Nixon Haig Watergate Strategy May 11 1973

Audio file for this conversation can be found at nixonlibrary.gov:
http://www.nixonlibrary.gov/forresearchers/find/tapes/tape165/165-004.mp3

Clip of this conversation with audio accompanied by transcript is on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9Ee8Y8eJcM

MAY 11, 1973: NIXON AND HAIG, 6:35-6:47 P.M., CAMP DAVID TELEPHONE

Another conversation where Nixon, as he often does in this period, strategizes about Watergate with his chief of staff, Al Haig. The memoranda of communications (memcoms) of Vernon Walters have proved especially damaging to Nixon, as they are hard proof that he tried to turn off the Watergate investigation by arguing that there were CIA links with the Watergate burglars. In this conversation, he suggests making Walters head of the FBI. It's difficult to not see that as a quid pro quo for the man's silence; the position of head of the FBI was also offered to Matthew Byrne, the judge in the Daniel Ellsberg case. A public relations fight is proposed with two main points: the wiretapping of the Nixon Administration was justified on the basis of national security, and it was also far less than the administrations of Johnson and Kennedy - which Nixon refers to as "Bobby Kennedy's administration". Kissinger is chastised for not admitting that he ordered wiretaps of his staff, among them, Clinton's future National Security Advisor, Anthony Lake. "He was up the wall. I didn't give a shit about this Lake," says Nixon. And this wiretapping was justified, because Lake went on to work for Democratic candidate Edwin Muskie. "He had defected," says Haig. Former Attorney General John Mitchell, who signed off on the wiretaps, is also condemned for his refusal to own up to his complicity in his grand jury testimony. "Oh, bullshit. Bullshit," says Nixon. "Mitchell, for Christ's sakes, approved every Goddamn wiretap there was. If he said that, Mitchell was just lying in his teeth."

PRESIDENT NIXON: Hello?

OPERATOR: General Haig.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Hi Al.

HAIG: Yes sir. We're having a little bit of trouble getting that damn Baldwin [Watergate burglar team member Al Baldwin] person over there, but we'll have this job done very quickly.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Let me say, I would prefer that the FBI had done it, but if it didn't, we Goddamn well had better have done it.

HAIG: That's absolutely right.

PRESIDENT NIXON: You know. Oh, one thing I was going to say. I had a press conference at one point, where I pointed out, that the height of the national security type thing, you know, there were many more than Hoover ever admitted, but the height was in Bobby Kennedy's administration.

HAIG: That's right.

PRESIDENT NIXON: This and that. So, in the statement that is to go out, Ruckelshaus should say, look, yes, the FBI has done a lot of national security investigations, the number in the Kennedy administration was blank, the number in the Johnson administration was blank. The number in this administration was blank. And ours is going to be lower than anybody else's, you know.

HAIG: Right, right. Exactly.

PRESIDENT NIXON: And I think that's a good way to put it. And then he should go on to say, "What about newsmen? There was no tapping of newsmen, but only for the purpose of determining whether or not if people with security information had leaked to them."

HAIG: Yes, they always were based on leaks.

PRESIDENT NIXON: That's right, always based on that. This imputes nothing of guilt to them. It's solely for the purpose of determining whether that...the public is going to be with us on this, Al, because most people don't want newsmen to print this Goddamn crap.

HAIG: That's right. Exactly right.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Don't you agree?

HAIG: Now, I've gotten some readout on some of today's activities. Gray [Patrick Gray, acting head of the FBI] made a statement that he...called Clark MacGregor [head of the president's re-election committee] on July 5 in San Clemente. And asked if he had any evidence of presidential suppression. And of course, MacGregor said absolutely not. And yesterday, I understand Gray had stated this in his testimony.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Yeah.

HAIG: And that in his testimony, it was very strong that there was no presidential...

PRESIDENT NIXON: The main thing about that is to give Walters' [Deputy Director of the CIA Vernon Walters] cryptic statement to the effect where I told Gray, go to the very top. That's got to get out.

HAIG: That's right.

PRESIDENT NIXON: I don't know how you can do it, but-

HAIG: Well, now, Walters has gone to see Petersen [Assistant Attorney General Henry Petersen].

PRESIDENT NIXON: Yes.

HAIG: He refused along the lines we discussed, and he said he'd be prepared to submit an affidavit. Petersen said "no, don't bother, you're going to be a witness." Now, we're going to work on Schlesinger [James Schlesinger, head of the CIA] a little more, I was a little nervous about him-

PRESIDENT NIXON: He'll be alright.

HAIG: Now, about the memcoms-

PRESIDENT NIXON: Yeah.

HAIG: -we're handling.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Yes.

HAIG: And I had Buzhardt talk to him.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Yes.

