Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 8 › Conversation 008-045

Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Security and Presidential travel

Tuesday, September 7, 1971 · 7:13 PM–7:19 PM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation008-045 on Tape 8 (tape position 01:33:41–01:39:08)StartTuesday, September 7, 1971 at 7:13 PMEndTuesday, September 7, 1971 at 7:19 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 008-045 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman discussed logistics and security concerns regarding an upcoming presidential trip to Portland and San Francisco. Nixon expressed apprehension about potential protesters at central city locations and favored staying at an airport hotel to improve security and limit accessibility for demonstrators. The pair ultimately shifted their planning focus toward selecting lodging that would minimize the risk of organized disruption.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 25% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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But I think this is a, now, the only other thing that I, the only thing open is whether we do it in Portland or in San Francisco.
Now, we still have open, of course, the possibility of doing it in Portland at a later time when we come out of that Eisenhower Center thing.
And I really believe it is much more important.
And if they want to come up, raise help.
If we stay at another place, maybe it's...
It's so easy to congregate in the church, you know, out there in the square.
Maybe we stay at the Mark Hopkins or the, uh, is there any possibility of that?
Well, how about doing the nope?
Well, well.
Stay down now.
How about the theory that people are coming in from all over the world and have it down near the airport?
How about making a good airport hotel and having it down there?
It's a little harder for them to communicate, but you see, that place, Bob, is so logical for people to come.
Every drunk could be in and out.
That's right.
The airport.
And I really feel that doing it close to the airport, close to the airport, a nice airport hotel, rather than going into some consistent movement there.
Okay.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Okay.

NARA Description

On September 7, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 7:13 pm to 7:19 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 008-045 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 8-45

Date: September 7, 1971
Time: 7:13 pm - 7:19 pm
Location: White House Telephone

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

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     Media briefing
         -Portland, Oregon
               -Eisenhower Center
         -San Francisco
               -Lodging
                    -Protesters
                          -St. Francis
                          -Mark Hopkins Hotel
                          -Oakland
                          -Airport hotel
                                -Hilton

Also recorded on September 7, 1971

  • 008-040 5:50 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:50 pm and 5:56 pm.
  • 008-041 5:50 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:50 pm and 5:56 pm.
  • 008-042 5:56 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally talked on the telephone from 5:56 pm to 6:00 pm.
  • 275-031 5:56 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:56 pm to 6:00 pm.
  • 275-032 6:00 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:00 pm and 6:04 pm.
  • 275-033 6:04 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 6:04 pm.
  • 008-043 7:06 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:06 pm.
  • 008-044 7:06 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:06 pm and 7:13 pm.

All 53 conversations from September 7, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 008-045, September 7, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/008-045 (accessed October 10, 2026).