Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 188 › Conversation 188-012

Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Public relations and Political opposition

Thursday, May 18, 1972 · 5:56 PM–8:22 PM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation188-012 on Tape 188 (tape position 00:41:56–00:44:01)StartThursday, May 18, 1972 at 5:56 PMEndThursday, May 18, 1972 at 8:22 PMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 188-012 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417174545 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon directed H. R. Haldeman to assign a research staffer to compile a comprehensive dossier documenting the various 'smear' campaigns launched against the administration. This memorandum was intended to catalog vicious attacks found in books, films, pamphlets, and political statements by members of Congress. Nixon envisioned this research as a strategic resource to be utilized by administration surrogates if political criticism intensified later in the year.

H. R. Haldeman
Administration strategy
Public relations
Political opposition
Research staff
Haiphong harbor mining

Audio

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NARA Description

On May 18, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 5:56 pm and 8:22 pm. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 188-012 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 188-012

Date: May 18, 1972
Time: Unknown between 5:56 pm and 8:22 pm
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

The President dictated a memorandum to H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

     Criticism of the Administration
           -Mining of Haiphong harbor editorials
           -Smear books
           -Staff response
                 -A memorandum
                       -Movies, books, pamphlets, columns
                       -Statements by Senators and Congressmen
                       -Possible use

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

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reading the materials on the landing.

I know there's one that listed a number of the smear books that have come out against RN.

I want somebody on the research staff with an understanding of this type of thing.

to get up a chapter in verse, a story, a memorandum on how vicious the smears have been, including the movies, both pamphlets, and of course, column.

You might also include some statements by senators in Congress.

This could be very useful.

For a speaker, if the going gets rough a little later, have somebody get on this project right away and scan the memorandum at the end of the tape.

Also recorded on May 18, 1972

130-006 5:55 PM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David from 5:55 pm to 5:56 pm.
130-007 5:56 PM · 2 min — Unknown person(s) and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 5:56 pm on May 18, 1972 and 11:59 pm on May 19, 1972.
130-008 5:56 PM · 1 min — Unknown person(s), Camp David operator, Kenneth T. McLenden, and Robert Mahaffey talked on the telephone at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 5:56 pm on May 18, 1972 and 11:59 pm on May 19, 1972.
188-009 5:56 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 5:56 pm and 8:22 pm.
188-010 5:56 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 5:56 pm and 8:22 pm.
188-011 5:56 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 5:56 pm and 8:22 pm.
188-013 5:56 PM · 40 sec — Unknown person(s) met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 5:56 pm on May 18, 1972 and 11:59 pm on May 19, 1972.
188-014 5:56 PM · 20 min — Unknown person(s), Camp David operator, and Kenneth T. McLenden met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 5:56 pm on May 18, 1972 and 11:59 pm on May 19, 1972.

All 88 conversations from May 18, 1972 →

Nixon & Haldeman on Congressional relations April 6, 1971 · 5 min
Nixon phone call with Rush on Vietnam War and North Vietnam blockade May 9, 1972 · 1 min
Nixon phone call with Colson on Vietnam War and Public Relations January 23, 1973 · 12 min
Nixon phone call with Colson on Vietnam War settlement and Public relations January 24, 1973 · 14 min
Nixon & Laird on Political Strategy and Public Relations October 6, 1972 · 4 min
Nixon & Colson on Political opposition and White House strategy January 30, 1973 · 18 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 188-012, May 18, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417174545). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/188-012 (accessed October 30, 2026).