Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 24 › Conversation 024-095
Nixon, Haldeman & Colson on George C. Wallace and Arthur H. Bremer
Monday, May 15, 1972 · 6:45 PM–7:07 PM ET · White House Telephone · 6 min
AI Summary
In the aftermath of the attempted assassination of Governor George C. Wallace, President Nixon, H. R. Haldeman, and Charles Colson utilized White House telephone lines to coordinate an information pipeline with Secret Service Director James J. Rowley. The discussion focuses on gathering immediate intelligence regarding the assailant, Arthur H. Bremer, and ensuring the White House receives critical details—such as the purchase of the weapon and the suspect's background—ahead of media reports. Parallel to these operational efforts, the participants also discussed the political impact of the administration's recent Vietnam policies and the President's upcoming summit in Moscow.
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Butterfield, please.
Could be one of his own people, too.
No, and they would have shot him in the foot or something.
It wouldn't be if not one of his own people shoot him in the stomach.
It's too easy to kill him.
Oh, I think the guy has to be a nut of some kind.
I just hope he's a left-wing nut, not a right-wing nut.
Yeah, like that silly thing that didn't count.
Or it was really a left-wing nut.
Rather than a right-wing nut.
They tried to make out with someone.
They blamed the right-wing.
That's right.
How the hell did you do that?
It shows you the twist of distorted intelligence.
Well, at least one thing
The last couple of days, Jack, Vietnam knows a little better, hasn't it?
Sure has.
It may not hold, but you know, if it is better, what we did is change them around.
Absolutely.
And I don't know whether we can ever get it across to these sons of bitches from Crescent or Allstate.
They'll probably not think it's going to happen anyway.
They were down to two.
And they made too much of a case before that it was...
The week before, that's right.
Newsweek, Life...
in the art times couldn't have been worse we've gone through today as a result of your note documented every single statement today it really is it's it really makes the point vividly to see what they were saying 10 days the build-up over that week by the decision there's never a decision that i made that i was more comfortable with than that even if it is lost that's right now it was interesting this wasn't mac matthias called this afternoon
Hello?
What's the problem?
I find he's on his way home.
Okay, well forget that.
Let me have Director Rowley, please.
But you lose the vote.
Are they going to undercut the president before he goes to Russia?
You're not going to lose the vote.
You understand?
Hit him hard.
He's going to Russia.
Are they going to undercut him?
There's more going on.
It's going to be the eyes.
Who knows?
This might be it.
I think we've got these people.
We're going to squeeze them now.
I don't mean the Senate, but I think we're going to squeeze them in the North Vietnamese, and they're going to have to settle.
The only question is whether they settle soon or not.
i think if you have them squeezed and at all defensive which is of course the way it's beginning to sound that whether it's settled or not doesn't matter you pulled a bold bold stroke and it worked and that's well even no matter what happens even if south vietnam doesn't fall they're trying to locate him
But the stage was set beautifully by the media that we were down the tube.
Do some of this blossom?
Do you know that they realize, are the media grinding their teeth now?
Yes.
Are you ready?
Sure, yes, yeah.
But the thing that really, I think, has them, Mr. President, is that they can't quite figure out what's happening.
And they can't quite hate the fact that the Moscow trip's still on.
Yes.
music oh i opened the blue room but i didn't say that this wasn't better
Okay.
They didn't come anyway.
They didn't come?
The rally is on.
Hello.
Jim, Bob Haldeman.
Yes, Bob.
Alex is out of touch.
The president wanted to report on the...
The only report I have, I have Tom Kelly here, is that we got the, he purchased a gun in Milwaukee, and we identified the gun and gave the name of Arthur Bremer, and the police indicate that he is Arthur Bremer, but we haven't been able, we have men, he's at the Prince George's Hospital in Cheveley, and we have men there, and I just got through telling Tom I want as much information on him as you can get now.
So if you give me a few minutes, we'll get back to you.
Okay, now whose custody is he in?
He's in the Prince George's County Police custody.
Because as I said, there's a state violation and a federal violation.
Okay, but your people are there too, aren't they?
That's right.
We're all over the place.
Okay, well, we then will better know the details on this before the press does, Jim.
That's right.
This is what we're trying to find out.
Okay.
Yes.
Well, get us a full run on it as quick as you can.
Right.
And you know the Secretary's holding a press conference at 7.30.
Yeah, I know about that.
Right.
But the key thing now is the identity of the assailant and all the particulars on him.
Right.
Before they start putting it out to the press.
Right.
And the Lord knows where to call me.
Right, fine.
Okay.
NARA Description
On May 15, 1972, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, and James J. Rowley talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:45 pm and 7:07 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 024-095 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 24-95
Date: May 15, 1972
Time: Unknown between 6:45 pm and 7:07 pm
Location: White House Telephone
H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman talked with the White House operator.
[See also Conversation No. 339-3C]
Request for a call to Alexander P. Butterfield
Haldeman conferred with the President and Charles W. Colson at an unknown time.
[See Conversation No. 339-3]
[End of conferral]
The White House operator talked with Haldeman at an unknown time.
Butterfield's location
Request for a call to James J. Rowley
The President conferred with Colson at an unknown time.
[See Conversation No. 339-3]
[End of conferral]
The White House operator talked with Haldeman at an unknown time.
Rowley's location
The President conferred with Colson at an unknown time.
[See Conversation No. 339-3]
The White House operator talked with Haldeman at an unknown time.
Placing call
Haldeman conferred with the President and Colson at an unknown time.
[See Conversation No. 339-3]
[End of conferral]
Haldeman talked with Rowley at an unknown time; the President and Colson can be heard in the
background during a portion of the conversation.
Butterfield
-Location
Assassination attempt on George C. Wallace
-Assailant
-Thomas J. Kelley's report
-Purchase of gun
-Identity [Arthur H. Bremer]
-Police confirmation
-Location
-Latest information
-Custody
-Secret Service presence
-Report to the President
-Haldeman’s order
-John B. Connally's press conference
-Time
-Assailant
-Identity
-Press reports
-Report to the President and HaldemanAlso recorded on May 15, 1972
- 024-094 6:33 PM · 35 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:33 pm and 6:45 pm.
- 339-003 6:33 PM · 1 hr 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, Charles W. Colson, unknown person(s), James J. Rowley, John D. Ehrlichman, Richard G. Kleindienst, and Thomas J. Kelley met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:33 pm and 7:57 pm.
- 024-096 6:45 PM · 2 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:45 pm and 7:07 pm.
- 024-097 6:45 PM · 3 min — the White House operator, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Richard G. Kleindienst talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:45 pm and 7:07 pm.
- 024-098 6:45 PM · 9 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, Charles W. Colson, and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:45 pm and 7:07 pm.
- 024-099 7:07 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:07 pm.
- 024-100 7:07 PM · 3 min — Thomas J. Kelley, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:07 pm and 7:37 pm.
- 024-101 7:07 PM · 36 sec — Charles W. Colson, White House operator, and Holly Holm talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:07 pm and 7:37 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 024-095, May 15, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/024-095 (accessed October 9, 2026).