$Unique_ID{bob01214} $Pretitle{} $Title{Nixon Tapes, The April 16, 1973. (3:27pm - 4:04pm)} $Subtitle{} $Author{Various} $Affiliation{} $Subject{nixon pres ehrlichman unintelligible ziegler say dean yeah get that's} $Date{1974} $Log{} Title: Nixon Tapes, The Author: Various Date: 1974 April 16, 1973. (3:27pm - 4:04pm) Meeting: President Nixon, John Ehrlichman and Ron Ziegler, EOB Office Pres. Nixon: Yeah - did you make any progress on that thing? How does it stand? Fine. J. Ehrlichman: I'd say that - Pres. Nixon: Gray denies to Petersen that he ever got the bundle. Oh, he's dumb. Well, Petersen tells me that he's told Haldeman - I mean Ehrlichman. He was very (unintelligible) Mitchell (unintelligible) this, Petersen being honest. J. Ehrlichman: Dean informed Liddy that Hunt should leave the Pres. Nixon: (Unintelligible) the idea that Dean, you know. But you warned him didn't you? J. Ehrlichman: Sure did. There (unintelligible) I was. Pres. Nixon: You didn't see it? J. Ehrlichman: No, didn't know what was in it. Could have been shredded newspaper, as far as I know. So that, well it could be Pres. Nixon: Well, Dean will say - J. Ehrlichman: Dean will say what he put in it, I suppose. See, Dean arrived at my office with a scotch-taped, sealed big envelope and handed it to Gray. What - I said, "Well, Pres. Nixon: There's the contents of (unintelligible) safe? J. Ehrlichman: No. Dean had told me that before Gray got there, I think - I can't be sure of this - but in any event, I knew what it purported to be. Pres. Nixon: Where - when was Gray told that it was not really the Watergate? J. Ehrlichman: I don't know. I don't know. It may have been told him in my presence or not, I just - Pres. Nixon: But, you think be was told? J. Ehrlichman: He says he was, and I don't have any reason to doubt it, but I can't swear that I heard that said. Ah - and ah - again, I can't. Pres. Nixon: (Unintelligible) J. Ehrlichman: Could say, you know, it may be that his story is I opened it and it was full of paper napkins or, you know, some damned thing. But if he says 1 was not in Ehrlichman's office and I did not receive a big manila envelope from Dean, then I'm going to have to dispute that. (Unintelligible\ there and then do that. Pres. Nixon: (Unintelligible) J. Ehrlichman: Yeah. Pres. Nixon: Has he testified to that, John, or do you think -? J. Ehrlichman: He's told the U.S. Attorney that. Pres. Nixon: That what? J. Ehrlichman: That he cave him an envelope there that was the contents of the Hunt safe. Pres. Nixon: (Unintelligible) J. Ehrlichman: Dick Howard just got a subpoena from the Grand Jury. Pres. Nixon: Yeah. J. Ehrlichman: The FBI agent who called said, "I'm coming over to serve you with a subpoena from the Grand Jury, Mr. Howard. You may want to go and talk to Mr. Dean while I'm on my way over there in case you want to get any advice." Pres. Nixon: Did he talk to Dean? J. Ehrlichman: No, fortunately, he talked to Colson. Colson - I had told him that Dean was over the hill, cautioned him, and then he told me and said, "Boy, you got an outpost over there. Well. U.S. Attorney's having the FBI agents send everybody a subpoena - go talk to Dean. Pres. Nixon: Because he was (unintelligible) the practice. J. Ehrlichman: Well, I have - that's what they thought, but more probably they'd like Dean to sit there and listen to every guy's story and then call over and let them know what's going on. Pres. Nixon: (Unintelligible) Dean (unintelligible) talk to (unintelligible) apparently he's J. Ehrlichman: I must caution you about that because it's certainly improper for him to be counselling any of our people. Pres. Nixon: I've got to talk to him. He's got to quit counselling anybody right now. J. Ehrlichman: Let me finish this. Pres. Nixon: Oh, sure, John. Did (unintelligible) tell you about the other (unintelligible) that he's coming to ask you about it? I'm not asking you to make up any story, but I'm just simply saving, I just can't - damned dumb Gray, Director of the FBI in the position of having two White House people say he got an envelope and be doesn't remember it. I heard you talked to him. What did be say to you last night? J. Ehrlichman: He said he can't say that. Pres. Nixon: What did he say to you though? J. Ehrlichman: He said, I said - Pres. Nixon: After (unintelligible). J. Ehrlichman: Dean say saying so and so, and he said he can't say that. And I said, he already has. But he said, I destroyed it. Well. that's it. You know, that's pretty tough (unintelligible) if he doesn't now. (unintelligible) sure