Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 25 › Conversation 025-011

Haldeman & Ehrlichman on Higher Education Conference Report and School Busing

Tuesday, June 6, 1972 · 10:26 AM–12:23 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsHaldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Ehrlichman, John D.Conversation025-011 on Tape 25 (tape position 00:47:59–00:49:57)StartTuesday, June 6, 1972 at 10:26 AMEndTuesday, June 6, 1972 at 12:23 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 025-011 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417193645 ↗

AI Summary

H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman coordinated administrative strategy regarding Elliot Richardson's push for the Higher Education Conference Report, specifically concerning the administration's stance on controversial busing amendments. The pair agreed that Richardson must be instructed to abandon his position in favor of the White House’s priorities, with Haldeman tasked to direct Kenneth R. Cole, Jr. to deliver this instruction. Additionally, they reached a consensus to delay testimony on supplemental appropriations by Melvin R. Laird until at least November, following consultation with John C. Whitaker.

Audio

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NARA Description

On June 6, 1972, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:26 am and 12:23 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 025-011 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 25-11

Date: June 6, 1972
Time: Unknown between 10:26 am and 12:23 pm
Location: White House Telephone

H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman talked with John D. Ehrlichman.

[See Conversation No. 340-18C]

     Elliot L. Richardson's schedule
           -Ehrlichman’s previous conversation with Kenneth R. Cole, Jr.
           -Delay of a meeting
           -Passage of Higher Education Conference Report
                 -School busing amendment
                      -Administration's position
           -Haldeman’s forthcoming conversation with Cole

     Ehrlichman's schedule

     Melvin R. Laird testimony on supplemental appropriation
         -John C. Whitaker
               -Advice
                     -Timing
         -Richard G. Kleindienst

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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On the line, sir.
Hello.
Hi.
Hi.
I'm in with the president.
Anything new?
Well, I talked to Ken a while ago.
He thinks that Elliott will delay his meeting until after he gets back.
Good.
But he says he expects to talk to him again.
But he does need one decision with Elliott on Elliott's making a drive for the passage of the higher education conference report.
Now, that's the one with the busing amendments in it.
And the thing we told Elliot the other day before I left was that it was more important for us to have a clear position on busing than it was for us to be for our higher education proposal.
Right.
He doesn't accept that.
And so he sent a memo to the president.
And I told Ken that I thought what we had to do here was simply to tell him he lost that one.
Yep.
Now, will you call Ken, if you all agree on that, you and the President?
Yeah.
Would you call Ken after we get through and advise him to call Elliott and tell him that?
Yep.
He's loaded to do so.
Okay.
And I'll just plan to return on Thursday, as I had planned to do.
Right.
Unless something turns up and somebody calls me.
Right.
Then, the only other thing was the Laird testimony on the supplemental, apparently, has given everybody a lot of trouble.
Yeah.
And you probably know about that.
Yeah.
I checked on Whitaker.
Whitaker does not think that that move should be made before November under any circumstances.
Okay.
So that means everybody agrees on that except Planky.
Okay.
We'll hold on that.
Okay.
Good.
That's all I got otherwise.
All righty.
And...
You don't have anything, so that's that.
I know.
Flip me to the board, will you?
OK.
Copy that?
Yes.

Also recorded on June 6, 1972

  • 025-008 9:21 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:21 am and 9:58 am.
  • 340-008 9:21 AM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:21 am and 9:58 am.
  • 025-009 9:58 AM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John Cardinal Krol, and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:58 am and 10:15 am.
  • 340-015 9:58 AM · 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John Cardinal Krol met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:58 am to 10:15 am.
  • 340-016 10:15 AM · 28 sec — 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 10:15 am and 10:26 am.
  • 340-017 10:15 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:15 am and 10:26 am.
  • 025-010 10:26 AM · 17 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:26 am and 12:23 pm.
  • 340-018 10:26 AM · 1 hr 51 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), White House operator, John D. Ehrlichman, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:26 am to 12:23 pm.

All 47 conversations from June 6, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 025-011, June 6, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417193645). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/025-011 (accessed November 2, 2026).