Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 3 › Conversation 003-151

Nixon phone call with Haldeman on White House social schedule

Thursday, May 27, 1971 · 7:53 PM–7:59 PM ET · White House Telephone · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation003-151 on Tape 3 (tape position 03:38:30–03:44:48)StartThursday, May 27, 1971 at 7:53 PMEndThursday, May 27, 1971 at 7:59 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 003-151 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman discuss logistical and scheduling arrangements for upcoming White House events, including a dinner for Anastasio Somoza Debayle and preparations for Tricia Nixon’s wedding. They decide to expand the Somoza dinner to include wives to simplify social obligations and reach a consensus on clearing the White House schedule of non-essential events leading up to the wedding to reduce staff strain. Additionally, they coordinate the President’s participation in upcoming Kennedy Center opening events, specifically opting for the symphony concert led by Antal Dorati while choosing to avoid the Leonard Bernstein performance associated with the Kennedy family.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Hello?
Yes, sir.
Hi, Bob.
I wondered on the samosa dinner, how many were we planning at this point?
How many have been invited?
Or do you know, around 40?
I think we were figuring 40 or 45.
What I'd like to do is to make it with women.
I'll tell you why.
She's going to be there, his wife.
It's going to be a firehouse.
Pat, otherwise, will have to do a lunch for her or something.
And it'll be hard.
Let's just give the old boy a real show.
Make it, you know, a black guy.
uh dinner wives too and that's allowed to bring his wife and all that stuff okay easier for us to mix at 80 or 100 for that matter see okay don't you think it's a nice idea yeah i didn't realize she was going to be here yeah well i think it's a good good way to a good way to handle things so if you just change it to start to uh to a
Especially since it's not just a mass reunion type thing.
Yeah.
Right.
And that we're going to have the ladies and the gentlemen.
That way he sort of has the feeling of a mini-state visit.
We did it for Saud, we might as well do it for this fella.
Okay.
Okay, fine.
I think that'll be a good way to kill two birds with one stone.
Fine.
And incidentally, after that dinner, Pat tells me that there is a little problem.
That's a second.
between then and the wedding, she says she doesn't feel we should have any events in the White House then.
Yeah, well, I got a note that they wanted to close it from the 6th on.
Well, the staff, you know, really needs a rest, not a rest, but they need to get ready.
And so, except for breakfast, let's not have anything from then on.
Can we do that?
We don't have anything, do we?
Nothing we have to do between then and those events.
We have that 80th Congressional Club reception.
No problem on that.
No problem on that.
That's easy.
And, uh, no, that's it.
Good.
Okay.
There's nothing.
That takes care of everybody.
Nothing more scheduled.
That's fine.
Next thing after that's the Branson.
Fine.
Fine.
Well, we, uh, we've worked the staff pretty good, you know.
Yeah.
In fact, we do more than anybody else.
Yeah, and that wedding's going to be a lot of work for them.
Tremendous amount of work.
So that's a good idea.
All right.
All right.
Okay.
We will keep it clear.
Okay.
Anything else of importance?
Nice big night at the Kennedy Center.
Yeah, for Julian David, right?
Oh, did they?
Mrs. Eisenhardt.
They had to see her before they left.
Yeah.
They had to go up there.
They decided to see her here.
They went to a reception for her.
But this is the gala, which they're going to raise $350,000.
Yeah.
Yeah.
What do I have to do in the darn thing?
On the center?
Yeah.
You'll have to go to one of the opening concerts, and I think you ought to go to the second opening, which is the Symphony Hall.
And that'll be with Antal Dorati.
The first opening is with Leonard Bernstein.
I don't know if you ought to go to that.
That'll be all Kennedy.
Right.
When is the second?
It's on the 9th, I think.
No, no, September.
Oh, great.
Oh, hell, it is.
They haven't even gotten the thing built yet.
This thing tonight is going to be a total mess because the theater, there's no seats in the theaters or anything.
It's all out of construction work.
Let's put it on the basis that we're trying to go.
We want to be there for the Dorade, the Washington's.
That's the way it's going to be.
The hell with Bernstein.
Why should we go to his?
Well, you said he's done a special composition saluting Kennedy and all that.
That's right.
The Kennedy family.
I think it's more gracious anyway for you to let them have their thing.
And then you go to the other opening.
They're both going to be huge functions as far as socials.
That's good.
Is that September?
Uh-huh.
September 9th.
I might not be here.
I know.
It's okay.
That's fine.
Good.
Okay.
It's all bad.
Fine.
Okay, Bob.
Okay.
Okay.

NARA Description

On May 27, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 7:53 pm to 7:59 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-151 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 003-151

Date: May 27, 1971
Time: 7:53 pm - 7:59 pm
Location: White House Telephone

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

     President's schedule
          -Anastasio Somoza Debayle dinner
                 -Number
                 -Attendees
                       -Mrs. Somoza, Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
                 -Style of dress
                 -Attendees
                       -Guillermo Sevilla Sacasa and wife
                       -Number
                       -Mrs. Somoza
                 -Compared with King Saud's visit
          -Tricia Nixon's wedding
                 -Mrs. Nixon
                 -Staff work
          -Breakfasts
          -Eightieth Congressional Club reception
          -Willy Brandt visit
          -Tricia Nixon's wedding

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

                 -Staff work

**********************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 10/25/2017.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[003-151-w002]
[Duration: 1m 40s]

     1972 Election
          -Hubert H. Humphrey
                -Possible presidential run
                -Statement at Godfrey Sperling’s breakfast
                -President’s political opinion
                -Statement on Wisconsin, California, and New York primaries
                      -Affidavit
                      -Possible response by Robert Dole
                      -Importance of verbal and written oaths
                            -Wisconsin

**********************************************************************

     Kennedy Center opening
         -Julie and [Dwight] David Eisenhower II, Mamie G.D. Eisenhower
         -President's role
               -Symphony [Concert] Hall
                     -Antal Dorati
         -Leonard Bernstein
               -Kennedy family
         -September 9, 1971 event

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

             -May 27, 1971 event
                   -Status of building project
             -President's role
                   -National Symphony and Dorati
                   -Bernstein
                         -Special composition
                               -Kennedy family
             -Opening events
                   -Date
                         -President's schedule

Also recorded on May 27, 1971

  • 504-010 2:39 PM · 32 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:39 pm to 2:42 pm.
  • 504-011 2:42 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at 2:42 pm.
  • 504-012 2:42 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at 2:42 pm.
  • 504-013 2:42 PM · 1 hr 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, William P. Rogers, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:42 pm to 4:26 pm.
  • 504-014 4:26 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:26 pm and 4:28 pm.
  • 504-015 4:28 PM · 2 hr 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Egil ("Bud") Krogh, Jr., John D. Ehrlichman, Frederic V. Malek, Elliot L. Richardson, unknown person(s), H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:28 pm to 6:38 pm.
  • 003-150 6:38 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:38 pm and 7:53 pm.
  • 003-152 7:59 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:59 pm and 8:09 pm.

All 20 conversations from May 27, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 003-151, May 27, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/003-151 (accessed October 12, 2026).