putting the best face on what they did to Strachan over there. Questioned by the prosecutors. Despite considerable fencing, he refused to discuss the matter and was excused by the prosecutor. According to Strachan - then they - you mustn't say anything to anybody about this because I suppose he wasn't supposed to call over here. Pres. Nixon: Yeah, I don't. J. Ehrlichman: He called to get advice. He said they really worked him over, said stuff as, "Listen, Strachan, you're going to jail: think about your wife, think about your baby and how would you like to be disbarred, and -" Pres. Nixon: I know. I know. J. Ehrlichman: You know, that kind of stuff. Pres. Nixon: I knew they were going to work him over. He asked for a lawyer? J. Ehrlichman: No, they asked him to get a lawyer. They kept stressing it. They wanted him to get a lawyer and I think what they are doing is setting him up for (unintelligible). Pres. Nixon: Well. That safe John, something about the damned notebooks - he said, notebook. J. Ehrlichman: Yeah, I know. He's said that right along. Pres. Nixon: And there were? J. Ehrlichman: Oh, I don't know. I honestly don't. Now, Kehrli and the Secret Service agents were there when that safe was opened and (unintelligible). Never tried (unintelligible) appointments after that, so they are still on this. Pres. Nixon: That's your only vulnerability, John. J. Ehrlichman: Deep six and the FBI business and Liddy. Well, that's interesting that Dean would take that remark and go out and act on it. Pres. Nixon: Deep sixing? J. Ehrlichman: No, the Liddy deal. Pres. Nixon: Told (unintelligible). J. Ehrlichman: Hunt, yeah, that it came through Dean. Pres. Nixon: But, apparently they didn't leave - in other words. J. Ehrlichman: Oh, no. No, no. Pres. Nixon: You were discussing it. I told, I tried to tell Petersen, "Well, look, I can imagine them having a discussion - he said, "He ought to leave the country - maybe we ought to deep six it." J. Ehrlichman: Mmhuh. Pres. Nixon: And you didn't do any of those things. At least I think that's based on - not any thoughts on this point? ------------------------- Ziegler enters. ------------------------- Pres. Nixon: Who have you talked to? R. Ziegler: Yes, sir. I talked to Moore, Pres. Nixon: Yeah. R. Ziegler: Chappie Rose. Both of them are against it. Pres. Nixon: They're against it? All right. Because of the reasons you mentioned? R. Ziegler: Some of those. But Rose - their best lawyer is working on that - and - Pres. Nixon: OK. R. Ziegler: His concern. Pres. Nixon: We just won't try to get out in front. We got anything else you can say. Don't say, don't - we seem to, we've gotten into enough trouble by saying nothing so we'll say nothing today. You know, actually, thank God we haven't, thank God we haven't had a Haldeman statement. Believe me. (Unintelligible) thank God we didn't get out a Dean report. Right? Thank God. So, we've done a few things right. Don't say anything. R. Ziegler: (Unintelligible) made the point, looking at the statement, about comments and so forth that stampede. Pres. Nixon: Well, I (unintelligible). I've got an understanding, John, with Petersen, and he wants us to move first and a - but I said, "Well not before Magruder pleads." We've got to go out and - what I had in mind having you say quickly that - (unintelligible) statement. But in any event then, we're going to have to wait for the Magruder thing. The point is you've got the whole record. I just don't want to. J. Ehrlichman: He wants to wait until Magruder talks? Is that it? Petersen? No, I mean the others who - R. Ziegler: Well, he didn't get into any discussion about Magruder talking. No. J. Ehrlichman: What was his objection? R. Ziegler: His point is that, what Rose's point is, in the position of stampeding on (unintelligible) how this has been (unintelligible) this. But this point, the President is too closely tied in as an investigator and too closely tied in to the Grand Jury proceeding itself. In other words, he (unintelligible) in his view of this is to have the first (unintelligible) and suggests that the President is (unintelligible). Pres. Nixon: (Unintelligible). I don't. R. Ziegler: No, not affect. But the President is becoming as an investigator involved in knowledge and awareness of the Grand Jury proceedings. Pres. Nixon: Oh, yeah. Yeah. R. Ziegler: Which well could affect direction of those proceedings. He has contacted Petersen. Pres. Nixon: Well, all the facts are going to show just otherwise though when it comes out, but go ahead. But this (unintelligible) R. Ziegler: I think so. Pres. Nixon: He didn't. John, I asked about Magruder today and they haven't got the deal with him yet because Magruder's attorneys insist on something with Ervin and something with Sirica. Magruder wants to go to the D. C. Jail (unintelligible) in there. They haven't worked that out yet. I asked about the timing on Dean. They haven't got a deal on him because - in fact his lawyers made an interesting comment. He said Dean shouldn't do anything to upset the unmaking of Haldeman and Ehrlichman and Mitchell, and if they don't get immunity they're going to try this Administration and the President. His lawyer, Schaffer. Petersen says that's quite common. Everybody shouts to everybody. I'm getting (unintelligible) difficult (unintelligible). After all, the business of the - about the Dean report, why end it that way? Dean will stick to the position. John, you can see how he's going to (unintelligible) Ehrlichman. You know, he did make some movement on his own in this thing. I've asked Dean a specific question. Haldeman/ Ehrlichman, did they know in advance?" He said, "No." I said, "I've asked you again, I've asked you." He told me that (unintelligible) Well Dean said after a second meeting over there he went over and saw Haldeman and said, "We oughtn't to be in this. Haldeman said, I agree. I said, "Well what's wrong with that." He said, "Well, Haldeman, by failing to act -" J. Ehrlichman: Yeah. That is true. Pres. Nixon: Yeah. J. Ehrlichman: Dean states Haldeman agreed, but apparently no initiating of any instructions. Pres. Nixon: Right. By failing to act. And then I said, I said, "Well how could he act? He wasn't in charge of the campaign and - (unintelligible) didn't he have (unintelligible) approval?" "Why," I said, "He certainly did not. He had no responsibility at all. The campaign was totally out of the White House." But I suppose what he meant by that, Haldeman should - should have called Mitchell and said, "Knock it off." Is that what they're saying? Well, what does Haldeman say to that sort of thing? J. Ehrlichman: That's hard to get around, understand, because Dean's story, consistently, has been that at every one of those meetings, the plan was disapproved by Mitchell. Pres. Nixon: Yeah. J. Ehrlichman: What's there to get out of? Pres. Nixon: By going to Haldeman - J. Ehrlichman: Dean came back and said, "Well there was a proposal, and Mitchell disapproved it." Pres. Nixon: You think he's making that up? J. Ehrlichman: I don't know. I - it doesn't make sense, in the context of those meetings, that everybody agreed on, that at all those meetings Dean attended it ended in disapproval. Pres. Nixon: Yeah. "Well, why did he go to Haldeman?" J. Ehrlichman: So why? Yeah. Why is there a failure to act, when - Pres. Nixon: Oh, he might - J. Ehrlichman: Everything is disapproved? Pres. Nixon: Yes, but that is Dean's problem, but - J. Ehrlichman: Well, the suspenders. Pres. Nixon: Huh? J. Ehrlichman: A guy says, I was thinking about going out - Pres. Nixon: Yeah. J. Ehrlichman: and plugging a hole in your tire, but I decided not to. Pres. Nixon: Yeah the point is, I think you've got a very good point here. You say, "Well, look, what in the world is this? If the damn thing was disapproved, why does Haldeman get blamed for not disapproving it?" J. Ehrlichman: Yeah. They need two disapprovals in order to make it stick? Pres. Nixon: That's what I was going to say, but - J. Ehrlichman: Well, I don't know enough about it I guess. I'd sure like to see us come out sometime, and I suppose it has to be at a time that Magruder makes his deal. Pres. Nixon: Well, let me say, I'll - I've got Petersen on a short leash. J. Ehrlichman: Ok. Pres. Nixon: Petersen or Dean. Keep that statement, regardless, and get this factual thing that John has worked up for you. You get that. R. Ziegler: I've had, I had that typed. Pres. Nixon: Fine. Because we've got to be ready to go on that instantly. We may go it today. We will survive it. I don't think it's very - J. Ehrlichman: Not very appropriate news this morning. Pres. Nixon: Yeah, and that's it. They will get back to (unintelligible) I just think (unintelligible) their staff. R. Ziegler: (unintelligible) Pres. Nixon: It's obvious they will question him on this. J. Ehrlichman: That's what matters though. The thing with the Ervin Committee, will, I don't know. A statement of rules, and the negotiations, Pres. Nixon: Right. J. Ehrlichman: They adopted an awful lot of my stuff. Their rule on television is a very odd one. And it