HAIG: And he's very comfortable-

PRESIDENT NIXON: Well, you can't give him the memcoms for other reasons, but we can testify about everything that's in them.

HAIG: That's exactly right. He's on board with that. He's also going to see Colby [William Colby, Executive Director of the CIA], is an old pro.

PRESIDENT NIXON: He's behaving, isn't he?

HAIG: Oh yeah.

(natsec withdrawn)

HAIG: So we...I'm not too concerned about that, any problem there. That we're going to have any kickback. Now, Richardson, we had a little problem with his image, which is...too much of a clean boy, not enough of a gut fighting prosecutor, which is exactly what he is.

PRESIDENT NIXON: He should be a gut-fighting prosecutor.

HAIG: That's right. So we're getting some stories out on that. Williams has described him as the best prosecutor he's known.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Who? Who?

HAIG: Bennett Williams.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Yes.

HAIG: He handled the Goldfine case [Bernard Goldfine, crooked textile manufacturer, part of a scandal involving Eisenhower's chief of staff, Sherman Adams], and the Boston money case. We're getting these stories out.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Good.

HAIG: Helps his image.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Right. Right.

HAIG: And he goes back on Monday. Tuesday.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Right. Right.

HAIG: The timing is being held up by the FBI check. They are not executing carefully. For the prosecutor. The special prosecutor.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Yes. Who's the leading...at the moment?

HAIG: Well, I don't know her-

PRESIDENT NIXON: Well, don't tell me.

HAIG: (Unintelligible.) But they've got to check every one of these guys out and they're taking notes-

PRESIDENT NIXON: Tell me this. How about making Vern [Vernon Walters] head of the FBI now?

HAIG: Well.

PRESIDENT NIXON: He was a top candidate before all this stuff...why not?

HAIG: Well.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Think about it.

HAIG: Yes-

PRESIDENT NIXON: (laughs)

HAIG: The way he played that Goddamn case, we'd have some director.

PRESIDENT NIXON: What?

HAIG: The way he's played that case, we'd have some director...the Los Angeles cocktail circuit over there.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Well, there's another jerk in St. Louis that's been considered. Be sure his name is looked into, they tell me he's clean as a hound's tooth, and a helluva guy.

HAIG: Good.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Check that name out. Todd among others will know. One of Ehrlichman's people will know. And Goddamnit, let's just get somebody in there. Because we've got to clean the Goddamn place out. Now, with regard to this guy's resignation, I would not do it in a peremptory way, tell you why. Why have him go out and start slashing the president right away?

HAIG: Yes.

PRESIDENT NIXON: See my point?

HAIG: Right, right.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Isn't worth it.

HAIG: Well, this ain't some case. It's flavored a little bit, any how, we oughta...go slow on that.

PRESIDENT NIXON: What do you mean? Change his flavor?

HAIG: Well, the Ellsberg thing is dead now-

PRESIDENT NIXON: That's right. Good. Don't you think that's good or not?

HAIG: Well...Ruckelshaus will have some ideas there...

PRESIDENT NIXON: But tell Ruck he's gotta stand firm. And, look, he can look at all these things. He can look at all these Goddamn memcoms, you know that.

HAIG: Sure.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Doesn't bother me a bit.

HAIG: Well, we're going to go through the whole thing tonight, be sure we know exactly what we have.

PRESIDENT NIXON: That's right. You and Buzhardt.

HAIG: That's right. We know exactly what we have...I think I know, and I think there's no problem with it...

PRESIDENT NIXON: On the Lake thing [wiretapping of former National Security Council member Anthony Lake], the only thing that concerned me, I just want to know, who the hell did it [who did the wiretap]?

HAIG: Yeah.

PRESIDENT NIXON: You don't know yet, huh?

HAIG: Well...

PRESIDENT NIXON: I'm sure...well, let me say, if it came from Mardian, then the FBI did it.

HAIG: That's right. And that's where this stuff came from. So anything we have-

PRESIDENT NIXON: Except Maridian might have been working with that Goddamn Hunt. You know, I didn't know they were working with Hunt. I didn't have the slightest idea we had somebody else working on this other than the FBI, I really didn't.

HAIG: Well no, he may have. But we'll have to find that out.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Find out. But the point is, if Hoover wasn't investigating the leak, the Goddamn guy should have been fired.

HAIG: Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, I know he did on the original stuff.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Yeah, I know he was in, '69, '70, the question is whether he was in on June of '71, when this fellow went over to McGovern, hell, I mean McCarth...oh Christ, the other guy...

HAIG: Muskie.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Muskie. Henry just went up the walls, "We gotta find out what the hell's he doing," you know. Al. When Henry garbles around about this, let's understand, this was the one that insisted that we had to find out who Lake was talking to.

HAIG: Exactly.

