Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 1 › Conversation 001-089
Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Stock Market and Robert J. Dole
Wednesday, April 14, 1971 · 7:58 PM–8:03 PM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman discussed economic recovery, specifically citing the performance of the stock market as a signal of public confidence that could bolster the administration's image. They focused on political strategy, emphasizing the need for Senator Robert Dole to champion the President's policies and effectively manage Republican criticism in the Senate regarding the China initiative. Finally, the President urged Haldeman to ensure active administration intervention in the Texas drought and grain shipment crisis to maintain a public perception of decisive, activist leadership.
- Stock Market
- Robert J. Dole
- Public Confidence
- Senate Relations
- Texas Drought
- Political Strategy
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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Well, I just told Pete Flanagan that Dow was at 932, you know.
Is it?
Yeah, it went up five points today on 19 million.
And the AP in the Star, I noticed, said, unmoderately active trading.
Good God, 19 million shares.
So now it's two points above what it was when we came in.
And I told him, by God, that he ought to get a hold of Reagan and
And a lot of those clowns up there, and they write a little note or say something or, you know.
Aren't right.
Gee whiz, I mean, they're having it pretty good, you know.
The trading has been, what, three and a half, over three and a half billion shares.
Yeah.
Since the low.
Oh, yeah.
So that's... Oh, that's interesting.
Those boys in the...
Wall Street don't bet on anything unless they think it's moving up, too.
So there is an indication of their feeling about confidence.
I mean, the whole confidence factor you've been talking about.
But yeah, it's going to be hard for these financial writers and the rest to come around to say, oh, you know, we're so bearish now.
But that 932 is a sort of a historic landmark.
Have a nice touch for Bill Casey.
You're right.
Taking over the SEC.
Right.
Okay, did you, were you able to check any of that thing out that I, you know, on an individual basis that I asked you about today, about the, I'm just working on the press conference thing now?
What?
Oh, you mean on how to approach it?
Yeah.
No, I haven't.
Yeah, well, you can just turn off.
We'll see each other tomorrow.
Fine, fine.
You can talk to some.
And I think it's important to get, uh, have Dole on this, uh, was he there when Connolly made his pitch to the cabinet?
Was he at that thing or not?
No.
Maybe you ought to get, I don't, well, no, I don't know.
Maybe you ought to get Bill in on this business of the personal thing on the president.
Right.
That could add a lot to his speeches.
I talked to him some after we talked, and we're going to get together and go over.
He's very intrigued with that, and he had the idea, but he wanted to talk about some approaches to it.
He should talk about courage and sticking to his guns and all that sort of thing, and that this is working and things are going up and, you know.
Just talk confident as hell.
That's what we need at the present time.
And Dole is, it's good to see him about every couple weeks.
It's not a bad idea.
Just get him in 15, 20 minutes.
The point, then he can go out on the basis of that, you know, and where we go for that and sitting in the cabinet meetings and sitting in the leadership meeting.
Yeah.
Yes, sure, he can do that.
And then, of course, he's got to, he ought to, in the morning, start
on a little plan of getting McGregor and the rest on a program.
I've talked to Colson.
He's going to work on Brooke.
And some of these other people, you know, Tom, just hold their fire a little while.
Just give us a little time.
Yeah.
Because some of these guys, the Chinese thing will worry them and other things.
They may think there's more going on than there really is.
Yeah.
But I think we need some heart of, I don't think we've got much in the Senate there yet, you know, he just, whether he's really thought it through or whether we have thought it through in terms of there should be more than four senators, there should be six or seven, you know, real good, tough senators that are with us.
Yeah, we've got them.
I didn't want to get into it with Dole standing there, but we've got the group that they want to,
bring in, you know, is the Senate group.
And that's, well, Goldwater, Bellman, Tower, Baker, Dole, Gurney, Brock, and Taft, Cook.
And then they also would like to add to that the other solid group, which is Allitt, Boggs, Curtis, Hanson, and Miller.
Have all of them come.
Miller, too.
Even Miller.
Miller has voted 90% or better
All the tough key votes.
We wanted to hold firm on this thing.
And see, those five are all up for election.
Right.
That's a good one to bring in then.
Oggs, Curtis, Hanson, and Miller.
Because they're up for election.
Bring them in.
They're the ones who are up who have been total loyalists.
And, of course, Tower, who's 100%.
Right.
Good.
Were you able to get anything done on the Texas grain thing today?
No.
I don't know whether they've got any more done or not.
But you're riding that hard.
I don't want to be sure that Connelly's concerned, that we just be sure we appear to be activists and not just sort of waiting and, you know, demagogue it a little, you know?
Yep.
That's a good deal, isn't it?
Dale?
Dale?
Just don't leave it to Lincoln to do the right thing.
We want to say the right thing now, huh?
Yep.
Okay.
Fine, Bob.
Thank you.
Yes, sir.
NARA Description
On April 14, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 7:58 pm to 8:03 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 001-089 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 1-89
Date: April 14, 1971
Time: 7:58 pm - 8:03 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
President's conversation with Peter M. Flanigan
Stock market
-Donald T. Regan
-Critics
-Confidence
-William J. Casey
-Securities and Exchange Commission [SEC]
Press Conference
-Approach
Robert J. Dole
-John B. Connally
-Cabinet
-Haldeman's possible meeting with Dole
-Dole's leadership role
Republican critics in the Senate
-Clark MacGregor
-President's conversation with Charles W. Colson
-Edward W. Brooke
-People's Republic of China [PRC] initiative
-Dole
Senate supporters of the President
-Barry M. Goldwater
-Henry L. Bellmon
-John G. Tower
-Howard H. Baker
-Dole
-Edward J. Gurney
-William E. Brock, III
-Robert A. Taft, Jr.
-Gordon L. Allott
-J. Caleb Boggs
-Carl T. Curtis
-Clifford P. Hansen
-Jack R. Miller
-Tower
Texas drought
-Grain shipment
-Connally
-George A. LincolnAlso recorded on April 15, 1971
- 001-085 7:45 PM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 7:45 pm to 7:54 pm.
- 001-086 7:54 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone from 7:54 pm to 7:55 pm.
- 001-087 7:55 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Peter M. Flanigan talked on the telephone from 7:55 pm to 7:57 pm.
- 001-088 7:58 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:58 pm.
- 001-090 8:04 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 8:04 pm.
- 001-091 8:05 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 8:05 pm to 8:12 pm.
- 001-092 8:12 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone from 8:12 pm to 8:13 pm.
- 001-093 8:13 PM · 43 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 8:13 pm to 8:14 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 001-089, April 15, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/001-089 (accessed October 12, 2026).