The president’s first reaction was that Butterfield’s revelation would make him a laughingstock. Indeed, one headline read, “Nixon Bugs Himself.”34 Haig was worried where the tapes would lead. He recalled telling the president, “Mr. President, I’ve been in a good many meetings with you, and we both know how the conversation goes. You set up straw men; you play devil’s advocate; you say things you don’t mean. Others do the same. There is gossip and profanity. Imagine publishing every word Lyndon Johnson ever said in the Oval Office. No president could survive it.”
