Presidential Recordings Program

Extracted from Conversation 758-011

President Nixon: Oh, you mean, that’s [unclear], that sort of thing? Yeah. And [unclear].

H.R. “Bob” Haldeman^∇: Yeah. Then hang onto that for a while then let them all go.

Pause.

President Nixon: You say no cooperation from the Justice Department? I understand the FBI^∇.

Haldeman: Well—

President Nixon: I, well, I—

Haldeman: It’s been very hard, it’s—

President Nixon: It’s hard. 

Haldeman: [Henry] Petersen has been reasonably good.

President Nixon: [Unclear.]

Haldeman: Within--in fact, pretty, I guess, darn good.

President Nixon: [Unclear.]

Haldeman: The problem has been [Richard] Kleindienst^∇, who has just, you know, just totally washed his hands. Now he’s come back in. [John] Ehrlichman^∇ hauled him in yesterday and said, you know, “This has gotten ridiculous. [Unclear.] Now is--you’ve got everything you need, now for Christ’s sake turn it off.  Bring your indictments.”  Kleindienst seemed to see the light. [Unclear.]

President Nixon: They don’t think this delaying—there’s no way to delay the indictments until after the election, is there?1

Haldeman: No.

President Nixon: No way to speed it up?

Haldeman: Yes. It could be speeded up, but then it would hit right about the Republican Convention time.2 It possibly could be speeded up, not certainly. But it would [unclear] which you were really be better off to have them after.
 

• 1. The election was scheduled for 7 November 1972.
• 2. The Republican National Convention was scheduled for 21-23 August 1972 in Miami.