Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 5 › Conversation 005-078

Nixon phone call with Haldeman on NBC and Public relations

Monday, June 14, 1971 · 7:56 PM–7:58 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation005-078 on Tape 5 (tape position 02:30:52–02:33:11)StartMonday, June 14, 1971 at 7:56 PMEndMonday, June 14, 1971 at 7:58 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 005-078 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman discuss a strategy to pressure NBC into rebroadcasting the coverage of Tricia Nixon Cox's wedding during prime time. The President suggests mobilizing key administration figures like Charles Colson and influential corporate allies to lobby the network through letters and direct outreach from major advertisers. Nixon frames this as a positive public relations effort, specifically requesting that Colson coordinate the campaign to ensure the rebroadcast occurs by the following week.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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hello yes sir uh i had an idea that uh you perhaps have already thought of but uh it occurred to me that this is something we might pull off if you get colson mcgruder and all the rest really to zero in on it why don't you start a campaign through letters and and at the highest levels too like don kendall and others could call people that maybe have nbc
have a rerun of the wedding in prime time.
What do you think?
I think they've already started doing it.
But what I meant is, if you could have a fellow like Kendall and some of their big advertisers call, pick one network, zero in on them, have the big advertisers say, gee, this was a fantastic thing.
Everybody's talking about it.
You ought to rerun it.
We urge you to rerun it.
Just that.
Don't you think so?
Yep.
Because from all accounts, everybody, George Shultz was saying, even Mrs. George Meany said she sat up and listened and saw it three times.
ABC, NBC, CBS.
But I can't emphasize, Bob, that if it were the Kennedys, it'd be rerun every night for three weeks, you know.
But I really think this ought to be done now.
And who else could we put on this?
Who could we recommend?
We ought to try to get a major network to do it.
Just pick one.
one major network, maybe NBC, they're the ones that are a little goosey at the moment.
Yeah, that makes sense.
And they were the pool camera and so forth, and just let NBC run it.
But they've got to get letters, they've got to hear from top people, like Colson can stick it to them.
What do you think?
I think it's a very good idea.
And run it about Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
Because I really think a hell of a lot of people, women all want to see the damn thing.
Yeah, yeah.
Good.
We will do it.
And nothing really is negative about it in terms, don't you agree?
Absolutely.
Oh, yeah.
Because the reactions I have during the day are really rather astonishing.
That's a total plus all the way.
People that you would least expect it from.
Well, put it to Colson.
He'll figure out some devious way to get at it.
Right.
Okay.

NARA Description

On June 14, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 7:56 pm to 7:58 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 005-078 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 5-78

Date: June 14, 1971
Time: 7:56 pm - 7:58 pm
Location: White House Telephone

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

[See Conversation No. 258-18]

     Campaign to get National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC] to rerun coverage of Tricia
         Nixon Cox's wedding
         -Charles W. Colson, Jeb S. Magruder
         -Donald McI. Kendall
         -George P. Shultz
               -Mrs. George Meany
         -The Kennedy family
         -Public reaction

Also recorded on June 14, 1971

  • 005-073 7:41 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:41 pm and 7:48 pm.
  • 005-075 7:48 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 7:48 pm to 7:51 pm.
  • 258-015 7:48 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 7:48 pm to 7:51 pm.
  • 005-076 7:52 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo talked on the telephone from 7:52 pm to 7:55 pm.
  • 258-016 7:52 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 7:52 pm to 7:55 pm.
  • 005-077 7:55 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:55 pm.
  • 258-017 7:55 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 7:55 pm.
  • 258-018 7:56 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 7:56 pm to 7:58 pm.

All 57 conversations from June 14, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 005-078, June 14, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/005-078 (accessed October 5, 2026).