Earlier in the week, in response to Ginny Jones's comment about the code of
ethics, I mentioned some released Nixon tapes. These segments showed
President Nixon expressing frustration that lawyers were reluctant to work in areas
where he thought things needed to be done. And pressing his subordinates to
take action.
The time period was late June and early July 19971 and Nixon was reacting to
the publication of the Pentagon Papers in the New York Times and Washington
Post. The newspapers received the Pentagon Papers from a former Defense
Department official, Daniel Ellsberg. In the aftermath of the publication of the
Pentagon Papers, President Nixon suggested that some operatives break in to a
Washington think tank, the Brookings Institute, to steal some documents that
Nixon believed were held there. He also wanted a program of declassification of
documents from the Kennedy and Roosevelt administrations, etc., in order to
"embarrass the creeps."
I've copied some extracts and am including them here, as an example of how
the guy at the top sometimes presses his people to do things. Of the people
present or mentioned, Charles W. Colson, John Ehrlichman, John Mitchell, and John
Dean were lawyers. H. R. Haldeman was Nixon's chief of staff; Henry A.
Kissinger was Nixon's National Security advisor.
Interesting to hear President Nixon say of his Attorney General, John
Mitchell, that he is too "good" a lawyer, and that "it just repels him to do these
horrible things." Also note the references to papers held at the JFK and FDR
Libraries (administered by NARA).
At any rate, for a glimpse into the Nixon White House, see below. I've
sanitized these a bit in terms of the expletives. Fortunately, in 33 years of
Federal service, I've never had to work for a boss who pressed me or my colleagues
like this; I hope none of you have, either. Of coure, I've spent most of my
career at two agencies with a unique and nonpartisan mission.
I've copied the segments below from ABUSE OF POWER (New York: The Free
Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1997), by Stanley I. Kutler, pp. 6-16.
Dr. Kutler had the transcripts for his book; I've slightly modified some
words for posting here, solely for language.
JUNE 30,1971: THE PRESIDENT, MITCHELL, AND KISSINGER, 2:55-3:07 P.M., OVAL
OFFICE
PRESIDENT NlXON: Well, I want to get that out. . . . Don't worry about his
[Ellsberg's] trial. Just get everything out. Try him in the press. Try him in
the press. Everything, John, that there is on the investigation get it out, leak
it out. We want to destroy him in the press. Press. Is that clear?
JUNE 30,1971: THE PRESIDENT, HALDEMAN, MITCHELL, KISSINGER, ZIEGLER, AND
MELVIN LAIRD, 5:17-6:23 P.M., OVAL OFFICE
PRESIDENT NlXON: . . . They [the Brookings Institution] have lot of material.
. . . I want Brookings, I want them just to break in and take it out. Do you
understand?
HALDEMAN: Yeah. But you have to have somebody to do it.
PRESIDENT NlXON: That's what I'm talking about. Don't discuss it here. You
talk to [E. Howard] Hunt. I want the break-in. Hell, they do that. You're to
break into the place, rifle the files, and bring them in.
HALDEMAN: I don't have any problem with breaking in. It's a Defense
Department approved security --.
PRESIDENT NlXON: Just go in and take it. Go in around 8:00 or 9:00 o'clock.
HALDEMAN: Make an inspection of the safe.
PRESIDENT NlXON: That's right. You go in to inspect the safe. I mean, clean
it up.
*********************
JULY 1, 1971: THE PRESIDENT, HALDEMAN, AND KISSINGER, 8:45-9:52 A.M., OVAL
OFFICE
PRESIDENT NIXON: Here's what I have in mind and I've got to get [Tom Charles]
Huston or somebody fast, but either Huston or somebody like Huston fast.
That's why the, you know, the Dick Allen thing. I think you've got to take Dick
Allen on the mountaintop and see if he wants to handle this.
HALDEMAN: Who said that he didn't?
PRESIDENT NIXON: You didn't think he was the right guy. You wanted somebody
that - John [Ehrlichman] didn't, I think, or somebody because he's too
HALDEMAN: Well, Dick doesn't think he is. . . .
PRESIDENT NIXON: . . . This is what I want. I have a project that I want
somebody to take it just like I took the Hiss case, the [Elizabeth] Bentley case,
and the rest. . .
.
And I'll tell you what. This takes - this takes 18 hours a day. It takes
devotion and dedication and loyalty and diligence such as you've never seen, Bob.
