Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 22 › Conversation 022-029

Haldeman & Klein on ITT case and Dita Beard

Monday, March 27, 1972 · 11:11 AM–12:06 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsHaldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Klein, Herbert G.Conversation022-029 on Tape 22 (tape position 01:03:22–01:06:58)StartMonday, March 27, 1972 at 11:11 AMEndMonday, March 27, 1972 at 12:06 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 022-029 ↗

AI Summary

H. R. Haldeman contacts Herbert Klein to verify if Klein had any communication with ITT officials regarding the testimony of Dita Beard. Klein categorically denies any contact with ITT representatives, prompting Haldeman to explore a theory presented by Robert Mardian regarding potential internal conflicts and misinterpretations involving Bob Wilson, Jack Gleason, and William Timmons. The discussion serves to clarify the source of alleged White House interference in ITT affairs and assess the credibility of these claims as they relate to the broader ITT controversy.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Mr. Holliman, Herb Klein.
Herb?
Hello, Bob.
Hi.
Where are you?
In Anaheim.
Anaheim?
Yeah.
You going to Cucamonga after that?
Well, absolutely.
Good.
Herb, I'm sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to check on one thing on this Dita Beard testimony yesterday that either Miriam or Garrity at IT&T had had a call from the White House.
You didn't call either of them, did you?
No, I've never called either of them.
What contact did you have with either of them?
Any?
None at all.
Okay.
I haven't seen Garrity, I don't think, since the campaign.
And I don't know Miriam.
Okay.
And have you had any with anybody else?
Where would that have come from?
Do you know?
Well, first, I haven't had any with anybody from IT&T.
Yeah.
And the only thing I knew was I got it from either Leon or Bob Wilson.
Right.
The theory that Bob Miriam had on this...
in Express one morning was that Bob Wilson had been up the day before that memo and talked to Jeanine.
And as Bob Wilson left Jeanine's office, he then saw Miriam sitting outside, and they got into a brief discussion about the money in which Miriam said he needed.
They were in services, not in cash.
Then according to Bob's theory... What, Bob Miriam?
No, Bob Martian.
Bob Martian.
Yeah.
Yeah.
His theory is that then, and he's talked to Wilson about it, that Wilson then called Dieter Beard and said, what's Miriam doing interfering with him?
Martian, you mean?
No, Wilson called Miriam.
Called Miriam?
No, he's called Dieter Beard, excuse me.
Called Dieter Beard.
And said, what's Miriam doing interfering with him?
You mean Martian?
martians out of just this is all martians theory i see and that's funny and as a result of his talks with wilson and a couple people i see and then of course for pursuing this theory the beard uh found out that jack gleason had had had to actually talk to miriam to bill bill miriam no to whatever well what are your yeah i guess it's bill the itt the itt miriam yeah
And I think that Bill Timmons had talked to Gleason at one point, because Bill was trying to find out what was going on.
Right.
So the Martian theory is that when she refers to a White House person, she's referring to Gleason, and that Gleason was referring to a thing that came in from the side door with Bill Timmons trying to inquire from him.
Just what was his status, huh?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, okay.
And so there was a jealousy factor in there that Dita Beard got, so what the hell is Miriam trying to cool the deal that Wilson has?
Yeah, I see.
The one other thing, I don't know if I mentioned it or not, is that among Dita Beard's friends is Bob Wilson's secretary, Maggie, who's been there a long time.
And so there's some relationship back and forth.
But what I'm expressing is a theory that seems fairly logical to me,
but when I don't know whether it's true.
Yeah.
That figures.
Yeah.
Okay.
Okay, everything else fine?
Yep.
All right, I'm going to San Diego this afternoon.
I'll be back there tomorrow.
Good.
Okay.
Okay.
Thanks, Bob.
Thanks.

NARA Description

On March 27, 1972, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and Herbert G. Klein talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:11 am and 12:06 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 022-029 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 22-29

Date: March 27, 1972
Time: Unknown between 11:11 am and 12:04 pm

Location: White House Telephone

H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman talked with Herbert G. Klein.

     Klein’s location

     International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT] case
           -Dita D. Beard testimony
                 -Klein call to ITT
                       -William R. Merriam and Edward J. Gerrity, Jr.
                       -Klein’s denial
                             -Unknown campaign
                             -Source of story
                       -Leon [surname unknown]
                       -Robert C. Wilson
           -Robert C. Mardian theory
                 -Wilson
                       -Meeting with Harold S. Geneen
                       -Meeting with Merriam
                             -Money
                       -Request for call to Beard
                             -Merriam
                             -Mardian
                 -Jack Gleason
                       -Conversation with Merriam
                       -Conversation with William E. Timmons
                       -White House person
                             -Beard
                                  -Merriam
                                  -Wilson
           -Beard
                 -Margaret (“Maggie”) Young (Wilson’s secretary)
                       -Relationship

     Klein’s schedule
          -San Diego

Also recorded on March 27, 1972

  • 022-024 10:55 AM · 46 sec — Ronald L. Ziegler, White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:55 am and 11:11 am.
  • 327-006 10:55 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:55 am and 2:53 pm.
  • 022-025 11:10 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone from 11:10 am to 11:11 am.
  • 022-026 11:11 AM · 1 min — Ronald L. Ziegler and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:11 am and 12:06 pm.
  • 022-027 11:11 AM · 25 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:11 am and 12:06 pm.
  • 022-028 11:11 AM · 1 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and Robert H. Finch talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:11 am and 12:06 pm.
  • 328-002 11:11 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:11 am and 12:04 pm.
  • 328-003 12:04 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:04 pm and 12:06 pm.

All 35 conversations from March 27, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 022-029, March 27, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/022-029 (accessed October 1, 2026).