says "All still and motion picture photography must be discontinued before the witness commences his testimony. Television, however, may continue under the standing rules of the committee during the testimony of the witness." Pres. Nixon: So it must - that means what? It's live? J. Ehrlichman: That my interpretation. Well, no. Tape would be motion picture. Pres. Nixon: Yeah. J. Ehrlichman: Why not? R. Ziegler: That's electronic. See, the terminology is stills, motion picture or electronic. J. Ehrlichman: That isn't the way they used it, and so I've got a call in for Baker to try and get a clarification. Pres. Nixon: Right. J. Ehrlichman: Because it may be their intent that if the networks will go live, then let them go, but if they tape, then they can't tape the testimony. And, if that's the interpretation, I think we ought to go for it. Pres. Nixon: Right. J. Ehrlichman: Don't you? R. Ziegler: At ten o'clock in the morning? Well, you know, just - J. Ehrlichman: If they run it at ten o'clock. Anyway, I'll get an interpretation and I'll be back to you on it for instructions. Well, there isn't much point in me going through the whole thing until - Pres. Nixon: I think the Ervin Committee, who (unintelligible) a break in this (unintelligible). Do you believe it would be at all helpful to be forthcoming with Ervin then? R. Ziegler: Well as we mentioned before, I think you have to have caution with the Ervin Committee (unintelligible), depends upon decisions. Whatever it is decided to check with (unintelligible) alternative here (unintelligible) or it may be to our advantage to analyze J. Ehrlichman: Well, my problem's Howard Baker goes to Russia tomorrow, so there's got to be action - or he goes Wednesday, excuse. There's got to be action tomorrow. The Ervin Committee's meeting up there now. Timmons thinks the thing they are meeting about is that somebody has pulled the plug on Dash, that he was nearly disbarred in Philadelphia - some unfortunate scandal - something about - He's been taken by surprise again and he's very unhappy and he's convened the Committee. The thing provides - well, they're kind of cute about this too. You can have a hearing in Executive Session. The Committee rules at the witnesses' request for the purpose of determining scope, in effect, what, where the witness should and should not testify. Pres. Nixon: Oh, I see. Well, that's good. J. Ehrlichman: And that's good, I think. Then there's a lot of stuff in there about - they do prevail in making closing statements. They will. Pres. Nixon: What's your advice, John. J. Ehrlichman: There's very little left to argue about except the television, and we could say we interpret this to mean that unless the television is live, there won't be any and that's satisfactory to us. Pres. Nixon: Yeah. J. Ehrlichman: Now we might get the jump on them that way. Pres. Nixon: All right. Fine. J. Ehrlichman: And then, let them come back and say, "No, that isn't what we mean. We mean it can be taped." And then we'll come back and say, "Well, that isn't satisfactory. By that time they're in a recess. Pres. Nixon: Right. J. Ehrlichman: And the thing would be hung up until they get back. Pres. Nixon: Yeah. And the other thing - we had to, you know, before it comes from the Ervin Committee. But I don't think before it comes to the Ervin Committee it's going to amount to a damn in the next four weeks. R. Ziegler: The overall - Pres. Nixon: Yeah. R. Ziegler: decision, but - Pres. Nixon: Don't you think at the present time we ought to be forthcoming here? R. Ziegler: Yeah. I think - J. Ehrlichman: What you say, Ron, is that we intend to avail ourselves fully of the ground rule that permits the use of executive session and that undoubtedly the majority of the White House witnesses will be the subject of a request to the Ervin Committee for an executive session. Pres. Nixon: That's right. Agree with that. J. Ehrlichman: Then, what we've done is gone to our high ground. Pres. Nixon: Right. J. Ehrlichman: And let them pull us off. R. Ziegler: Of course, what really is the Ervin Committee investigating? Pres. Nixon: (unintelligible) J. Ehrlichman: They - it's probably moot. It's probably moot, but what we can say is we feel we can live with these ground rules. R. Ziegler: Yeah. J. Ehrlichman: You know it's very - well, it is obvious that the negotiations were very worthwhile. We think the Committee has come up with a fine set of ground rules that we can live with. We are going to fully cooperate and then, on the side, you can say, "See this executive