Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 18 › Conversation 018-095

Nixon phone call with Haldeman on State of the Union and 1972 Election

Monday, January 17, 1972 · 7:37 PM–7:42 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation018-095 on Tape 18 (tape position 04:45:55–04:50:19)StartMonday, January 17, 1972 at 7:37 PMEndMonday, January 17, 1972 at 7:42 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 018-095 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman discuss the political implications of a memorandum authored by Raymond Price and Patrick Buchanan regarding the upcoming State of the Union address and the 1972 election strategy. Nixon expresses skepticism toward Price’s appraisal of the 1970 campaign, favoring Buchanan’s analysis of the media and the necessity of proactive political maneuvering. Haldeman is tasked with consulting Price, Leonard Garment, Richard Moore, and William Safire to refine the administration’s messaging on domestic policy issues such as revenue sharing and welfare reform.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Hello.
You having dinner?
Almost, yeah.
Well, I wanted to say that I was thinking that if you could get that evaluation of this Price-Buchanan memorandum, you know, it would be helpful in terms of sort of the tone of the State of the Union,
I can't ship it perceptively, but I might want to, you see.
And the more I think about it, I think, as I had, when I talked to Price, I talked to Ken Davis, and I've always had serious doubts about his theory, because I think it's based on the wrong appraisal of the stuff in the election.
You can't put your finger right on it.
In other words, that we came out, you well remember, we came out just as well at the end as at the beginning.
And it was only later, when the media began to do us that thing, as a result of our own... And we gave them something to do it on.
We butchered it up, let's face it.
But Price, taking the usual liberal thing, he had opposed doing anything in the campaign anyway, just figured that was the reason.
But what's your offhand judgment at the moment?
I mean, it's so easy to wait, like Connolly says, but it's also very dangerous to wait.
No, I think he's right.
I think it would be dangerous not to, for part of his reasons, but even more for yours, which are that...
I've already said I wasn't going to do anything.
No, no.
No, your other reason, which I don't think that matters, because I think you can change that.
And besides, this wouldn't be doing what you said you weren't going to do anyway.
This doesn't have to be political at all.
That's right.
But the timing?
The question of timing.
This is only January.
You've got ten months to go.
You're right.
The point is that we've learned that Buchanan is so right.
The whole quality of life crap, the revenue sharing, the welfare reform, all of it has been for nothing, has it?
not for nothing because if you hadn't done it then you'd have that at least it's yeah you know covered that doesn't help much but it's avoided some losses well in any event let me get let me let me let me just say yep i'd like to see what price is analysis you sit down and talk with him about it now don't let him sit and amuse about it figure up
you know defenses right see what he thinks okay also and uh who else's judgment would be good on this uh no not at this point he's too busy garment would be garment would be interesting but you've got to hit garment hard and say now look here buchanan is right about the 70 campaign and don't let your liberal things
knock you out of the ballpark here.
Because Len is a fighter.
But they all have this illusion that everything that we did prior to the 1968 election was all loves and kisses and roses and so forth.
They forget that the period when we had the most trouble in 68 was when we were sort of gliding along toward the end.
Remember?
We weren't taking anybody on.
He launched all your positive programs.
Yeah, everyone, everybody said, let's have the positive programs.
Put all things out.
They didn't mean one damn thing.
Okay, Dick Moore is a good one.
Anybody else you think of?
I think that's enough.
Colson's judgment wouldn't be good.
I'm not sure what his would be.
Yeah, well, it wouldn't be, but he's a tactician.
But I think Dick Moore would be very good.
And garments?
I think sapphires might be.
What do you think?
Yeah, I think it would.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Try them on.
Okay.
Bye.

NARA Description

On January 17, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 7:37 pm to 7:42 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 018-095 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 18-95

Date: January 17, 1972
Time: 7:37 pm - 7:42 pm
Location: White House Telephone

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

     Haldeman's location

     Haldeman's evaluation of Raymond K. Price, Jr.-Patrick J. Buchanan memorandum
          -State of the Union speech
          -1970 election
                -Price’s appraisal
                      -The President’s conversation with Price
                           -Camp David
                -Buchanan’s appraisal
                      -Media
                -Price’s appraisal

     1972 election
          -Haldeman’s view
                -John B. Connally
                -Timing
          -Issues
                -Buchanan's analysis
                     -Quality of life, revenue sharing, welfare reform
                          -Value
          -Haldeman’s forthcoming conversation with Price
          -John D. Ehrlichman
          -Leonard Garment's analysis of issues
                -1970 campaign
                     -Buchanan
                -1968 problems

          -Richard A. Moore
               -Analysis
          -Charles W. Colson
          -William L. Safire

Also recorded on January 18, 1972

  • 018-096 7:42 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:42 pm and 7:50 pm.
  • 018-097 7:50 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo talked on the telephone from 7:50 pm to 7:53 pm.
  • 650-001 9:25 AM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:25 am and 9:48 am.
  • 650-002 9:48 AM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:48 am to 10:05 am.
  • 650-003 10:07 AM · 35 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:07 am to 10:09 am.
  • 650-004 10:09 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:09 am and 10:14 am.
  • 018-098 10:14 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 10:14 am.
  • 650-005 10:14 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 10:14 am.

All 30 conversations from January 18, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 018-095, January 18, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/018-095 (accessed October 12, 2026).