Conversation 462-012

TapeTape 462StartFriday, March 5, 1971 at 10:49 AMEndFriday, March 5, 1971 at 11:06 AMTape start time02:46:06Tape end time03:03:07ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob");  Sanchez, Manolo;  Ziegler, Ronald L.Recording deviceOval Office

President Nixon met with H.R. Haldeman and Ron Ziegler to coordinate political mobilization strategies following his March 4, 1971, press conference. The discussion focused on leveraging the President's recent media performance to promote his domestic agenda—specifically revenue sharing—while coordinating briefings with Nelson Rockefeller, George Romney, and John Connally. Additionally, they evaluated press reactions to the President's stance on the war in Laos and reviewed polling data regarding Democratic challengers.

Revenue sharingPress relationsPolitical mobilizationVietnam WarWhite House schedulingPublic opinion polls

On March 5, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Manolo Sanchez, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:49 am to 11:06 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 462-012 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 462-12

Date: March 5, 1971
Time: 10:49 am - 11:06 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman

     Nelson A. Rockefeller
          -Schedule
          -Possible briefing

          -Unemployment
          -Revenue sharing
               -Congressional approval

     President’s schedule
          -Admiral Thomas H. Moorer
                -Military action in Vietnam

     Public relations
          -Leonard Garment
                 -Haldeman’s forthcoming call to Garment
                 -Press release on President’s musical interest
                      -Compared with revenue sharing
          -Charles W. Colson’s efforts
                 -Work with Senate and House
                      -J. William Fulbright

     President’s press conference
          -Mobilization of President’s supporters
          -Call from John C. Stennis
          -Cabinet officers
          -Mobilization of President’s supporters
                -Clark MacGregor
                -White House staff efforts
                -Colson
                -Labor
                -Ronald L. Ziegler
                -Raymond K. Price, Jr.’s staff
                -Herbert G. Klein
                -Colson
                      -President’s statement about the press
                -Laos

     Polls

          -David R. Derge [?]
               -Laos
                    -Statistics
                    -Compared to 1968 campaign polls
          -Democrat candidates
               -Edmund S. Muskie
               -Hubert H. Humphrey

     President’s press conference
          -William P. Rogers
                -Follow-up press conference
                      -Laos (Lam Son)
                      -Middle East
          -Melvin R. Laird
                -Follow-up press conference

     President’s schedule
          -Rockefeller meeting
                -Possible attendees
                      -John D. Ehrlichman, George P. Shultz
                -Press briefing on revenue sharing
                -President’s appearance
                -Ziegler

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 10:49 am

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 15s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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Sanchez left at an unknown time before 11:06 am

     Mobilization of President’s supporters
         -The President’s press conference
                -Effect on troops
                     -Compared to a campaign

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 4s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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Ziegler entered at an unknown time after 10:49 am

     President’s March 4, 1971 press conference
          -Possible press response
          -Ziegler’s assessment
          -Robert B. Semple, Jr.’s comments
          -Martin Schram’s question
                -The President’s response
          -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
          -Attitude of press
          -Semple
          -Eugene V. Risher
                -Response
                -Lead story
                      -Laos (Lam Son)
                           -Vietnamization
                      -South Vietnam
                           -Possible invasion of North Vietnam
                                 -The President’s position
                -Response

     President’s schedule
          -Quadriad meeting

           -National Security Council meeting
                -Topics discussed
           -John B. Connally briefing
                -Comments on the economy
                -Time
           -Rockefeller meeting
                -Photo coverage
                      -Shultz
                      -Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger
                      -Edwin L. Harper
                -Public relations options
                -Possible press briefing on revenue sharing
                      -Responses
                            -Warren E. Hearnes
                            -Patrick J. Lucey
                            -Popular support
                -Photo
                      -Location
                -Press briefing
                      -President’s possible appearance
                            -Forthcoming message to Congress

     George W. Romney
          -Briefing on revenue sharing
          -Possible joint briefing with Rockefeller and Agnew
          -Possible meeting with Ehrlichman, Shultz, and Agnew
          -Talk with Ziegler

     President’s schedule
          -Rockefeller
                -Time

Haldeman left at an unknown time before 11:06 am

     Vietnam
          -Prisoners of War [POWs] and Missing In Action [MIAs]
                -Number, definition

