Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 24 › Conversation 024-023

Haldeman & Rebozo on Vietnam War and Public opinion

Monday, May 8, 1972 · 10:23 PM–10:42 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsHaldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Rebozo, Charles G. ("Bebe")Conversation024-023 on Tape 24 (tape position 00:22:22–00:24:09)StartMonday, May 8, 1972 at 10:23 PMEndMonday, May 8, 1972 at 10:42 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 024-023 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 646314362 ↗

AI Summary

H. R. Haldeman called Charles G. "Bebe" Rebozo to gauge public reaction to President Nixon’s televised address announcing the blockade of North Vietnam. Rebozo reported an overwhelming, record-breaking volume of supportive phone calls, including high praise from prominent Democrats. The conversation concluded with Haldeman confirming that the President planned to visit Rebozo over the upcoming weekend.

Audio

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NARA Description

On May 8, 1972, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:23 pm and 10:42 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 024-023 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 24-23
Date: May 8, 1972
Time: Unknown between 10:23 pm and 10:42 pm
Location: White House Telephone

H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman talked with Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo.

[See also Conversation No. 336-69G]

     Greetings

     Vietnam
          -Blockade
               -The President's announcement
                    -Response
                    -Telephone calls
                          -Volume
                          -Sloane McCray
                                -Support for the President
                          -Unknown woman
                                -Telegram

     The President's forthcoming visit with Rebozo

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Hello.
Hello.
Baby, Bob.
Robert, how are you?
Pretty good.
President wanted to know if you watched TV tonight at all.
You're damn right I watched it.
You did, huh?
Oh, boy.
He figured you probably didn't bother.
Well, I want to tell you, you can tell him that the damn phone's been ringing off the hook.
But all your girlfriends calling you?
I tell you, it's really been remarkable.
Honest to God, you wouldn't... Really?
You always get some calls after speeches.
But this one here...
Really rocked them.
Really?
You're getting more than you usually get?
Much more than usual, yeah.
I'll be darned.
What are they saying?
Well, one fellow who the president knows, Sloan McCray, is a very able fellow.
He doesn't usually call me.
McCray?
Yeah, he tells me later.
But he said, I don't want to take your time because your phone's been busy.
I know you're busy.
I just want to tell you, this has to be the greatest American president in my lifetime.
Here's a fellow who's a lifelong Democrat.
He says he's the greatest president in his lifetime.
The greatest American president in his lifetime.
I'll tell you, it has been.
One woman called, and I didn't have the heart to find out who it was.
I didn't know whether she was drunk or too emotional.
She called and said that she couldn't get Western Union to send him a telegram.
Why, because it was busy?
Yeah.
Good.
I said, well, you keep trying.
She said, well, I've been trying.
I can't get them.
And the goddamn Western Union, that's a real problem.
We had that before.
Yeah.
Tell him to keep trying, though.
I did.
I did.
No, I tell you, this is just unreal, but it's just tremendous.
He said to tell you he'd be down this weekend.
Great.
Great.
Early, I hope.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Probably.
No, it really was fabulous.
Good.
Fabulous.
Good.
Tell him you're...
Okay.
Thanks, B.B.
Bye-bye.

Also recorded on May 8, 1972

  • 024-020 10:00 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:00 pm and 10:04 pm.
  • 024-021 10:04 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 10:04 pm to 10:06 pm.
  • 024-022 10:23 PM · 9 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:23 pm and 10:42 pm.
  • 024-024 10:23 PM · 6 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:23 pm and 10:42 pm.
  • 024-025 10:23 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:23 pm and 10:42 pm.
  • 024-026 10:42 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and [David] Kenneth Rush talked on the telephone from 10:42 pm to 10:45 pm.
  • 024-027 10:45 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:45 pm and 10:47 pm.
  • 024-028 10:47 PM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and George Meany talked on the telephone from 10:47 pm to 10:48 pm.

All 118 conversations from May 8, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 024-023, May 8, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 646314362). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/024-023 (accessed October 29, 2026).