAN
That's all after our meeting.

(41:14-41:40)

HALDEMAN
Had Hunt been arrested by then? See, Hunt wasn't arrested till later. He was loose for a bit. So this may have been when we were concerned about Hunt getting arrested and all that. At that point we didn't know that Hunt was at the Watergate.

NIXON
Oh, didn't we?

HALDEMAN
No.

NIXON
I didn't know that.

HALDEMAN
He was in somebody's book.

NIXON
Oh, I see.

HALDEMAN
He wasn't there. Was he? I don't think he was.

NIXON
Well, Al is exactly right. The implication of this, if you look, if you read the memcoms, is that, on the other hand, the story told by Walters will be-

HAIG
-very different.

(42:26-43:33)

NIXON
....I just wonder if there are copies [of Walters' memcoms] bouncing around some place.

HAIG
He said "no," that these are his personal memcoms. Now [Defense Secretary James R.] Schlesinger has seen them and [incoming CIA Director William] Colby has seen them. Schlesinger ordered him this morning to deliver them to Elliot Richardson and to me - copies to each. Thank God, he stopped here first.

NIXON
Yeah.

HALDEMAN
So, they didn't go to Elliot?

HAIG
No, and I called Schlesinger and said (a) they shouldn't because Elliot is not the Attorney General [not yet confirmed].

NIXON
That's right.

HAIG
And (b) we are assessing these for national security and what we should do later today - and you finish your coordination with Buzhardt so he's comfortable....

NIXON
Well, hell, we got to keep Colby - if Colby's seen the damn things, he's got to get lined up on this too. How do we do that?...Is Elliot going to want to see these memcoms...? Is Elliot going to insist on seeing them?

HAIG
He can't see them because we've got them and they are under executive privilege and they'll stay that way. That's the only thing we can do....It would be damaging now because of the sequence of time. First, you have a big, high-level meeting with Helms and Walters. And, then suddenly these contacts start with Dean who is really a bad guy.

NIXON
And then Dean would say he was ordered to.

(45:45-47:05)

HALDEMAN
The other point the lawyers make, which you just should keep in mind, our lawyers made, and they've been studying - and your guys I'm sure will and come up with the same thing - is the executive privilege is an objective and selective judgment on the part of the President.

HAIG
Right.

HALDEMAN
And it can be made case by case, totally selectively. It can be made paper-by-paper. Obviously, you weaken your case every time you let the bar down at all. You make it harder to keep it up for the next one.

(47:37-50:02)

NIXON
....I don't want Buzhardt to have any inclination from just reading that Goddamn paper that what this is basically a cover-up on the part of - that first paragraph, where it says the President told Haldeman to get the CIA - what did it say to do?

HALDEMAN
Talk to the FBI about not pursuing this further or something to that effect.

NIXON
But Buzhardt understands that the purpose of that talk had nothing to do with not pursuing the Watergate burglary. It had to do with not getting into the national security aspects....

(50:38-51:02)

HALDEMAN
That's it, and that's our biggest problem in this case. Every time, on every event it's been the Goddamn implications. And you never get a chance to give the facts....And then they live on the implications....

NIXON
I suppose our loose cannon out there now is Gray....

HAIG
Gray. Gray is a cannon. He's the guy I'm worried about.

HALDEMAN
He's trying to clean himself up.

NIXON
...[W]ell, it doesn't make any difference. We've done everything we could to save him and so forth...Gray apparently, we think, has testified to the effect that he was ordered by the CIA - what is it, Al, that Gray is - what do you hear that he is supposed to have said?...

HAIG
I thought he said that you had discussed this with him and you told him to go on with the investigation....

NIXON
What does it say there about Gray?

HAIG
This is very good. This says...[reading from Walters' memcom]: "Any attempt to involve the FBI or CIA in this could only prove the more [enduring?] wound and would achieve nothing. The President then said I should get rid of whoever is involved, no matter how high. Gray replied that that was his recommendation. The President then asked what I thought, and Gray said that my views were the same as his. The President took it well and thanked Gray..."

NIXON
Can we get Walters to say that?...That's damn good stuff because, frankly, it'll leak out...

HAIG
He's going to be superb.

HALDEMAN
Because Walters is so positive. His recollections are so sharp and so -

HAIG
He's so bright...