session provision." Pres. Nixon: Well why don't we - frankly, frankly (unintelligible) executive (unintelligible). J. Ehrlichman: Maybe I ought to get them and have them for you, so that you can talk to Rogers about them. Pres. Nixon: Yeah. Later today you might just make your decision and go on that. We can sell the Ervin Committee. J. Ehrlichman: Well, then, I'll have to get Baker's OK. Pres. Nixon: Well, why? J. Ehrlichman: To make our announcement, because that's the way I have it set up with him. They've got a meeting tomorrow before we make any announcement. Pres. Nixon: Do you want to make an announcement tonight? J. Ehrlichman: No, I thought that's what you meant, if you were going to go with the Ervin thing today. Pres. Nixon: Oh. We'll make it tomorrow then. J. Ehrlichman: OK, well then I'll have a chance to talk to Baker tonight. Pres. Nixon: Baker, Baker will have left. He won't be at the meeting - tomorrow. J. Ehrlichman: Yes, he will. He won't go - he doesn't go until the next day. I misspoke. Pres. Nixon: Fine. You'll make the announcement tomorrow. Ok. Ron? R. Ziegler: Yeah, but - Pres. Nixon: Gives me time to think about it, that's the point. Go ahead. What is it? R. Ziegler: Well, I - if we make the announcement tomorrow, we could tie it into something. Pres. Nixon: Yeah. We have a general announcement. We want to (unintelligible) and with Chappie Rose and those guys. Do they realize that I've got to make this general announcement before the Magruder thing comes up? J. Ehrlichman: Well, does he fear the President will look like he's interfering with the Grand Jury? R. Ziegler: No, it's a quote. He said, to which he (unintelligible) much contact with the Attorney General, the Assistant Attorney General - the President being investigator. J. Ehrlichman: Well, bless his heart, those contacts are a matter of record. Pres. Nixon: That's right. I don't agree with him on that point. J. Ehrlichman: That point's moot, you know. That was the President's only recourse. Pres. Nixon: That was it. I wouldn't worry about that (unintelligible). See, he's thinking as a lawyer. They probably like to see the President (unintelligible) this damned thing. R. Ziegler: No, I agree with that. J. Ehrlichman: (Unintelligible) R. Ziegler: Well, I'm not arguing. Again, you see, can't argue. I'm just passing this point to you. Pres. Nixon: What would be your view about this kind of a statement? You don't want it tonight? J. Ehrlichman: I don't want it tonight, but I'd sure like to see you go full breast on it tomorrow. See, Wednesday is the energy message. Pres. Nixon: Yeah. J. Ehrlichman: And, we're going to be sort of saturating the press Wednesday with that. Pres. Nixon: Will they write and use it? J. Ehrlichman: I don't know. I mean we're having briefings and all that baloney. And so, if possible, it would be best to go either tomorrow or Thursday with this and I prefer tomorrow. Pres. Nixon: We'll see how they get along with their negotiations. I suppose they're J. Ehrlichman: Seems to me like they're hard-nosing these negotiations. Dean doesn't really give them all that much. He let me look at that piece of paper you've got there and then he said, "Well, gee, did Hunt go out of the country? No, Well, what else is there?" "Well, he says, "I don't know about (unintelligible)." Pres. Nixon: Dean isn't corroborating Magruder in any way? J. Ehrlichman: Yes. Pres. Nixon: That's what it looks like. J. Ehrlichman: But can't they get that out of him anyway? You know. Pres. Nixon: (Unintelligible) J. Ehrlichman: Well, let's think about that. If you were the prosecutor, what the hell do you care? You know, if you were Glanzer, you were sitting over there, - Pres. Nixon: The White House threatened, the President - J. Ehrlichman: But what is, what is that he can say? You stop and figure. Pres. Nixon: That he's informed the President and the President didn't act? He can't say that can he? I don't think, I've been asking for his damned report, you know. J. Ehrlichman: The fact that he put the chronology all together - he comes up with a hell of a lot of egg on his face. Pres. Nixon: I think he blames - he would blame you and Haldeman. J. Ehrlichman: Well, he's going to have a little trouble with that. Pres. Nixon: Is he? Good. J. Ehrlichman: And I put together my log today. And I have seen him on the average of five times a month since the Watergate breakin. See, Bruce Kehrli (unintelligible) you know (unintelligible). I've seen none of his memos routinely. I don't supervise any of his work, so I think he's