Ziegler left at 11:06 am

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Well, I think we can.
I think after a conversation with him, let him hit the 4 o'clock briefing.
And in the ride today, we've got the unemployment going in the urban revenue shack.
This is all putting out a tree, pushing money out of that urban revenue shack.
Now, we've got to go up to the hill and then go straight down.
He said it was like an AP wire gun in a 2000s school magazine.
That's the soft kind of thing.
But it's better, Bob, than urban revenue sharing, if I may say so.
That's right.
Huh?
That's right.
And then you go out to the president and say, the president took music lessons.
How about this offensive?
Now, you're living at the coast.
He told me, I got the brain.
He was kind of just, he was working maybe in the Senate in the House when I spoke, right?
I think we ought to mobilize our friends and mobilize all the groups.
Well, I don't know whether you can do it the same way, but you can to an extent.
Well, let me, let me guess, you'd get something right now from some of them being there right after a press conference.
Like a following.
Stennis called for us for that reason.
He said, well, they're shooting the lead gun.
Some of us are going to say we're following them.
That's what he said.
What's the matter with that?
That's what I can't remember, too.
If you've got McGregor and all the rest cranking or what is their, what I mean by if they can't crank, if they can't get going, then we've got to get somebody else in here who can work on those people, you see what I mean?
How they feel?
You get what they feel, you know, everybody's, you know, charged up and stuff, but you get they don't know what to do.
Oh, sure they do.
What they want to do, we can't do anything.
No, no.
But what is there?
I don't know.
I don't want to make them call Colson off.
He'd go out and put himself in the story.
Don't call him on it.
But if I was able to frighten people, fine.
All that.
We've got some... See, what if Colson's joining us following up on the fact that the...
Which is very clever.
I can't believe the press.
That's, in a way, the best thing we've got to ride on now.
And that's the last thing that, you know, we can lock on now.
But a lot of us think there's not much we need to do to follow up.
Except, you know, the more we get, the better.
But now, you...
really laid the position out.
Nobody's going to override that.
Nobody can bolster a bunch.
And the results are going to speak for themselves as we go along on that anyway.
You're not going to change the anti-virus types.
And you want to.
You want to keep them out.
My feeling is that what you will get out of this poll
And I hope DIRDS checks both of these in terms of the undecided use of a ship, not from what's currently imposed, but a ship, you should get a ferry, a substantial ship from the undecided that should move from about 4800 to 4500.
I mean, that's what I would think, basically in the undecided.
Would that be your guess?
Not to get some proposed to, but the undecideds,
versus polling were much harder.
So we don't, we can't be 10.
And as you know, the Sturges did during the 68 campaign, you find that there's a hell of a lot of moving within the figures of those polls in high school.
Looking at the totals, don't tell you where they came from.
That's right.
It's two of those candidates, you know, you can't be, it was very difficult to see though how you could be down that far in the polls and still lead the Democratic candidate system.
For the Democrats, that would be a very nervous numerical advantage.
Yeah, but it shows that there's not a lot of great satisfaction with the Democratic candidates either.
Doesn't go through the musky fall off, maybe due to the Democrats.
The candidate game, maybe the fact that they're talking about laws.
Well, I put it to Rogers.
I don't know whether he's going to follow up next week.
God damn it, he better.
But Thursday or Friday, I said he should have a press conference.
And I put him right off there, you know, on 11-2.
Sure he does, I'm off.
He's got to do it.
At that time, it may be the mid-eastern.
I'll talk about that.
Laird's going on Tuesday.
Yes.
If you want to go up, all right, 3 o'clock in the Rockingham.
That's a good idea.
How can we... Well, we talked about getting some of the congressional types, and you end up in an awful big meeting, you said.
down that.
He's going to make a small cruise.
Why don't we use our own people?
It might be better just to do, have a session with some of our own people on the curve.
And the important thing is that you know this governor rocked with that.
And then he let him go out.
And I'm going to go out with him to the press.
I'll take him out.
I'll take him out.
I'll take him out.
I'll take him out.
I'll take him out.
I'll take him out.
Do you think it's a good idea?
I guess so.
I'm sorry.
No, of course not.
Would the captain see you in her ticket?
Of course he would.
