← 022-102022-104 →

Conversation 022-103

TapeTape 22StartTuesday, April 11, 1972 at 10:10 AMEndTuesday, April 11, 1972 at 10:49 AMTape start time04:06:45Tape end time04:10:57ParticipantsHaldeman, H. R. ("Bob");  Walters, Vernon A.Recording deviceWhite House Telephone
AudioNARA Description

On April 11, 1972, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and Vernon A. Walters talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:10 am and 10:49 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 022-103 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 22-103

Date: April 11, 1972
Time: Unknown between 10:10 am and 10:49 am
Location: White House Telephone

H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman talked with Lt. Gen. Vernon A. Walters.

[See Conversation No. 706-2C]

     Congratulations
         -Confirmation as Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
               -Swearing in

     The President’s forthcoming trip to the Soviet Union
          -Overnight stop before arrival in Moscow
               -US Mediterranean Base
                      -Rota, Spain
                            -Location
                                  -Cadiz
                      -Majorca
                            -Air field
                      -Sicily
                            -Naval base at Sigonella
                                  -Catania
                      -Rota and Sicily compared
                            -Weather
                      -Naples
                            -Housing
                      -Sicily

                     -Rota
                            -Naval base
                -Switzerland
                      -Commercial facilities
                -Iceland
                      -Distance
                            -Arrival time in Moscow
                -Germany
                -Rota
                -Azores
                      -Distance
                -Time zones
                      -Spain
                      -England
                -Zaragoza, Spain
                      -Air Force base
                -Moron, Spain
                      -Seville
                      -Air Force base
                -France
                      -Georges J.R. Pompidou
                      -North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Hello?
Mr. Haldeman?
Yeah.
General Walters on the line.
Okay.
Mr. Haldeman, sir.
Sir?
Hi, this is Dick Walters.
Hi.
Congratulations.
You're legitimate now, huh?
Thank you very much.
Not yet.
I haven't been sworn in.
Oh, well, I think you'll pass that one, all right.
Yeah.
If you can get your hand up.
Yeah.
We've got a logistic problem.
I wanted to get your advice on the trip to Moscow.
We've got to stop someplace on the way to spend a night.
Yeah.
You know, and then to make the flight into Moscow.
Yeah.
I'm trying to think of whether there was a U.S. base somewhere in the Mediterranean or in the European area there that would be a suitable place to do that.
The only place I can think of offhand is Rota.
Rota?
In Spain, yeah.
Where is that?
What part of Spain?
Rota is down near Cadiz.
Is there anything in Mallorca?
No, no base.
No base in Mallorca?
No base in Mallorca.
There's a good airfield, but there's no base.
uh with the navy has something at siganella in sicily near catania c-a-t-a-n-i-a the navy has an airfield there with a base i mean with you know housing facilities there are ground-based people there yeah rota would be the best huh i think rota might be the best either one i don't think you know there's a terrible lot to choose one way or the other between them yeah
And either of them would be fairly pleasant at this time of the year and the chances of weather good.
Okay, it doesn't make it, other than just adequate flying weather, it doesn't matter because we get in there in the evening, spend the night, and leave the next morning.
Yeah, of course, we have a big installation in Naples, as you know.
Naples is a problem, though, on housing.
And also you've got the Italian screw-up.
Well, of course, that would be a problem with Sigonella, too.
Yeah.
In Sicily.
Yeah.
I would tend to fall back on Rota, which is, you know, a Navy base in southern Spain, away from the big cities.
Be that or else going into Switzerland or someplace and staying, you know, at commercial facilities.
Yeah.
What about Iceland?
Iceland's too far away.
Too far away.
It's too long a flight into Moscow, and then you've got all the time going against you.
We've got to get into Moscow at 4 o'clock.
Yeah.
Oh, I see.
So you have to have, you know, a relatively approximate place.
So we've got to be... That about knocks it down to either one of the bases in Germany or Roda.
Germany's a problem, too.
Yeah, because of a lot of psychological factors.
Yeah.
It looks to me like Roda.
Or the Azores.
The Azores is too far up.
Oh, the Azores is too far, too.
That's the same problem.
You're six hours out.
It looks to me like Rota.
And you've got a big time factor running against you.
You've got a three-hour time factor even from Rota running against you.
That's only two hours from Spain.
The time change I'm thinking of.
It's only two.
It's only two?
Yeah.
I thought Spain was on the same time as England.
And then Central Europe and Eastern Europe.
All of Europe is apparently only two hours off
of Moscow.
France, Switzerland, Austria.
That makes Rota perfectly tolerable.
It'd be what, about four hours flying time?
Yeah.
There's also an Air Force base up in Saragossa in northern Spain.
And there's another Air Force base in Seville at Moron, M-O-R-O-N.
So I don't know, those would seem to me to be the ones to explore.
One of the Spanish bases, okay.
Unless you want to stop in France somewhere, which is innocuous and wouldn't offend the Soviets.
Okay.
And might have to make a little money with Papadu.
Well, except that you'd have to meet with Papadu, and then you're meeting with one of your allies on the way in.
Yeah, true, true.
Okay, I guess you're driving back to the Spanish bases.
Middle of the NATO problem and all.
Yeah.
Okay.
Right.
Thanks, Dick.
You're welcome.
Bye.
← 022-102022-104 →