Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 23 › Conversation 023-155

Nixon, Kissinger & Haldeman on John B. Connally and Military history

Thursday, May 4, 1972 · 3:04 PM–3:44 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsWhite House operator; Kissinger, Henry A.; Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Connally, John B.; White House operator; Kissinger, Henry A.; Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Connally, John B.Conversation023-155 on Tape 23StartThursday, May 4, 1972 at 3:04 PMEndThursday, May 4, 1972 at 3:44 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 023-155 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon, Henry Kissinger, and H. R. Haldeman coordinated to secure an immediate meeting with John B. Connally at the Executive Office Building. The discussion touched upon military historical precedents, including the Battle of Verdun and the tactical legacies of commanders like Pétain, as they prepared for Connally's arrival. Haldeman ultimately contacted Connally to confirm the President's request for a face-to-face consultation.

Audio

Download MP3 · 3.0 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).
Yes, please.
Secretary Conley, please, for Haldeman.
Yes.
I don't know whether I could be more of a way until tomorrow morning.
All right, fine.
I said that way.
How do you go to New York?
So, you know, whether you're all right, you can go at 530.
You know, it's that late.
You know, 530, you ought to be late.
Well, I just didn't want to be important.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know if you ever talked to your history before.
The way he loved her down the street.
Tell them that.
I told them to use that term.
Listen, fucking Abrams, at least his retin-up military history know what Verdun was about.
He knows the German and the French, the Frenchmen, Pétain and Buckingham, I mean.
The German was right and the Frenchman was right.
And the Germans lost the war.
He was a great gentleman.
Hello, John.
Yes, sir.
President wondered if you could come over to talk for a few minutes.
Yes, sir.
He's in the EOB office.
Yes, sir.
Right now.
Okay.

NARA Description

On May 4, 1972, the White House operator, Henry A. Kissinger, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and John B. Connally talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:04 pm and 3:44 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 023-155 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 23-155

Date: May 4, 1972
Time: Unknown between 3:04 and 3:44 pm
Location: White House Telephone

H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman talked with the White House operator.

[See also Conversation No. 334-44C]

     Request for a call to John B. Connally

Haldeman conferred with the President and Henry A. Kissinger at an unknown time.

[See Conversation No. 334-44C]

*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 03/21/2019.
Segment will remain closed.]
[Personal Returnable]
[023-155-w001]
[Duration: 17s]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

*****************************************************************

[End of conferral]

The White House operator talked with Haldeman.

     Status of call to Connally
          -Long distance call

Haldeman conferred with the President and Kissinger.

[See Conversation No. 334-44C]
[End of conferral]

Haldeman talked with Connally at an unknown time.

     Connally's meeting with the President

Also recorded on May 4, 1972

  • 023-152 2:51 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard A. Moore talked on the telephone from 2:51 pm to 2:57 pm.
  • 334-042 2:57 PM · 43 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:57 pm and 3:02 pm.
  • 334-043 2:57 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ray Conniff, Alexander P. Butterfield, and White House photographer met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:57 pm and 3:03 pm.
  • 023-153 3:04 PM · 8 sec — Henry A. Kissinger and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:04 pm and 3:44 pm.
  • 023-154 3:04 PM · 31 sec — the White House operator, Henry A. Kissinger, and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:04 pm and 3:44 pm.
  • 023-156 3:04 PM · 18 sec — Henry A. Kissinger and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:04 pm and 3:44 pm.
  • 023-157 3:04 PM · 17 sec — Henry A. Kissinger and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:04 pm and 3:44 pm.
  • 334-044 3:04 PM · 2 hr 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, John B. Connally, unknown person(s), Manolo Sanchez, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:04 pm and 5:35 pm.

All 48 conversations from May 4, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 023-155, May 4, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/023-155 (accessed October 9, 2026).