You know, one thing about these things, all of these things, no matter how they work, Bob, is that I think they're good for our own troops.
Here we are thinking, oh, if you're after anything else, then that's the purpose of campaigns.
Your own troops need to be ready.
Bob told me your life on the press is going to be pretty hard for a few days.
Oh, I don't think so.
No, sir.
They, uh, I'm very comfortable with this.
They're very comfortable with that.
And, uh, you know, guys, uh, last night, like Simple said, uh, was it tape measure home run?
You know, they were talking about Marty Schramm, the way he took Schramm's question and spelled it in, uh,
I think the general feeling is, Mr. President, at least I sense out there, it was not an attack, it was a statement of fact.
No, they're going to be some of the real negative guys who are going to try and shift it to that.
But the tone and the attitude in the press room afterwards was one, you know, the President was out there.
committed, convincingly stating what he believed, what he stood for, what his programs were, and he's up there fighting for them, and he has every right to do that.
He tried to... Is that a lot of...
Yes, he did.
Gene Risher came into my office that day.
He said, Ron, I think that was...
He was a little concerned about the first lead that went out and came in to explain to me.
The lead was, of course, where the Loush operation was going.
Well, the administration... That's true.
And he came in and he said...
they had gone out of the lead over his name relating to the not really young North Vietnamese invasion of Vietnam.
You were quite clear on that.
You left it open, but we're very clear.
But he came in and he said that he felt that this was, of all of the press conference performances, one of the best because he said you were extremely convincing, you were extremely...
in stating again, very consistently, the policy on the state of the federal government.
With regard to today, and Bob, we have two things to read.
One, you've got the Quadrant, and as of Oregon, I think you should talk to the National Security Office.
I'm going to.
Yeah, the regular meeting, just general foreign policy matters, general foreign policy matters.
So he said he had everything, all the coverage numbers.
Okay, I can, excuse me.
Yeah, now that we want to do this, can people agree that it is?
The other thing is that the Secretary Connolly.
Yeah, yeah, fine.
I'm going to talk to him right now, and I thought I'd pull him just aside there.
Yes, we'd like him to come out for a minute and comment upon the economy.
And I think if you'd much be encouraging, too.
Yes, yes, fine.
We want to fix up people and go out and talk.
All right, fine.
Or have you seen him too early, though?
No, no, I don't think so.
You see, this would be his first time here for the White House.
I don't think it's... No.
Second question is, I think you ought to make something out of Barack Obama, Rocky.
Yes, sir, I do, too.
I think maybe we got a bit of picture.
Is there any kind of a picture story that you get?
I think we ought to get a picture of Schultz, Weisberg, you know, Hart, or...
get the charts of, well, they've had those charts already, but what is something that will be different where Rocky is sitting there, or he's sitting here at Mr. Olympus, or an org, like taking out Lakers, I've met with Governor Rockefeller, and he can hit the back of her hands, Lucy, but that's very great support, the support of the ground swell across the country, and so forth, and it's very great to hear the recognition of that.
I think we could do a bit, first of all, on a picture.
I think for a different picture in here, put up a chart or two around over here.
That would be good.
That would be great.
And then afterwards, I don't think you have to take...
No, I can't take the deal now.
No, I didn't, but I would have Rockefeller come out and do the... Well, they all said it, but it seems to me that that's one of the ways I can get my urban.
I'm sorry, Senator.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Well, you could do that.
Do you want the urban agriculture share?
See, Romney's about ready to go out before the press here now.
Is he?
Yes, sir.
About the urban agriculture share?
Yes, sir.
Oh, Christ.
That's just his briefing.
That's the details.
How about having Romney present?
How about having him?
That's a good idea.
How about having the vice president present?
I think he's good to end Romney, yes sir.
You don't want to get that too big over there.
I think he's got to look like a more important person.
Putting early controls is not important in the game.
If I started in the United States, all the captain and officer would have a bigger meeting.
I see.
Bigger meetings.
So it's not like... You're not throwing shells in early?
Anybody else is early?
I'm not sure.
Should I mention it to him?
Yeah.
It will be about 3.30.
All right, I'll mention it.
.
.
.
.
.
.
So we don't know.
They're probably in jail.
We don't have anybody killed that we know.