Date: April 27, 1973

Time: 3:48 pm – 4:30 pm

Location: Oval Office

The President met with William D. Ruckelshaus.

Ruckelshaus’s job

Watergate

-L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III

-Destruction of documents

-President’s relationship

-Work at Justice Department

-Ruckelshaus’s replacement

-Destruction of documents

-Need to investigate

-Ruckelshaus

Ruckelshaus

-Current job

-Assignment at Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]

-Acting director

-President’s conversation with Richard G. Kleindienst

-Nomination for director

-FBI staff changes

-J. Edgar Hoover’s legacy

-Clyde A. Tolson, William C. Sullivan and Cartha D. (“Deke”)

Deloach, W. Mark Felt

-Morale

-Compared with acting director

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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

-Current job

-Deputy Director

-Tenure

-Political, judicial options

Watergate

-John N. Mitchell’s indictment

-Attorney general

-Replacement

-Martha (Beall) Mitchell

-Distraction from work

-Grand jury

Ruckelshaus

-Watergate

-Connection, knowledge

-Assignment at FBI

-Ruckelshaus’s background

-Justice Department, Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]

-Nomination for director

-Law enforcement experience

-Compared to Gray

-Congress [?]

-Vance Hartke [?]

-Bob [unintelligible name][?]

-Acting director

-Duration

-FBI study

-Reorganization

-Lines of authority

-Attorney General

-President

-Kleindienst

Watergate

-Gray

-Response to White House requests

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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

-Materials turned over to John W. Dean III

Ruckelshaus

-Announcement of appointment

Watergate

-Possible statement

-Gray and raw files

Ruckelshaus

-Assignment at FBI

-Gray’s successor

-Reorganization

-Evaluation of staff members

-Felt

-Possible press conference

-Gray announcement

-Resignation from EPA

-Meeting with John D. Ehrlichman

-Statement

-Standards under Hoover

-Compared with Gray

-President’s search for permanent Director of FBI

-Ruckelshaus’s role

-FBI files

Watergate

-Possible investigations

-President’s instructions

-FBI investigation

-Quality

-John D. Mitchell

Ruckelshaus

-Conversation with Ehrlichman

-Record of service

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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

Watergate

-Possible White House staff changes

-Forthcoming grand jury indictments

-Mitchell

Gray

-Announcement of resignation

-President’s return from Mississippi

-Staff at FBI

President’s conversation with Kleindienst

The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 3:48 pm and

4:10 pm.

[See Conversation No. 906-8A]

[Begin telephone conversation]

[See Conversation No. 45-33]

[End telephone conversation]

Presidential appointment

Kleindienst

-Relationship with Mitchell

Ehrlichman entered at 4:10 pm.

Ruckelshaus

-Acting director

-Transfer

-EPA

-Leave of absense

-Instructions from President

-FBI reorganization

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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

-Announcement of appointment

-Kleindienst

-Ronald L. Ziegler

-Press conference

-Ziegler

-Location

Watergate

-President’s instructions

-Grand jury

-Ruckelshaus’s relationship with Mitchell

-Henry E. Petersen and Kleindienst

-Ruckelshaus’s service in Justice Department

Ruckelshaus

-Reputation

-Relationship with Mitchell

-Duration of appointment

The President talked with Kleindienst between 4:14 pm and 4:16 pm

[Conversation No. 906-8B]

[Begin telephone conversation]

[See Conversation No. 45-34]

[End telephone conversation]

President’s previous conversation with Kleindienst

-Felt

Felt

-Leaks from FBI

-Washington Post, Time

-Gray

-Position in FBI

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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

-Information from Time magazine lawyer

-Instructions for Ruckelshaus

FBI Directorship

-Attorney General’s prerogatives

-President’s telephone call to Hoover

Ruckelshaus’s possible statement to press

-Announcement of appointment

An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 3:48 pm.

Request for meeting with Ziegler

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 4:30 pm.

Ruckelshaus’s statement to press

-Acting director

-Transfer

-Leave of absence

-Resignation

Watergate

-Integrity of FBI

Press relations

-Ruckelshaus’s appointment to FBI

-Acting director

-Attorney General’s appointment

-Press statement phrasing

-Search for permanent director

-Importance of director appointment

-Impact on Gray’s resignation

-Return to EPA

-Press questions

-Ruckelshaus’s potential permanent appointment as director

-Declination

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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

-Desire for appointment

-President’s view

Watergate

-President’s instructions to Ruckelshaus

-Possible press statement

-Content and wording

-Ziegler’s view

-Wording regarding investigation questions

Press relations

-Ruckelshaus’s role

-Statement compared to answering questions

-Zielger’s statement

-Attorney General

-Acting Director

-President’s additions

-Leave from EPA

-Duration as Acting Director

-Ruckelshaus’s role

-Location of announcement

-White House compared to EPA

-Environmental reporters

Watergate

-Ruckelshaus’s response to questions

-Possible statement

-Press satisfaction

-Appearing at home

-Jill Ruckelshaus

-Gray

-Possible response to questions

-Resignation

Congratulations

President’s schedule

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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log

(rev. October-2012)

-Telephone call

Ruckelshaus, Ehrlichman, and Ziegler left a t 4:30 pm.