I've never worked as hard in my life and I'll never work as hard again because
I don't have the energy. But this thing is a hell of a great opportunity
because here is what it is. I don't have direct knowledge of who the G-----n
leaker is and, you see - and here's where John will recall I don't-probably we
don't have to tell him.
You probably don't know what I meant when I said yesterday that we won the
Hiss case in the papers. We did. I had to leak stuff all over the place. Because
the Justice Department would not prosecute it. [J. Edgar] Hoover didn't even
cooperate. . . . It was won in the papers. John Mitchell doesn't understand
that sort of thing. He's a good lawyer. It's hard to him. John Ehrlichman will
have difficulty. But what I mean is we have to develop now a program, a
program for leaking out information. We're destroying these people in the papers.
That's one side of it. Had a gap in the conspiracy.
The other side of it is the declassification. Declassification. And then
leaking to or giving up to our friends the stories that they would like to have
such as the Cuban. Do you know what I mean? Let's have a little fun. Let me
tell you what the declassification [of other administrations' papers] in
previous years that helps us. It takes the eyes off of Vietnam. It gets them
thinking about the past rather than our present problems. You get the point.
HALDEMAN: Yeah. Absolutely. . . .
PRESIDENT NIXON: . . . Now, do you see what we need? I need somebody. . . . I
wish you could get a personality type, oh, like Whitaker who will work his
butt off and do it honorably. I really need a s-- of a b----- like Huston who
will work his butt off and do it dishonorably. Do you see what I mean? Who will
know what he's doing and I want to know, too. And I'll direct him myself. I
know how to play this game and we're going to start playing it.
****************
PRESIDENT NIXON: When you get to Ehrlichman now, will you please get-I want
you to find me a man by noon. I won't be ready until 12:30 - a recommendation
of the man to work directly with me on this whole situation. Do you know what I
mean?
I've got to have-I've got to have one-I mean, I can't have a high minded
lawyer like John Ehrlichman or, you know, Dean or somebody like that. I want
somebody just as tough as I am for a change. . . . These G-----n lawyers, you know,
all fighting around about, you know-I'll never forget. They were all too
worried about the [Charles] Manson case. I knew exactly what we were doing on
Manson. You've got to win some things in the press.
These kids don't understand. They have no understanding of politics. They
have no understanding of public relations. John Mitchell is that way. John is
always worried about is it technically correct? Do you think, for Christ sakes,
that the New York Times is worried about all the legal niceties. Those s--s of
b-----s are killing me. I mean, thank God, I leaked to the press [during the
Hiss controversy]. This is what we've got to get - I want you to shake these
(unintelligible) up around here. Now you do it. Shake them up. Get them off
their G-----n dead a---s and say now that isn't what you should be talking about.
We're up against an enemy, a conspiracy. They're using any means. We are going
to use any means. Is that clear?
Did they get the Brookings Institute raided last night? No. Get it done. I
want it done. I want the Brookings Institute's safe cleaned out and have it
cleaned out in a way that it makes somebody else.
************************
PRESIDENT NIXON: Here's what I'm concerned about. Or he can move it to a
congressman. The difficulty that I'm seeing right now is getting the facts to move
to the papers. That has to be done by a man directed, and how do you get the
facts. Who's going to break into the Brookings Institute? Who's going to go
out, for example, and pull all this-the strength of this conspiracy to get this?
I mean, Laird's got lots - he said there's a conspiracy. (Unintelligible.)
*********************
HALDEMAN: Can't really worry about that. If the guy is saying sensational
enough stuff, it's trying to get stirred up in the papers. You're in the old
McCarthyism business.
PRESIDENT NIXON: That's right. We want somebody to be a McCarthy. Is there a
senator?
KISSINGER: . . . There's no one.
***********************
PRESIDENT NIXON: Brookings has got tons of documents in safes over there.
Now, we have got to start protecting the security of this government. Brookings
and Rand, now G-----n it, Haig hasn't done this - because Henry welshed on
these, you know. He's a little afraid. He's got some friends at Brookings
(unintelligible). But anyway, he said publicly - he told me he was for it. But he's
dragging his feet or something. You've got to get this stuff from Rand and
Brookings. John, you mop up. You're in charge of that. And I want it done today and
I'd like a report-
************
PRESIDENT NIXON: In view of this case, I want the new - look at it much
deeper. I want them to give recommendations with regard to what can be done about
World War II. What can be done about Korea. . . . This G-----n thing hasn't
come in here yet. Now where is the Cuban confrontation material? The Kennedy
library has got it.
