Nixon Tapes Transcript: June 23, 1973

(Background noise, sound of writing and some unintelligible conversation)

HALDEMAN: (On the phone) (Unintelligible) Where are they? Okay. I'll be up in just a minute.

(40 second pause, with sounds of writing)

HALDEMAN: I see a time way back (unintelligible) might find out about that report before we do anything.

PRESIDENT: (Unintelligible)

(35 second pause)

PRESIDENT: Okay (unintelligible) and, ah, just, just postpone the (unintelligible, with noises) hearings (15 second unintelligible, with noises) and all that garbage. Just say that I have to take a look at the primaries (unintelligible) recover (unintelligible) I just don't (unintelligible)very bad, to have this fellow Hunt, ah, you know, ah, it's, he, he knows too damn much and he was involved, we happen to know that. And that it gets out that the whole, this is all involved in the Cuban thing, that it's a fiasco, and it's going to make the FB, ah CIA look bad, it's going to make Hunt look bad, and it's likely to blow the whole, uh, Bay of Pigs thing which we think would be very unfortunate for CIA and for the country at this time, and for American foreign policy, and he just better tough it and lay it on them. Isn't that what you...

HALDEMAN: Yeah, that's, that's the basis we'll do it on and just leave it at that.

PRESIDENT: I don't want them to get any ideas we're doing it because our concern is political.

JUNE 23, 1973, FROM 1:04 P.M. TO 1:13 P.M.

HALDEMAN: Right.

PRESIDENT: And at the same time, I wouldn't tell them it is not political

HALDEMAN: Right.

PRESIDENT: I would just say "Look, it's because o the Hunt involvement," just say (unintelligible, with noise) sort of thing, the whole cover is, uh, basically this (unintelligible).

HALDEMAN: (Unintelligible) Well they've got some pretty good ideas on this need thing.

PRESIDENT: George Schultz did a good paper on that, I read it... (Unintelligible voices heard leaving the room)