going to have a tough time making that stick. And some of those were on your estate plan. Pres. Nixon: Yeah. J. Ehrlichman: Some of them were on the Library. Pres. Nixon: Good. J. Ehrlichman: Some of them were on the leak scandal. So, he's not seen me five times a month on Watergate. Pres. Nixon: Well, listen, I've got to run. Let this go tonight. Fair enough? R. Ziegler: Yes, sir. J. Ehrlichman: All right. R. Ziegler: Did you want to meet Garment for five minutes before you see Rogers? Pres. Nixon: No. I'll have to put that off. I've got Rogers (unintelligible) Garment's views and - you don't agree? J. Ehrlichman: I agree totally. It's (unintelligible) for Garment is the reason, you see. Pres. Nixon: No, tell him, tell him that I feel very personally, but I want to get a little - that I've had a long talk with the U.S., with Petersen. There is a reason. Give him a little bull and tell him (unintelligible) had a long talk. There are reasons we can't say today, that there will be developments during the day. Going to be public. Some things that I have in mind (unintelligible) piece of paper on that, and I'll see him before. Well, is it going to be that much of a problem? You think I should see him? Maybe, you know, I don't. Wait 'til I see Rogers. Tell him to stick around. R. Ziegler: All right. Pres. Nixon: Tie it in with Rogers. Why don't you do that? How's that? R. Ziegler: The only advantage of (unintelligible) you have in your possession. Pres. Nixon: Well no. The point is - well, go ahead. R. Ziegler: Fifteen minute session (unintelligible) and bounce that off of Rogers. Pres. Nixon: I know what he's going to do is - (unintelligible) I mean the - this is a full court press, isn't it? R. Ziegler: That's right, so you don't need to tell him. Pres. Nixon: I know what the hell a full court press is. R. Ziegler: I understand that. Pres. Nixon: The thing you told me this morning. R. Ziegler: Yes, sir. Pres. Nixon: Well, I followed that already. He wants to go out and what? He wants Haldeman, Ehrlichman and Dean to resign. Right? R. Ziegler: Or just (unintelligible) You know, he has several variations (unintelligible) and letters. Pres. Nixon: Yeah. R. Ziegler: Suggesting that (unintelligible) they would step down. Pres. Nixon: They would (unintelligible) and then they would, and I would accept that. However the case breaks? R. Ziegler: Yes, sir. Pres. Nixon: Do that today? R. Ziegler: No, not today. You know, after the timing of the decision. Pres. Nixon: I'd prefer. R. Ziegler: I think it's - you have enough of that. Pres. Nixon: I think I want it to be a little clear in my mind with Rogers here. R. Ziegler: No (unintelligible) I'll put him off. Pres. Nixon: Tell him, that, look, that I got it and I'm just in the middle of this thing and that I, I'm thinking along those lines. Just say that, and that I'll, because of the talk, I cannot act today. Just say that. I just finished this long meeting. Didn't want to act, I can't act today, because it would frankly jeopardize the prosecution. R. Ziegler: Right. Ok. Pres. Nixon: And the right of the defendants. And that therefore, that I can't, that I've been told that by the Assistant Attorney General. That I cannot do that today. It will jeopardize the prosecution. (unintelligible) If the President (unintelligible) it will tip a lot of others off that they are working on at the present time, and that I had put the pressure on to get this so that I can be (unintelligible) And I have in mind all of those options. Tell him that I have met with all three of them today. The President met with all three of them and discussed this problem. R. Ziegler: Well, you may not want to see him. Pres. Nixon: Now, be sure - R. Ziegler: Be thinking about it. Pres. Nixon: Sure. Ask him if - R. Ziegler: Yes sir. Pres. Nixon: Right (unintelligible). Tell him I want to think about it; then, I'd like to talk to him. I want him to get his things in shape. I want a firm recommendation. R. Ziegler: He apparently has a statement. Pres. Nixon: Well, bring it in and I'd like to have that statement, if I could, by six o'clock tonight. You deliver it at six. I'll be with Rogers at six o'clock and I'd like to have that statement. R. Ziegler: I'll bring it in. Pres. Nixon: Oh, no. Should I have it before I see Rogers, that statement? Tell him I'd like to have it, that I've just gotten tied up here. Tell him I've been meeting with Petersen. I cannot act today, but I'll be ready to do something quite soon. R. Ziegler: Good. Pres. Nixon: Don't tell him about it. R. Ziegler: No.