Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 14 › Conversation 014-045

Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Cabinet appointments

Thursday, November 11, 1971 · 3:33 PM–3:34 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operator; Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation014-045 on Tape 14 (tape position 01:13:17–01:14:52)StartThursday, November 11, 1971 at 3:33 PMEndThursday, November 11, 1971 at 3:34 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 014-045 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon directs H. R. Haldeman to ensure Alexander Butterfield notifies Cabinet officers regarding an imminent announcement before it becomes public. The President also expresses frustration over external lobbying of the First Lady regarding delegation appointments, specifically mentioning Bernard Lasker and Robert Dunlop. To exert greater control over these selections and bypass State Department influence, Nixon orders Haldeman and Rose Mary Woods to personally vet all future delegation members.

Audio

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).
Yeah.
Mr. Haldeman, sir.
Yeah.
You are.
Hello.
Bob, can you get, be sure that Alex, or maybe they've thought of this already, calls the cabinet officers about this today?
Right.
Have they done that?
I don't think so.
They haven't.
Well, they've got to before the goddamn announcement is made.
Right, right.
Get it done right now.
So get Alex on it right away.
Yes, sir.
Point two, Pat was talking to me.
a few minutes ago, and Jerry Milbank has called her about wanting some people on the delegation.
One was Bunny Lasker, and another was Dunlop of Sun Oil.
I don't think we have to send Dunlop.
We've done things for him, but nevertheless, my point is, they shouldn't be calling her on this delegation thing.
If you don't mind, put somebody on them real intelligent and real political, will you?
Right.
So that they don't get the usual State Department people on these things.
As you know, it means an enormous amount to people to go.
Right.
I would have no objection to Lasker going.
He pays expenses.
He would not take his wife.
He'd take his kids.
That's okay.
Okay.
But I have no objection.
But you get at it, and then you look at every one of these delegations from now on personally yourself.
Sure will.
and send me in and say, here's a deal, and I suggest this or that one, and have Rose look at them.
See?
That way we can get at it, because they've been coming at me from so many different directions, and usually it's Henry or, you know, or Roger.
And I think you and Rose together will know that somebody is... Do them on that basis.
All right.
All right, fine.
Thanks.
Sure will.

NARA Description

On November 11, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 3:33 pm to 3:34 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 014-045 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 14-45

Date: November 11, 1971
Time: 3:33 pm - 3:34 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

     H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman

The President talked with Haldeman.

[See Conversation No. 298-24]

     Forthcoming announcement
          -Alexander P. Butterfield's call to Cabinet

     The President's conversation with Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
          -Jeremiah Milbank's call to Mrs. Nixon
               -Bernard J. ("Bunny") Lasker
               -Robert Dunlop

     Delegations
          -Criteria
          -Lasker
          -Haldeman
          -Rose Mary Woods
          -The President

                -Henry A. Kissinger and William P. Rogers

Also recorded on November 11, 1971

  • 014-042 3:30 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:30 pm and 3:32 pm.
  • 014-043 3:30 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:30 pm and 3:32 pm.
  • 298-020 3:30 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:30 pm and 3:32 pm.
  • 014-044 3:32 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 3:32 pm to 3:33 pm.
  • 298-022 3:32 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:32 pm to 3:33 pm.
  • 298-023 3:33 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 3:33 pm.
  • 298-024 3:33 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:33 pm to 3:34 pm.
  • 298-025 3:34 PM · 52 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:34 pm and 3:35 pm.

All 91 conversations from November 11, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 014-045, November 11, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/014-045 (accessed September 19, 2026).