Nixon Page #2

CLOSE:
on the manila envelope in Haig's hand.

REPORTERS (V.O.) (CONT'D)

The President has fired the Watergate

Special Prosecutor, Archibald Cox,

provoking the gravest constitutional

crisis in American history ...

Haig stops at the door, quietly knocks. No answer.

REPORTERS (V.O.) (CONT'D)

Judge Sirica has ordered the President

to turn over his tapes ...

Haig opens the door.

INT. THE WHITE HOUSE - LINCOLN SITTING ROOM - NIGHT

The room is small, austere, dominated by a portrait of

LINCOLN over the fireplace. HAIG stands in the doorway,

holding the envelope.

HAIG:

These are the tapes you requested, Mr.

President.

RICHARD NIXON is in shadow, silhouetted by the fire in the

hearth. The air-conditioning is going full blast.

Haig crosses the room, opens the envelope, takes out a reel

of tape.

Nixon sits in a small armchair in a corner. A Uher tape

recorder and a headset are on an end table at his elbow.

Next to it is a large tumbler of Scotch.

Haig hands the envelope containing the tapes to Nixon.

NIXON:

This is June twentieth?

HAIG:

It's marked. Also there's June twenty

third. And this year -- March twenty

first. Those are the ones ...

Nixon squints at the label in the firelight.

HAIG (CONT'D)

... the lawyers feel ... will be the

basis of the ... proceedings.

Nixon tries to thread the tape.

NIXON:

Nixon's never been any good with these

things.

He drops the tape on the floor.

NIXON (CONT'D)

Cocksucker!

Haig picks up the tape. Then he steps to the table,

reaches for the lamp.

HAIG:

Do you mind?

Nixon gestures awkwardly. Haig turns on the lamp. For the

first time we can see Nixon's face: he hasn't slept in

days, dark circles, sagging jowls, five-o'-clock shadow.

He hates the light, slurs a strange growl -- the effect of

sleeping pills.

HAIG (CONT'D)

Sorry ...

NIXON:

(gestures)

... go on.

Haig threads the tape. Nixon, looking at it, remembers.

NIXON (CONT'D)

... Y'know Al, if Hoover was alive

none of this would've happened. He

would've protected the President.

HAIG:

Mr. Hoover was a realist.

NIXON:

I trusted Mitchell. It was that damn

big mouth wife of his.

HAIG:

At least Mitchell stood up to it.

NIXON:

Not like the others -- Dean, McCord,

the rest ... We never got our side of

the story out, Al. People've

forgotten. I mean: "F*** you, Mr.

President, f*** you Tricia, f*** you

Julie!" and all that sh*t, just words,

but what violence! The tear gassing,

the riots, burning the draft cards,

Black Panthers -- we fixed it, Al, and

they hate me for it -- the double

dealing bastards. They lionize that

traitor, Ellsberg, for stealing

secrets, but they jump all over me

'cause it's Nixon.

(repeats)

... They've always hated Nixon.

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