Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 8 › Conversation 008-115

Nixon, Haldeman & Ehrlichman on Attica Prison uprising and Media coverage

Monday, September 13, 1971 · 7:43 PM–7:47 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Ehrlichman, John D.Conversation008-115 on Tape 8 (tape position 05:24:53–05:28:45)StartMonday, September 13, 1971 at 7:43 PMEndMonday, September 13, 1971 at 7:47 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 008-115 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 645078901 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon, H. R. Haldeman, and John Ehrlichman discussed the public and media reaction to the Attica Prison uprising, expressing frustration that coverage from networks like NBC focused on supporting the prisoners while failing to credit Governor Nelson Rockefeller. The participants speculated that the racial dynamics of the riot and the involvement of radical figures like the Black Panthers would ultimately turn public opinion against the prisoners. Additionally, Ehrlichman confirmed that the administration had placed federal prisons on standby following threats from outside activists, though the President suggested the outcome at Attica might serve as a deterrent rather than a catalyst for further unrest.

Audio

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NARA Description

On September 13, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 7:43 pm to 7:47 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 008-115 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 8-115

Date: September 13, 1971
Time: 7:43 pm - 7:47 pm
Location: White House Telephone

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

     Attica prisoner uprising
           -Media coverage
                 -John D. Ehrlichman’s report
                      -National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC]
                            -Prisoners support
                            -Thomas Grey (“Tom”) Wicker
                            -Nelson A. Rockefeller credit
                            -William Kunstler
                            -Wicker
                            -Rockefeller
           -Racial aspect
                 -Blacks
                 -Guards
                 -Puerto Ricans

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Ehrlichman joined the conversation at an unknown time after 7:43 pm

     Federal prisons
          -Preventive actions
                -Attorney General
                      -Alert
                -Attica effect
                      -Possible deterrent
                      -Rockefeller’s conversation with Ehrlichman
                            -Bobby Seale and Black Panthers
                                 -Comment
                                       -Attorney General

     Rockefeller
         -Attica
               -Response
                     -Negotiations
         -Conservatism
               -Compared to W. Ronald Reagan
         -Problems
               -John V. Lindsay
               -Attica
               -Welfare

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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Hello?
Mr. Haldeman, sir.
Bob?
Yeah.
Well, how's the New York incident played, do you know?
I don't.
I haven't gotten a reading on it.
John Ehrlichman saw a part of it and was saying that NBC, at least, played it as the expectable bathhouse of, you know, great tragedy for the prisoners and all that kind of crap.
Played the prisoner line.
Yeah.
I guess they had Tom Wicker on, John and all.
Had Wicker on and all that.
Not giving any Rockefeller any credit, huh?
Did they give Rockefeller any credit?
No.
That's predictable.
Yep.
And I didn't see any of them.
They had Kunstler and Wicker both on, apparently.
played it that way.
Poor Rocky, he's going to get his fill of these people.
Yep.
He'll learn.
I think it is predictable that, you know, that's the way they would, they will build it.
Not sure it's the way people are going to look at it, though.
Not when they see the, if they ever get out and, well, if they get out the fact that it's basically a black thing, that's going to turn people off awful damn fast.
That the guards were white and
Right?
Yep.
And they killed a couple of Puerto Ricans, didn't they?
Yeah.
Apparently so, yeah.
I don't have the...
Yeah, let me talk to John.
All right.
Yes, sir.
John.
Yes, sir.
Did you have some ideas that we ought to take some preventive actions in some of the federal prisons?
Well, we've already alerted the prisons through the Attorney General.
Right.
And so they're all on kind of a standby basis.
Well, I would think, John, that what happened in New York, rather than stimulating more, is likely to
you know, have an effect that could be quite the opposite.
A deterrent.
Well, the concern that Rockefeller had was that SEAL and some of the Black Panthers who had been up there came out and said to the press, if any harm comes to any of these prisoners, why, we're going to blow up other prisons around the country.
I see.
That's what he told you this morning.
Right.
Yeah.
So I passed that along to the Attorney General, who in turn alerted his system.
They won't.
I don't think they will.
I may be wrong, but...
I think Rockefeller had to do what he did.
Oh, I think so, too.
He couldn't possibly cave into these people.
And he took four days, didn't he?
Since Wednesday.
Right.
But he told me.
He said they had negotiated and they were doing it.
Yeah.
It's going to make him a... Before you...
Where you get through with Rockefeller, he may be more conservative than Reagan.
Well, he's moving over there, isn't he?
You think so?
Well, he's being confronted with a lot of tough choices.
Yeah, with Lindsey and then the prison thing and all the rest.
Welfare just spiraling out of sight.
Right, right.
Okay.
All right, sir.

Also recorded on September 13, 1971

  • 276-013 7:43 PM · 50 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 7:43 pm to 7:47 pm.
  • 008-116 7:47 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:47 pm and 7:51 pm.
  • 008-117 7:51 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 7:51 pm to 7:54 pm.
  • 276-014 7:51 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 7:51 pm to 7:54 pm.
  • 008-118 7:54 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:54 pm.
  • 008-119 7:55 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 7:55 pm to 7:58 pm.
  • 276-015 7:55 PM · 29 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 7:55 pm to 7:58 pm.
  • 276-016 7:58 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 7:58 pm and 8:50 pm.

All 24 conversations from September 13, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 008-115, September 13, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 645078901). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/008-115 (accessed November 1, 2026).