Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 3 › Conversation 003-145

Nixon phone call with Hoover on Law enforcement and FBI

Wednesday, May 26, 1971 · 6:58 PM–7:01 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Hoover, J. EdgarConversation003-145 on Tape 3 (tape position 03:34:00–03:36:36)StartWednesday, May 26, 1971 at 6:58 PMEndWednesday, May 26, 1971 at 7:01 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 003-145 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover discussed the recent targeted killings of New York City police officers and the strategy to apprehend the perpetrators. Nixon directed Hoover to utilize unlimited intelligence-gathering resources and coordinate with Attorney General John Mitchell to ensure full FBI cooperation. Additionally, Hoover outlined plans for upcoming conferences with national police leadership to address the violence and bolster law enforcement response.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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You're probably way ahead of me, but may I tell you that in terms of the New York situation, at this particular time, since these people have not been apprehended, the national security
You know, information we seek is unlimited.
Yes.
Okay.
It's okay?
Yes.
And you tell the Attorney General that that's what I've suggested and ordered, and you do it, okay?
I'll do that.
Don't you agree with this?
I agree with it thoroughly.
My God, let's get these bastards.
And the agent in charge of my New York office told me he attended both funerals today.
Good.
And saw the commissioner and conveyed to the commissioner, as he had previously on to the other high officers there at New York,
that the full facilities of the FBI were available.
And we'll make them available and I'll go all out on the intelligence of this thing.
In the meantime, I've already alerted the president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police to hold himself in readiness for Wednesday or Thursday of next week and to have his offices hold that day open as they will be called to Washington for some conference.
I didn't indicate what it was.
That'll be a good meeting and then we'll follow that up.
on their recommendation with a meeting of, say, 100 top police and sheriffs from around the country.
We have that scheduled for the following Monday.
Right.
Already.
Oh, good.
Yes.
Good.
Oh, you have?
Yes, indeed.
That's great.
That's the way to work.
Yes.
And then we'll get at this, and then I'll come by the academy and give them a little pop, and we'll... Fine.
Okay.
Fine.
Fine.
But let's get these guys.
By God.
You know, it just sickens me to see people...
shooting policemen in the back.
It does.
Doesn't it, you?
I mean, I just, of course it does you, but it does me as just an ordinary citizen.
When you stop to think of this thing in New York, where one man, as I said today, was shot six times in the back of the head and another man 12 times in the back of the head.
Oh, my God.
Now, that was not, I mean, it wasn't... That's sadism, sadism.
That was sadism.
That's just what it was.
That's right.
And the New York Times will probably write an editorial pointing out that the guy that shot him
was raised in a bad neighborhood.
That's right.
That's right.
That's right.
But that isn't the reason.
These people are bad people.
Right.
Okay, Edgar.
Thank you very much.

NARA Description

On May 26, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and J. Edgar Hoover talked on the telephone from 6:58 pm to 7:01 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-145 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 3-145

Date: May 26, 1971
Time: 6:58 pm - 7:01 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with J. Edgar Hoover.

[See Conversation No. 253-35]

     Killing of New York, NY policemen
           -National security information gathering
                 -John N. Mitchell
                 -Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] availability
                       -New York bureau chief
           -Conference of National Association of Chiefs of Police, June 2, 1971 or June 3, 1971
           -Meeting on June 7, 1971 of sheriffs and police
           -President's visit to FBI academy
           -Apprehension of perpetrators
           -President's and Hoover's response
           -Details
           -Possible motives
                 -Poverty
                       -Possible New York Times editorial
                 -Perpetrators
                                             87

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 9/08)

Also recorded on May 26, 1971

  • 003-143 6:46 PM · 1 min — Alexander P. Butterfield, White House operator, and Toni Sidley talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:46 pm and 6:50 pm.
  • 003-144 6:50 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:50 pm and 6:58 pm.
  • 253-033 6:50 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:50 pm and 6:58 pm.
  • 253-034 6:50 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:50 pm and 6:58 pm.
  • 253-035 6:58 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and J. Edgar Hoover met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:58 pm to 7:01 pm.
  • 003-146 7:01 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:01 pm and 7:10 pm.
  • 253-036 7:01 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 7:01 pm and 7:10 pm.
  • 253-037 7:01 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 7:01 pm and 7:10 pm.

All 83 conversations from May 26, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 003-145, May 26, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/003-145 (accessed October 12, 2026).