Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 23 › Conversation 023-104

Nixon, Haldeman & Buchanan on J. Edgar Hoover and Public relations

Tuesday, May 2, 1972 · 10:43 AM–10:44 AM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Buchanan, Patrick J.Conversation023-104 on Tape 23StartTuesday, May 2, 1972 at 10:43 AMEndTuesday, May 2, 1972 at 10:44 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 023-104 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417193493 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon, H. R. Haldeman, and Patrick Buchanan coordinated the timing of the President’s public announcement regarding the death of J. Edgar Hoover. Nixon insisted that the announcement of Hoover's death and his own subsequent television statement occur in immediate succession to avoid speculation or media delays. The participants finalized a strategy to ensure Nixon’s remarks served as the definitive lead story of the evening news cycle.

Audio

Download MP3 · 1.4 MB

NARA Description

On May 2, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Patrick J. Buchanan talked on the telephone from 10:43 am to 10:44 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 023-104 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 23-104

Date: May 2, 1972
Time: 10:43-10:44 am
Location: White House Telephone

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

[See also Conversation No. 334-18]
[The President conferred with Patrick J. Buchanan before the conversation began.]

[See Conversation No. 334-17]

[End of conferral]

     The President's statement
          -Timing
               -Announcement of J. Edgar Hoover's death
                      -Lead story
                      -Timing with the President's statement

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

statement to be given out to the press and I'll make an order.
Yeah.
Mr. Haldeman, sir.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh, strong feeling here is that you're in a much better posture to go out with the death having been announced than to announce it because of the questions on time and the whole thing there.
Well, then should I even go out at all?
Strong, very strong feeling as you should.
This will be the lead story tonight and it should be you on the television.
Well, then, the point is that get the death... We'll get it out right now, and then you... No, no, God damn it to hell.
Don't do it that way.
Okay.
I'll be over there, and I want the death announced, and then I will walk out.
I want it announced so that they don't have 30 minutes to think about it before I get there.
Okay.
All right?
Can you be ready or not?
Yeah, we'll...
Let me set it up then for... See what I mean?
Yeah.
Announce it within five minutes after the death is announced.
I want to be out there making the statement.
Okay.
I don't want any delay, whatever.
Yes, sir.
Okay.
Let me know.
Call me right back.
Right.

Also recorded on May 2, 1972

  • 023-103 10:35 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Patrick J. Buchanan, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone from 10:35 am to 10:37 am.
  • 334-016 10:35 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:35 am to 10:37 am.
  • 334-017 10:37 AM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:37 am and 10:43 am.
  • 334-018 10:43 AM · 55 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:43 am to 10:44 am.
  • 717-001 10:54 AM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:54 am to 10:55 am.
  • 023-105 10:55 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:55 am and 10:57 am.
  • 717-002 10:55 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:55 am and 10:57 am.
  • 023-106 10:57 AM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 10:57 am to 10:58 am.

All 74 conversations from May 2, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 023-104, May 2, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417193493). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/023-104 (accessed November 2, 2026).