Conversation: 417-016
Prev: 417-015 Next: 417-017Start Date: 5-Mar-1973 4:50 PM
End Date: 5-Mar-1973 6:06 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); [Unknown person(s)];Recording Device: Old Executive Office Building
NARA Description:
On March 5, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:50 pm to 6:06 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 417-016 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 417-16
Date: March 5, 1973
Time: 4:50 pm - 6:06 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
Newsweek article about Haldeman
-Issuance
-Jane Bruntley [?]
-Conversation with Haldeman at event
-Lunch with Newsweek people
President's schedule
-Kakuei Tanaka visit
-Date
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Trips to California
-4th of July
-Labor Day
-Patriotic holiday events
-Event related to Vietnam settlement
-Prisoners of war [POWs]
-Troops withdrawal
-Killed in action
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-16 (cont’d)
-Veterans
-Missing in action [MIAs]
-Press conference
-Announcements
Final withdrawal of forces
-Format
-Kissinger’s comment
-Pittsburgh visit
-Return to Washington, DC
-Nguyen Van Thieu's visit
-Kissinger
-President's location
-Return to Washington, DC
-Meeting on West Coast
-Baseball game
-California
-Palm Springs
-Weather
-Meetings
-Ronald W. Reagan
-Necessity
-Robert H. Finch
-Golf
-Palm Springs
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[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
President’s post-election schedule
-Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo
-Relaxation
-California
-Florida
-July
-May and June
-Weather
-16-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-16 (cont’d)
South Carolina
-Harry S. Dent
-Governorship
-Gen. William C. Westmoreland
-Candidate
-Republican
-Strengths
-Compared to Capt. Jeremiah A. Denton, Jr.
-Electability
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************
Denton
-POW survival
-Adversity
-Impact on person
-Revolutionary leaders [?]
-Leadership
-Letter to President
-Character
-Thoughtfulness
-President’s analysis of Congress, governors
-Compared to White House staff
-Letter to President
-Publicity
-Group of 100 [?]
-Release to public
-Cover letter for release
-Contents
-Recipients
-Cabinet
-Congress members
-Number
-Financial contributors
-Maurice H. Stans
-Frank L. Rizzo
-17-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-16 (cont’d)
-Richard J. Daley
-Reagan
-Nelson A. Rockefeller
-Frank E. Fitzsimmons
-George Meany
-Number
-William J. Baroody, Jr.’s office [?]
-Howard K. Smith
-Publisher
-Columnists
-Lists
-Cover letter
-Distribution
-Length of time
-Letter’s remarkableness
POWs
-Opportunity
-Tour of White House
-Capt. Jerry A. Singleton, Maj. Robert D. Jeffrey
-Olin E. Teague
-President's appearance
-Tour
-Wives’ attendance
-Unscheduled meeting
-Photographs
-Press coverage
-League of Families
-Mrs. Jerry A. Singleton
-Leader
-Meetings with President
-Announcement
-POW Dinner at the White House
-Denton
-Uniform
Meetings on President's schedule
-John D. Ehrlichman, Haldeman, Roy L. Ash
-George P. Shultz
-18-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-16 (cont’d)
-Meetings with President
-National Security Council [NSC]
-Domestic Council
-Time of meeting
-Congressional leaders meeting
-Hugh Scott, Gerald R. Ford
The President talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 4:50 pm and 6:06
pm.
[Conversation No. 417-16A]
An unknown person's schedule
[End of telephone conversation]
Congressional relations
-An unknown person's schedule
-Congressional briefing
-Congress member’s schedule
Republican governors
-Frequency of meetings with President
-News summary
-Meetings with White House staff
-Kenneth R. Cole, Jr.
-Governors’ complaints
-Contrast with Spiro T. Agnew
-Lip service
Agnew
-Invitation to Camp David [?]
-Thieu [?]
Congressional relations
-Public relations [PR] operation
-Leaders meeting
-Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Raymond K. Price, Jr., Patrick J. Buchanan
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-16 (cont’d)
-Louis P. Harris poll
-Buchanan memo
Public relations [PR]
Problems
-Speeches
-Radio speeches
-Domestic issues
-Focus
-Price’s view [?]
-Speeches at locations
-Coverage
-Compared with South Carolina State Legislature speech
-Value
-Poll bounce [?]
-Contrast with television [TV] speech
-Crime speech
-TV “out take”
-Length
-Value
-Difficulty for speechwriters
-TV "out-take"
-Usefulness
-Preparation
President’s schedule
-Congressional leaders’ meeting
-Meeting with mayors
-Frequency
-Length
-Planning
-Meeting at State Department
-Meetings with groups
-Length
-Simple comments by President
-Meeting with mayors
-Louis Welch
-Lou Berg [?]
-20-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-16 (cont’d)
-Pete Wilson
-Al Tresek [?]
-[First name unknown] Briggs [?]