Where is Pearl Harbor? Hyde Park has got it. Now, it's just ridiculous, John.
And these are the things that will embarrass the creeps. Put it out.
*************
PRESIDENT NIXON: Do you know what? How about bringing [General] .
Walters back?
HALDEMAN: I was just thinking that myself once he mentioned the CIA because
he's a spy kind of guy. . . .
PRESIDENT NIXON: I'm not sure he would play this-well, he would play this but
I think he might want to-look, I don't want some guy who is going to try and
second guess my judgment on this because I know more about it than any of
them. I have forgotten more than anything they'll ever learn. This is a game. It's
got to be played in the press. That's why Mitchell can't do this. It isn't
possible for him.
HALDEMAN: It's got to be a guy you can really trust, because it's got to be --
PRESIDENT NIXON: Run from the White House without being caught. . . . The
declassification is important, though. . . . But the important part about the
declassifcation job is to get the information.
********************
JULY 1, 1971: THE PRESIDENT AND HALDEMAN, 1:38-2:05 P.M., OVAL OFFICE
HALDEMAN: . . . But I explored back with Colson, the guy he mentioned, this
former CIA guy [Howard Hunt]. And I talked-I raised him with [Richard] Allen…
The problem there would be he's known in the intelligence establishment and
send out some waves. I said what the hell difference does that make. As soon as
this guy gets started, he's going to send out waves no matter what. And he
said, yeah That's right.
*********
PRESIDENT NIXON: . . . Actually, when Mitchell leaves as Attorney General,
we're going to be better off in my view. . . . John is just too d--n good a
lawyer, you know.
He's a good strong lawyer. It just repels him to do these horrible things,
but they've got to be done. We have to fight this. . . .
*************************
JULY 2,1971: THE PRESIDENT, HALDEMAN, AND COLSON, 9:15-10:39 A.M., OVAL OFFICE
PRESIDENT NIXON: Yeah. Particularly the conspiracy side. I want to go after
everyone. I'm not so interested in Ellsberg, but we have got to go after
everybody who's a member of this conspiracy. There is a conspiracy and I've got to
go after it. I could tell him I've got the - tell him we've got [John] Dean on
it. Now the other thing is I want you, Bob, to, somebody has got to talk to
[Melvin] Laird on this. . . . This is not Ehrlichman's dish.
HALDEMAN: Well, I was just going to say you've had John on top of it.
PRESIDENT NIXON: No, no, no. John was on different people. John is. . . above
some c---p. Do you know what I mean? He's on the legal side. Did you see?
This is the cops and robbers. There are two different things here. The main one
conspiracy and then there's what do you about the New York Times and the case,
see. John is handling that. He's totally in charge of it. Tell John that I
want - that's why I say I've got to have - I simply got to have an all out,
somebody in charge of this going after the conspirators. Now you've told me about
the polygraph. I want that done. You've told Mitchell that? . . . Any
government officials that we have doubts about. . . .
And I come back to the urgent necessity now, I think, of getting a man and
maybe you've got to put - if you've got to put Colson in charge of it now, maybe
you better do it. Do you understand? But get Huston back. I just think you've
got to get him back on some basis and then just point in the thing where he
has nothing to say about the big play. You can't put him in charge of the big
play. He's too mean and so forth. But don't you think you can use him on just,
say, all right. Here's your job, Tom, and point him and let him go at it or is
he too difficult?
COLSON: I think he could be used on that. He's tough to work with. My only
question is whether there would be people who are better.
PRESIDENT NIXON: Let me say this. Time is awasting. These people are
beginning to get onto the fact that they don't want to get caught up in a conspiracy.
Mitchell is -- I think Mitchell's statement was good which is we're going to
prosecute got to prosecute everybody. Don't you think so?
COLSON: Excellent.
PRESIDENT NIXON: Does that bother you as being repressive?
COLSON: Oh, hell, no.
HALDEMAN: We've got to be repressive.
PRESIDENT NIXON: Well, they did that to me. . . .
HALDEMAN: Well, I think we've got-we are unduly sensitive.
PRESIDENT NIXON: I don't give a d--n . . . I told Ziegler yesterday. I said I
know I'm repressive on this-
[END EXTRACTS]
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