Conversation: 908-024
Prev: 908-023 Next: 908-025Start Date: Tuesday, May 1, 1973 8:16 PM
End Date: Tuesday, May 1, 1973 9:10 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); [Unknown person(s)]; Agnew, Spiro T. (Vice President); Cole, Kenneth R., Jr.; Ziegler, Ronald L.Recording Device: Oval Office
NARA Description:
On May 1, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, unknown person(s), Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:16 pm to 5:10 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 908-024 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 908-24
Date: May 1, 1973
Time: 4:16 pm - 5:10 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with an unknown man.
Spiro T. Agnew’s arrival
The President met with Agnew.
Watergate
-President’s previous Cabinet meeting
-President’s comments
-40-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)
Conversation No. 908-24 (cont’d)
-Charles H. Percy, Jr.
-Percy
-Elliot L. Richardson
-Agnew’s telephone call to H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Grand jury investigation of Spiro T. Agnew
-President’s instructions to Haldeman
-J. Glenn Beall, Jr.
-George Beall
-Prosecutor
-Agnew’s possible statements
-Percy
-Agnew’s press conference, April 30
-Agnew’s possible statements
-Agnew, Ronald W. Reagan, and Nelson A. Rockefeller
-Agnew’s possible statements
-President with Dwight D. Eisenhower
-John D. Ehrlichman, Haldeman, and John N. Mitchell
-Agnew’s knowledge
-Assistance to President
-Press
-Previous attacks on press
-November 3, 1969 speech
-1976 election
-Possible press attacks on Agnew
-Agnew’s possible role in second term
-Effects on administration
-Mitchell’s indictment
-Haldeman’s telephone call to Agnew
Agnew
-Relationships
-Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Possible role in administration
-Help
Wounded Knee incident
-Law and order
-41-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)
Conversation No. 908-24 (cont’d)
Watergate
-George H. W. Bush’s comments
-Anne L. Armstrong’s comments
Agnew
-Possible role in administration
-Foreign travel
-Vietnam War
Congressional relations
-Agnew’s role
-Percy
-Edward W. Brooke
-Support for administration
-Percy
-Barry M. Goldwater
-Charles McC. Mathias, Jr.
-Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.
-Agnew’s previous experience campaigning
-Ambition
-Publicity
Agnew
-Possible foreign travel
-Asia
-William P. Rogers
-Europe
-Middle East
-Egypt
-Peace settlement
-Interim agreement
-Suez Canal
-Egypt, Algeria, Israel
-Role in administration
-Intergovernmental relations
-Governors
-42-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)
Conversation No. 908-24 (cont’d)
-Quell newspaper speculation
*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
1976 election
-Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
-Agnew, Reagan, and Rockefeller
-John B. Connally
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************
Agnew
-Role in administration
-Kenneth R. Cole, Jr.
-Domestic policy
-Intergovernmental relations
-First 1968 campaign trip
-Press attacks
-President’s previous Cabinet meeting
-Haldeman, Ehrlichman
-President’s warning
-Credibility
-Impact on Agnew’s friends
-Role in administration
-Intergovernmental relations
-Cole
-Policy making
-Meetings
-Cabinet, National Security Council [NSC]
-Quadriad
-Wage, price control
-Political overtones in economy
-Access to President
-43-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)
Conversation No. 908-24 (cont’d)
-Haldeman’s role
-Stephen B. Bull
-Role in administration
-Cole
-Domestic Council
-Vice Chairman
An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 4:16 pm.
Bull’s location
Cole
-Presence at present meeting
The unknown man left at an unknown time before 4:35 pm.
Agnew
-Role in administration
-Domestic Council
-Vice Chairman
-Cole’s role
-Senators, Congressmen
-Possible statements on Watergate
-Magazine reports on statements regarding President
-Agnew’s goals
-Richardson’s advice
-Ziegler
-Goldwater
-Statements by Percy and Goldwater
-Special Prosecutor
-Press treatment
-Cessation of statements
-Offer of assistance to President
Cole entered at 4:35 pm.
-44-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)
Conversation No. 908-24 (cont’d)
Agnew
-Role in administration
-Domestic Council
-Vice Chairman
-Staff
-Intergovernmental relations
-Governors
-Quadriad meeting, May 2
-Bull
-Cole’s, Agnew’s attendance
-George P. Shultz
-Domestic Council
-Quadriad meetings
-Shultz
Cole left at 4:39 pm.