PRESIDENT NIXON: You remember?

HAIG: I know.

PRESIDENT NIXON: He was up the wall. I didn't give a shit about this Lake. But Lake had been with him to Moscow. He'd been with him to Peking. He'd been with him in the, you know, Vietnam. And he was scared to death.

HAIG: Sure. And he's, matter of fact, we've gotta keep Henry off that platform tomorrow.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Why? Because he's out of his mind?

HAIG: No, oh nonono. He's alright.

PRESIDENT NIXON: As a matter of fact, I wonder if we should. I wonder if Henry-

HAIG: -pop it out?

PRESIDENT NIXON: Huh?

HAIG: Just let him be the story?

PRESIDENT NIXON: Why not? Why doesn't he come out and say, "Look. Yes, there were investigations, I'm not going to discuss them, but they're all for the purpose of these leaks of terribly important national security things that would destroy this country." Now, Goddamn, Henry ought to stand up and say that. Why does he just wait till things are good to do it?

HAIG: Well-

PRESIDENT NIXON: Otherwise I've gotta do it.

HAIG: Yes...I'm a little bit, trouble is I'm a little worried that it wouldn't be self-serving...

PRESIDENT NIXON: Oh, I see. He'd try to say he had nothing to do with it, he knew nothing about it. Bullshit. He knew all about it.

HAIG: It was cut off quickly...

PRESIDENT NIXON: He not only knew about it, Al, but Christ's sakes, who was in the office, pounding the desk, saying "We gotta find out!"

HAIG: Yeah.

PRESIDENT NIXON: I was. And you were, I'm sure.

HAIG: That's right.

PRESIDENT NIXON: But Goddamnit, Henry was too, Al.

HAIG: I never saw any reluctance. (laughs)

PRESIDENT NIXON: (laughs) Reluctance? Yeah.

HAIG: Well, but I think he's more sensitive about his liberal friends than-

PRESIDENT NIXON: So, basically, let's put out a very good strong statement, and write it out long, though. Have Henry write a long statement, the things he's going to say in his opening statement. And that'll make a good story.

HAIG: Right.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Fine. No doubt. Now. With regard to Ruck, I think he should say, he's investigating the whole thing, but I think, some way, we oughta get out, these numbers again, and tell Ziegler, Goddamnit, Ziegler knows what I said at this press conference, because they prepared it. And there were a hundred eight or twelve in the Kennedy- Bobby Kennedy was the highest. And ninety four in the Johnson administration. And we had about eighty eight. But Goddamnit, we should have had a hundred and seventy. You see my point? My point is: don't have Ruck go out and say "Yes, we did that to newsmen," for Christ's sakes. Goddamnit, point out that yes, we've been doing it...don't you agree with me offense is the best...go to Buzhardt, see about these guys.

HAIG: Nono, he's the guy that wants to do it. He wants to get out and flatly say it's totally legal, and it's fortunate it's been done.

PRESIDENT NIXON: The only problem we got, basically, is, well, I say the only problem, it may be a problem it may not...the Lake thing might have been done by somebody, you know, outside. But if it was, Al, doesn't the President of the United States have the responsibility to conduct an investigation with regard to leaks in the Goddamn place? On a national security basis? Or do we? And say, nono, I've got to go to the court and ask them? Screw the court. Huh?

HAIG: Well, that's right. Now, I feel maybe there's...that particular thing we have to find out.

PRESIDENT NIXON: I bet you the Lake thing was done by the FBI.

HAIG: Yeah. Yeah.

PRESIDENT NIXON: I had the recollection that it was. I never saw any of the Lake reports. Henry used to come in, and burble around a little, see if Lake was saying anything.

HAIG: That's right. He didn't when we were watching him.

PRESIDENT NIXON: You watched him, didn't you? Did he ever say anything?

HAIG: No.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Remember he met with Harriman, never said a Goddamn thing.

HAIG: That's right.

PRESIDENT NIXON: But Henry was scared to death that he would put out everything. Oh well. Fine. Who's looking after that, trying to find the Lake file now. Is anybody?

HAIG: Uh yes, Buzhardt's over there, I just left there, we were waiting to get the Goddamn Secret Service to be in with us. That's what they had to do.

PRESIDENT NIXON: I see.

HAIG: So we're going to- quickly-

PRESIDENT NIXON: Will you call me back?

HAIG: Yes sir.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Let me say: whatever we did, Goddamnit now, let's be positive about it and let's fight it right down, Jesus Christ, I think of the fact that here we are worrying about whether Lake was investigated, good God, he should have been investigated. He'd left the staff. He had a lot of confidential information. And we had to know, huh?

HAIG: He had defected.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Defected? That's right. Good God, don't we have a responsibility...it might involve whether we end the war and have the China initiative or not have it. Right?

