Nixon Woods Pappas Watergate Burglars Funds May 23 1973

The President is anxious for his secretary to contact Thomas Pappas to make sure he will tell the right story.

Introduction and transcript from Stanley Kutler's The Abuse of Power.

This video will be a supplement to a future essay on Watergate.

Audio file is at nixonlibrary.gov (this segment runs from 2:23-6:51):
http://www.nixonlibrary.gov/forresearchers/find/tapes/tape926/926-005.mp3

Clip with audio accompanied by transcript is on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6XC8pBxU-U

MAY 23, 1973: THE PRESIDENT AND ROSE MARY WOODS, 10:55-11:12 A.M., OVAL OFFICE

The President is anxious for his secretary to contact Thomas Pappas to make sure he will tell the right story.

PRESIDENT NIXON: . . . Good old Tom Pappas, as you probably know or heard, if you haven't already heard, it is true, helped at Mitchell's request fund-raising for some of the defendants. . . .

WOODS: I hadn't heard that Mitchell bit.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Right. Well, he did. He did. And that's what we've learned. He came up to see me on March the 7th, Pappas did. Pappas came to see me about the Ambassador to Greece, that he wanted to—he wanted to keep [Henry] Tasca there. We did not discuss Watergate at that point. It's very important that he remember that. I did thank him for all the help that he gave Mitchell in fund-raising activities. I just want to—I don't know how we can—I don't—I think he's smart enough to know that investigators might ask him, did the President know of your fundraising activities? You see, I learned of his fundraising activities in that period of time, but I didn't—but they were not illegal, understand. They wouldn't be illegal. Pappas would not get in trouble for doing it unless he—unless his purpose, any more than Kalmbach's purpose was, his purpose was, to keep the defendants shut. You've a right to raise, you know, contribute money for legal defense. Hell, they've given to Ellsberg and other people. I don't know whether—it's very important I not talk to him about it at all. . .

WOODS: I think it's dangerous to talk on that kind of line.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Oh, no, no, no, no. I wouldn't. I was thinking if he were down some time.

WOODS: I can find out.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Find out when he's here, and simply say: Remember the brief you had with the President? The President's recollection was that the subject that and that there was no discussion of Watergate, and that his recollection and his statement was based on that; and it's very important that, if you were asked, that that is your recollection. We're not trying to—understand, Pappas can say anything he wants, but I don't want him, I'm not asking him to lie. This is the truth. But on the other hand, when I thanked him for his—I thanked him for all his fundraising activities, you know—

WOODS: Well, he worked over there almost alone.

PRESIDENT NIXON: Right. Just say that there was no discussion of Watergate or fundraising—of the Watergate issues. I think it's very important. That's my recollection and I want to be sure that his is the same. Well, just keep it in the back of your mind. . . .

WOODS: Well, I can call his office. He has an office in Boston I can call and I can find out.

PRESIDENT NIXON: See, Dean was aware of his fundraising activities. . . . Dean apparently worked directly with Mitchell on fundraising—I mean, with Pappas. Pappas raised the money and all, but Pappas did it discreetly. He just raised it, you know. He was just like Kalmbach, much earlier.