Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 865 › Conversation 865-018

Nixon & Bull on Cabinet offers and Sub-cabinet appointments

Wednesday, February 28, 1973 · 10:43 AM–10:59 AM ET · Oval Office · 8 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.Conversation865-018 on Tape 865StartWednesday, February 28, 1973 at 10:43 AMEndWednesday, February 28, 1973 at 10:59 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 865-018 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417182589 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Stephen B. Bull discussed scheduling and personnel matters, including potential cabinet offers, sub-cabinet appointments, and departing staff. They specifically addressed the handling of contributors lists, the logistics of photo opportunities for certain individuals like Mr. and Mrs. Banks, and the recognition of award recipients such as Patricia R. Hitt. The conversation also touched upon briefing schedules for John Ehrlichman and the Quadriad group.

  • President's schedule
  • Cabinet offers
  • Sub-cabinet appointments
  • Departing staff
  • Contributors list
  • Photo opportunities
  • Award recipients
  • Quadriad

Audio

Download MP3 · 11.6 MB

NARA Description

On February 28, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:43 am and 10:59 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 865-018 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 865-18

Date: February 28, 1973
Time: Unknown between 10:43 am and 10:59 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull.

      President's schedule
             -Meeting
                     -David N. Parker
                             -Maurice H. Stans’s contributors list
                     -Cabinet offers, Quadriad
             -Sub-cabinet people
                     -Mr. and Mrs. Banks [First names unknown]
                     -Photos
             -Departing staff members
                     -Barry J. Shillito, Richard Langham, Civil Aeronautics Board [CAB]
Chairman, Andrew E. Gibson
                     -Banks
             -Veterans of Foreign Wars [VFW] groups
             -Women’s awards
                     -Patricia R. Hitt
             -Ronald L. Ziegler
                     -Gridiron Club officers
             -William E. Timmons
             -Stans’s list
                     -Scheduling
             -Quadriad
             -John D. Ehrlichman’s schedule
                     -Governors
                     -Briefing
             -Domestic Council
                                                -15-

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                              Conversation No. 865-18 (cont’d)

              -George P. Shultz, H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Roy L. Ash
              -Edward Gaylord’s birthday message
                    -Timmons
                    -Previous support for President

Bull left at an unknown time before 10:59 am.

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

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

Well, I think we're expecting you to go ahead and schedule this thing for Friday.
It does not need to be.
What else do you want to do?
If it works for you, you can pay.
If you want to.
I hate the part where it's getting to one of those stands where you can start getting that out of the way.
I learned that one of the first people that got into this was right over here.
We're still a little concerned about the
a list of people that we've guided towards.
Just like, don't worry about it, just get the principal, such as Banks, Mr. and Mrs. Banks, particularly, and just bring them in, you know, just almost as a, the way we did it in the end.
Very kind of five or six of them come, you know, and say, yeah, don't go through a great big long list, or you should go through the length, I don't give a damn.
Well, I have to go through a list and have a picture taken.
It's almost a slippery slope.
You don't know how they're going to react.
No, sir.
No, I mean, if we started off, I mean, you have a person like that, if you break into beds, and other people carrying on, we wanted the same thing.
So either we should be very small and exclusive or open it up, but I do have over 20 people right here categorized by the voluntary and non-voluntary approaches.
All the people I have on this are no problem.
I've known them.
We're raising these questions here about having the non-voluntary terminated, but I have such people as Barry Shillel and Richard Langley.
seeing each other, and he gives, those are all the 30 functions.
All the 30 functions, sir.
What's the base?
Yes, I'm not sure exactly what he's on.
Oh, yes, I can tell you.
There's really no problem.
I mean, pictures, that's all.
Yes, sir.
That's just, that's the idea.
They all want to try that.
Sure, well, I don't care if they're positive or negative.
Thank you.
Let's get it done.
The, that's...
Yesterday we had a meeting in, um, I don't know if those women's awards have to come up, or should we just, I'm not sure, should we just, uh, tell them?
No, I told them to do it.
All right.
There.
So, to refresh your memory, we're going to use that as a, as a token for Pat Hitt, who made it something.
I don't think we really need something for her.
As long as it wasn't mentioned yesterday.
Was that it?
No, it was not.
You were going to use that test in case we needed something else?
No, to modify it.
No.
So I don't think the weapons of war need to be done.
They should be done.
I don't know.
Why?
Why?
They weren't going to be kept free due to the fact that they were studying for the woman.
Yes.
A variety of women figured out and started picking up around them.
And they started knocking them off.
So I just want to be damn sure that they are not our meetings.
It's pretty hard for them to be less than a half hour.
I realize they're businessmen.
I don't know how they are.
But I'm sure they know that it becomes sharp at a half hour.
Always schedule it for a half hour and try to do it in less.
He's going back down to town.
I'll see if he'd like to have his counselors.
Wait, he's got the gun.
He hasn't come to town.
No, he hasn't.
for this afternoon.
Oh, you're doing it now?
This morning?
This morning.
There's a briefing over in the house.
Yeah.
But what I meant is if John's free, I'll wag around with the, with those people.
So the council's running in the, in the back of town.
So he's ready for that.
The run of the Schultz, Holtman, or Holtman.
That is a different one.
Either one.
Either one.
Either one.
Matter of fact, you can do both.
I don't know.
take a brief message to Mr. Gabor, who may recall an interview he's supported you on many, many years.
I've heard of him.
They've been with you, haven't they?
Sure, sure.
That's easy.
Anything like that.
Of course, my attitude is to always get it right.
I'll set it up for you.

Also recorded on February 28, 1973

  • 865-015 10:23 AM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:23 am and 10:24 am.
  • 865-016 10:24 AM · 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:24 am to 10:43 am.
  • 865-017 10:43 AM · 25 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:43 am and 10:59 am.
  • 865-019 10:43 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:43 am and 10:59 am.
  • 865-020 10:59 AM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 10:59 am.
  • 865-021 10:59 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:59 am and 11:07 am.
  • 865-022 11:07 AM · 45 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:07 am to 11:52 am.
  • 865-023 11:52 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:52 am and 12:02 pm.

All 48 conversations from February 28, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 865-018, February 28, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417182589). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/865-018 (accessed November 8, 2026).