HAIG: Exactly right.

PRESIDENT NIXON: And by God, let's fight it right down to the wire. The newsmen don't bother me, most people would love bugging the Goddamn newsmen, believe me.

HAIG: That's right. They were printing unauthorized stuff-

PRESIDENT NIXON: That's right, that's right. You see, Ron [Ziegler] figures we just hold the one he's got tonight?

HAIG: Well, I think so. There won't be any hit tonight, I don't think.

PRESIDENT NIXON: With the Ellsberg thing, it wouldn't look right. You don't think you want Henry to go out tomorrow, then? I mean, the point is, Henry would be the other block to face up to this damn thing, hit it right out of the ballpark. Say, "Of course we did it."

HAIG: -intended to do it, it would be from his perspective, you see.

PRESIDENT NIXON: But you'd be, I didn't know a thing about it, right?

HAIG: No no, he'd say, I got this reports, they were not earmarked as wiretaps, they were-

PRESIDENT NIXON: No no, none of them ever were.

HAIG: That's right. And they involved...none of this is the way he intended to say it, "I received no illegal information. It was there. It involved the report of people under my supervision, reports on them, they came directly to me, initially, and then, after a few months, stopped, and I was told about cases under my supervision from time to time." That's the way he intended to do it.

PRESIDENT NIXON: You'd prefer- You think he's too weak to go out and- Why the hell do we- (unintelligible) I see. Well, hell, the Soviet announcement is pretty good by itself, without Henry going out and burbling about it. What do you think?

HAIG: Well, I do. He doesn't know this yet, he'll probably be upset, but he won't be upset if he knows you're the first line on the subject.

PRESIDENT NIXON: That's right. Now. With regard to Ruck, you should just say "Don't you go out till we have all the facts." Now, what if Ruck wanted to come over and look at the files?

HAIG: No, he hasn't asked to do that, he's just said he's in a hell of a dilemma, he's anxious to get out and really knock this one over the fence, and wants to do it as soon as possible, but he says, Goddamn, I can't get any material.

PRESIDENT NIXON: You see-

HAIG: The files-

PRESIDENT NIXON: What really happened, let me tell you this. What really happened, Edgar Hoover was a genius in this respect. He didn't keep any damn files of things he did on investigations with regard to national security, he left them at the White House. Did you know that?

HAIG: Of course.

PRESIDENT NIXON: And, what happened is, good old Edgar, of course, probably had Mardian, he probably told him he'd take the Goddamn things over to the White House. You know?

HAIG: That's right-

PRESIDENT NIXON: And Sullivan did the same thing. Sullivan just did it. He's just going to play the hard line- has he already testified?

HAIG: Yes, yes sir. I haven't got any readout. I understand there was a discrepancy between Mardian and Sullivan in their testimony.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Oh boy.

HAIG: Mardian insisted that the- well no, not Mardian, but the Attorney General, Mitchell. Mitchell insisted he knew of no wiretaps.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Oh, bullshit. Bullshit. Mitchell, for Christ's sakes, approved every Goddamn wiretap there was. If he said that, Mitchell was just lying in his teeth.

HAIG: That's right, and Sullivan insisted he did. He said there's even a signature.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Yeah.

HAIG: From Mitchell, on the box of material that was sent over, so we've got to find that too.

PRESIDENT NIXON: That's right. Well, just another nail in John Mitchell's coffin, but...

HAIG: Yes-

PRESIDENT NIXON: But anyway, this is what we're paid the big salaries for, Al. Fight the Goddamn battle, and you tell Henry, he's gotta know that, you know, everything, including the India-Pakistan thing is going to come out here, and he's gotta say, "Look, of course we did it. We did it for the national security." What do you think?

HAIG: Well, I...Christ-

PRESIDENT NIXON: Including if Lake was bugged by Hunt. Good God, somebody ought to bug the sonofabitch.

HAIG: That's right.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Oh, if it wasn't Hunt, I hope it was the FBI, but what the hell?

HAIG: Well, if it was it was, and we have-

PRESIDENT NIXON: But tell Buzhardt, if it was Hunt, just to find out the legal basis that uh sure, the president's...my God, the president must have the authority in a national security instance to order that...of course we have. Good Christ, if you can bomb Cambodia, you can do this.

HAIG: (laughs) Right. That's right. Well, we'll have this thing-

PRESIDENT NIXON: What is that? Who is working on trying to find Lake's file now?

HAIG: Uh, Buzhardt.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Buzhardt?

HAIG: Right.

PRESIDENT NIXON: He thinks he can get it for me-

HAIG: Just...I'm going to take, take me over too, so we can do this quicker.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Yeah. Let me know how long. A half hour?

HAIG: I think so.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Call me back.

HAIG: Alright.