NIXON
Well, now, doesn't that hearten you a little about my role, Al?...Would you please mark that for Buzhardt so that he sees that point that I told Gray? Or has he seen it? Or do you think Buzhardt needs to see such things?

HAIG
I am not worried about Buzhardt.

NIXON
Well, I don't care if you're worried. I want him to believe.

HAIG
He believes.

NIXON
Well, be sure to mark that.

HALDEMAN
I think the President means really believe, not just believe him because he wants to.

NIXON
No. Goddamnit, I'm not covering anything up. I want Buzhardt, by God, to read that point. Now that's something that hasn't been written lately. That's something that was written at the time. That's what Pat Gray said and what I said in the conversation with Gray. Now, Goddamnit, that's my role, and that's what I told everybody in this whole Goddamn shop! You know what I mean? I said, oh sure, don't get people involved.

HALDEMAN
And watch the press on it. Be careful we don't start hanging people by innuendo, and...be careful we don't get slopped over into what these people were doing in national security.

HAIG
Here's a statement from Walters. "I agree that in my view the President should be protected from his self-apponted protectors." He's talking about Dean. "...who would harm him while trying to cover up their own face."

HALDEMAN
You're sure he's not talking about Ehrlichman and me? Because I'm not so sure he didn't feel that we were acting without authority. That certainly doesn't imply-

(56:30-1:00:09)

NIXON
Believe me, Al, that shows you how naive we were about it at the time. We actually thought the CIA was in the Goddamn thing. I must have thought so.

HALDEMAN
Well, the FBI thought so for months.

HAIG
I thought so....

(1:00:20-1:02:15)

[Haig leaves.]

NIXON
For Christ's sakes, we didn't order a cover-up by the CIA [<i>chuckles</i>], and you know that.

HALDEMAN
Right.

NIXON
The more I think of it, I think what happened is that Dean in some way got into this thing and then he started to operate and go into business <i>on his own</i>.

HALDEMAN
Yeah.

NIXON
Or do you agree?

HALDEMAN
I think that must be it, because I don't see what else it could be at this point. That's what all the trails lead to now. And, if that's the case, they'll find this out....

(1:02:49-1:04:42)

NIXON
....I don't give a damn what happens here, but fight this through to the finish. I mean, they are not after the shit that's out there. They're not after you, they're not after...John Mitchell, they're not after even John Dean or, needless to say, Ehrlichman. What they're after is, they're not after me as a person, but they're after what I have stood for and do stand for. That's what they're after. And they're trying to destroy-

HALDEMAN
And that we have to fight.

NIXON
For example, on this national security thing, we have the rocky situation where the sonofabitching thief [Ellsberg] is made a national hero and is going to get off on a mistrial. And the <i>New York Times</i> gets a Pulitzer prize for stealing documents....They're trying to get at us with thieves. <i>What in the name of God have we come to?</i>....

(1:05:42-1:06:18)

NIXON
You're going to be testifying this afternoon?

HALDEMAN
No, I have the FBI this afternoon.

NIXON
The FBI is on this thing.

HALDEMAN
Three different things they are after me on.

NIXON
What are they, do you know?

HALDEMAN
One's on this. Oh, one's on the Goddamn [James] Hoffa thing. They want to talk to me about Hoffa.

NIXON
What in the name of Christ are they on the Hoffa thing about?

HALDEMAN
I don't know. I don't know what I did on Hoffa.

NIXON
Well, I gave him the clemency. But that was the recommendation of the Department of Justice...There was no Goddamn question on that. Do you think Dean has said something on that, do you think?

HALDEMAN
Could be.

NIXON
Good. I'm glad they're getting into that [<i>laughs</i>].

HALDEMAN
Then I've got a subpoena to appear in the Federal court in Illinois.

NIXON
What's that about?

HALDEMAN
In the matter of the murder - of the plan to murder several dozen people.

NIXON
On what grounds are they getting you there?

HALDEMAN
The airline crash where Mrs. Hunt died. They apparently have me as a factor in crashing the airplane or something. [<i>Exhales</i>]...

(1:07:47-1:08:16) NIXON TAKES PHONE CALL

NIXON
Keep the faith.

HALDEMAN
Yes, sir...

NIXON
God.

HALDEMAN
Never worry.