Watergate
-Possible statements by Agnew
-Integrity of President
-Duration
-Mitchell
-Public reaction
-Maurice H. Stans
-John W. Dean, III’s involvement
-Ehrlichman and Haldeman
-Guilt
-Ehrlichman and Haldeman
-Dean
-Ehrlichman and Robert L. Vesco
-Double standard
-International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT]
-Agnew
-Relations with press
-Cabinet
-Richard G. Kleindienst
-Mitchell
-45-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)
Conversation No. 908-24 (cont’d)
-Prosecution
-Richardson
-Appointment
-Support
-“Eastern establishment”
-Prospects for administration
-Ervin Committee
-Ehrlichman and Haldeman
-Mitchell
-Samuel J. Ervin, Jr.
-Publicity
-Statement regarding Haldeman
-Howard H. Baker, Jr.
-Agnew’s possible statements
-Cabinet
-Harold L. Ickes
-Agnew’s avoidance
President’s previous meeting with Willy Brandt
Berlin
-Future
US-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR] relations
-Detente
-Soviet Jewry
-President’s meeting with Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson, Abraham A.
Ribicoff, Jacob K. Javits, and Agnew
-USSR position
-Diplomatic cable
-Accommodation
-Domestic affairs
Public relations
-Announcement
-Agnew’s Vice Chairmanship
-46-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)
Conversation No. 908-24 (cont’d)
An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 4:39 pm.
Meeting with Ziegler
-Announcement
The unknown person left at an unknown time before 4:48 pm.
President’s previous meeting regarding Soviet Jewry
-Senators’ reaction
-Jackson’s constituency
-Candidacy for President
-US military aid for Israel
-“Hardline”
-Jews
Jews
-Political constituency
-Agnew
-Baltimore
-President
-Maintenance
-Soviet Jewry
-President’s meeting with Jewish leaders, April 19
Ziegler entered at 4:48 pm.
Agnew’s role in administration
-Domestic Council
-Cole
-Vice Chairman
-Intergovernmental relations
-Quadriad
-Announcement
Watergate
-Agnew’s possible statements
-President’s comments in previous Cabinet meeting
-47-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)
Conversation No. 908-24 (cont’d)
-Percy
-President’s instructions to Cabinet
-Richardson’s opinion
-Leonard Garment
-Special Prosecutor
-Percy’s statement
-Richardson
-Agnew’s previous statements
-Press coverage
-Time, Newsweek
President’s meeting with Agnew
-Agnew’s role in administration
-Vice Chairman of Domestic Council
-Governors, mayors, county officials
-Announcement
Previous Cabinet meeting
-Announcement
-Rogers C. B. Morton’s health
Ziegler’s morale
Agnew’s morale
-President’s speech
Watergate
-Departures of Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Compared with Sherman Adams and Eisenhower
-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] guards in office
-President’s reaction
-William P. Rogers
-Memorandum
-Haldeman’s and Ehrlichman’s papers
-Orders
-Press reports
-Haldeman’s and Ehrlichman’s wishes
-48-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)
Conversation No. 908-24 (cont’d)
-Richardson, William D. Ruckelshaus, and Leonard Garment
-Cosmetics, perceptions
-President’s reaction
-President’s statement in Cabinet meeting
-Richardson
-Press story
-Garment
-United Press International [UPI]
-Handling of papers
-President’s meeting with Agnew
-Possible relations with press
-Avoidance of confrontation
-Maryland Press Association
-Agnew’s conversation with William S. White
-Agnew
-Possible statements on Watergate
-Previous statement on Watergate
-Relations with press
-Tone of White House
-White House staff
-Press
-Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Use of offices
-Dean
-Treatment by White House
Ash
Shultz
Agnew’s role in administration
-Quadriad meeting
-NSC, Congressional leaders meetings
-Press announcement
-Domestic Council
-Cole
-49-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)
Conversation No. 908-24 (cont’d)
Ziegler left at an unknown time before 5:10 pm.
*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
Agnew’s meeting with Republicans
-Arkansas
-Pennsylvania
-Liberal contingent
-Clifford L. Jones
-Sarah Ann (“Sally”) Stauffer
-Thomas B. McCabe
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************
Eastern liberals
-President’s counterattack
-New York-Washington, DC axis
-People’s Republic of China [PRC], USSR, Vietnam War
-Bombing in Cambodia
-Legal justification
-Violations
President’s decisions
-Haiphong harbor
Watergate
-Agnew’s possible statements
-Press
Agnew
-Political ambitions
President’s, Agnew’s schedules
-50-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. October-2012)
Conversation No. 908-24 (cont’d)
-Executive Office Building [EOB]
The President and Agnew left at 5:10 pm.