-[Unintelligible name]
-[First name unknown] Finch
-Amount of time
-Scheduling
-State Department lunch
-Counselor’s meetings
-Thomas G. Corcoran
-Mayors
-Time
-Location
-Cabinet Room
Ehrlichman
-Schedule
-Burden
-Need for time for reflection
-Number of meetings
-Tiredness
-Meeting with President
Public relations
-Access to President
-Congress, mayors
-Control over message
President's schedule
-Meetings
-Cabinet
-Counselors
-Scheduling
-Frequency
-Publicity
-Domestic Council
-Economic advisory groups
-Council of Economic Advisors [CEA]
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-16 (cont’d)
-Compared with Dwight D. Eisenhower's schedule
-Frequency of meetings
-National Security Council [NSC]
-Cabinet
-Compared to President’s administration
-Counselors
-Economic committees
-NSC
-Domestic Council
-Cabinet
-Domestic Council
-Compared to Cabinet
Ehrlichman
-Burden of work
-Interviews
-U.S. News and World Report
-Reduction in number
-Editorial boards
-Briefings
-Meetings
-Spokesman for President
-Compared to Kissinger
-President’s experience as vice president
-Expectations when President
-Burden of work
-Subordinates
-Cole
-Ability to “wing it”
Ash
-Abilities
-Satisfaction with job
-Sense of challenge
-Changes in work
-Compared to Elliot L. Richardson, Caspar W. (“Cap”)
Weinberger
-22-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-16 (cont’d)
Ehrlichman
-Burden of work
-Value
-Congressional work
-Importance
-Difficulties
-Work with governors, mayors
-Difficulties
-Compared with William E. Timmons
-Organization
Timmons
-Compared with Clark MacGregor, Bryce N. Harlow
-Congressional relations
-Meetings with President
-MacGregors’s career in Congress
-Compared to Scott, Ford
George H. W. Bush [?]
-Defense job
Congressional relations
-President’s meeting with Scott, Ford
-Timmons
-Qualities
Dinners
-Value
Reagan
-Meetings with President
-Possible candidacy for president
Nelson A. Rockefeller
-Ideas
President's schedule
-Social events
-23-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-16 (cont’d)
-Frequency
-Tiredness
-Golf
-Dinners
-Private, working
-Social events
-California
-Reagan
-William P. Rogers, Kissinger
-Secretaries
-Problems
-Invitations
-Reagan, Robert H. Finch, Samuel W. Yorty
-California visits
-Florida visits
-Bill Pauley [sp?]
-Palm Springs
-Problems
-Meetings with governors
*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
-Jack and Helene (Colesie) Drown
-Visit to California
-Problems
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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President's forthcoming visit to California
-Compared to Florida visit
-Schedule of meetings
-Activities
-John Ford dinner
-Nguyen Van Thieu’s visit
-24-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-16 (cont’d)
Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo
-Palm Springs
*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
-Vacation days
-President’s activities
-Signatures
-Telephone calls
-George P. Shultz
-Ash, Ehrlichman
-Congress members
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************
President's schedule for California trips
-Thieu’s visit
-Morning work
-Activities
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Coordination
-Working vacation
-Meetings in California
-Weinberger
-Advisability
-Purpose
-Publicity
-President’s activities
President’s schedule
-Time off
-Compared to Congress
-Public reaction
-Amount of work
-25-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-16 (cont’d)
-Time in Washington, DC
-Criticism
-Answer
-Public events
-Dedication
-Baseball games
-July
-Social events
-Lunch, dinner, reception for an individual
-Problems
-Official compared with personal functions
-Invitations
-Leslie T. (“Bob”) Hope
-Activities
-Golf
-Walking
-Security [?]
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[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 11s]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
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[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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-26-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-16 (cont’d)
President’s second term in office
-Problem
-Compared to Dwight D. Eisenhower
-1958 recession
-Impact on popularity
-War
-Public support for President
-President's personal popularity
-Affection
-Constitutional battle [?]
-Eisenhower
Republican Party
-Barry M. Goldwater
-Goldwaterites
-Buchanan’s analysis
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 4:50 pm.
President’s schedule
Delivery
Bull left at an unknown time before 6:06 pm.
Republican Party
-Conservatives
-President’s problems satisfying
-Buchanan’s underestimation
-Bombing
-James L. Buckley
-Courts, judicial appointments
-Domestic policy
-Busing program
-Taxation compared with budget cuts
-Congress
-Press stories
-Portrayal of administration’s actions
-27-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)
Conversation No. 417-16 (cont’d)
Public relations
-TV
-Press conference
-Performance
-Political Right [?]
-President’s travels
-Transformation by TV
-Press coverage of events
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Buchanan
Haldeman left at 6:06 pm.
Conversation No. 417-25
Date: March 5, 1973
Time: Unknown between 6:06 pm, March 5 and 2:31 pm, March 7
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with an unknown person.
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[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
Greeting
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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The unknown person left at an unknown time before 2:31 pm, March 7, 1973.
-28-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Tape Subject Log
(rev. June-2010)