{"conversationCode":"031-047","tapeNumber":31,"conversationNumber":47,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-031-047","startDateTime":"1972-10-16T00:48:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-10-16T00:55:00.000Z","startDate":"15-Oct-1972","startTime":"8:48 PM","endDate":"15-Oct-1972","endTime":"8:55 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. (\"Bob\");","description":"On October 15, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. (\"Bob\") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 8:48 pm to 8:55 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 031-047 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"WHT","recordingDevice":"White House Telephone","latitudeEstimated":38.89767,"longitudeEstimated":-77.03655,"chronCode":4,"chronRelease":"Fourth Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"10-Dec-2003","aogpRelease":"Abuse of Governmental Power Release","aogpSegment":"Segment 0","lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 31-47\n\nDate: October 15, 1972\nTime: 8:48 pm - 8:55 pm\nLocation: White House Telephone\n\nThe President talked with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.\n\n*****************************************************************\n\nBEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1\n[Personal returnable]\n[Duration: 3m 8s ]\n\nEND WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1\n\n*****************************************************************\n\n        Campaign practices\n           -Herbert W. Kalmbach\n                -New York Times story\n                -Political role\n                -Donald H. Segretti\n           -Strategy\n                -John B. Connally's possible response\n                -New York Times, Washington Post\n                -Ronald L. Ziegler's possible response to question\n\n        Vietnam\n            -Paul C. Warnke's comments on settlement possibility\n                -White House response\n                     -The President’s view","filename":["031-047.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Haldeman, H. R. (\"Bob\")"],"prevCode":"031-046","nextCode":"031-048","transcript":[{"start":0.45,"end":1.15,"text":"Hello."},{"start":1.31,"end":1.98,"text":"Mr. Haldeman."},{"start":2,"end":15.04,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":15.06,"end":18.3,"text":"Combox not available, which he's going to stay unavailable."},{"start":18.36,"end":21.11,"text":"We can reach him, but he's... Is his name in it?"},{"start":21.25,"end":22.63,"text":"His name is in the time story."},{"start":23.03,"end":28.64,"text":"And it's identified as personal attorney for the president or something like that."},{"start":29.39,"end":34.86,"text":"It's not played up at all for some reason."},{"start":36.98,"end":40.85,"text":"They're playing up and I think they're after trying to get the White House tie rather than the other thing."},{"start":40.87,"end":40.97,"text":"Sure."},{"start":41.17,"end":47.92,"text":"I think they know that Kambach, you know, you're going to have trouble hanging it on a guy that's been a political bag man all along anyway."},{"start":50.34,"end":55.16,"text":"Okay."},{"start":56.58,"end":65.81,"text":"I think that's right."},{"start":67.39,"end":74.96,"text":"I think anything we do is only going to add to the story and we're better off to follow the other route."},{"start":75,"end":80.58,"text":"And then I think, let Conley go on the offensive on it."},{"start":80.6,"end":84.97,"text":"Not on the attacks so much as just what the hell's happened in this election."},{"start":85.64,"end":94.91,"text":"And he can slam the dirty campaign as clearly an attempt to cover the other stuff up."},{"start":99.8,"end":103.32,"text":"Well, the time's through to get a ride, but he'll only ride for a couple days, Bob."},{"start":104.47,"end":105.43,"text":"That's right."},{"start":105.45,"end":107.89,"text":"In my view, I don't think he can ride any longer than that."},{"start":107.91,"end":110.13,"text":"The Post will play the hell out of it."},{"start":110.15,"end":111.59,"text":"The whole hell let him play it."},{"start":115.41,"end":116.99,"text":"That's right."},{"start":117.01,"end":120.41,"text":"If they don't have that, they'll have something else, because they aren't going to quit on anything."},{"start":120.43,"end":121.41,"text":"No, no."},{"start":122.71,"end":124.47,"text":"I'd rather have them talk in a sense."},{"start":125.08,"end":133.81,"text":"It's a small comfort, but you'd rather have them be on this than on some other thing that's more, that gets the votes."},{"start":133.82,"end":136.51,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":136.83,"end":138.19,"text":"Does John have any other view on it?"},{"start":139.42,"end":140.84,"text":"He thinks that's the way we should do it."},{"start":140.86,"end":141.34,"text":"Yep."},{"start":141.56,"end":145.95,"text":"He said they went full circle on it, trying out all the various things."},{"start":146.91,"end":147.53,"text":"Right."},{"start":147.59,"end":150.33,"text":"Just to see whether we were overlooked or something."},{"start":150.66,"end":156.58,"text":"And there were varying views as to— Because, of course, Ziegler's going to be hit on it."},{"start":156.6,"end":160.21,"text":"That was the thing they were working on, what Ziegler should handle tomorrow."},{"start":160.23,"end":161.55,"text":"And they've worked that out."},{"start":161.57,"end":163.49,"text":"We're going to run through that quickly in the morning."},{"start":164.16,"end":164.41,"text":"Right."},{"start":165.64,"end":169.12,"text":"And basically, we're going to have him hardline us."},{"start":171.35,"end":171.95,"text":"Right."},{"start":171.97,"end":172.89,"text":"That's the best thing to do."},{"start":174.59,"end":175.63,"text":"Okay."},{"start":175.65,"end":176.65,"text":"I wouldn't worry about it."},{"start":176.67,"end":179.06,"text":"I just figured that that's part of the game."},{"start":181.8,"end":182.88,"text":"Too bad that it has to be."},{"start":183.62,"end":186.44,"text":"Yeah, well, they're throwing their big punch now, frankly, though."},{"start":186.81,"end":188.11,"text":"They're in a position they're in."},{"start":188.13,"end":191.45,"text":"And they're throwing it now."},{"start":191.51,"end":193.77,"text":"They haven't got any."},{"start":195.24,"end":196.9,"text":"They're just going to keep scrambling around."},{"start":200.69,"end":205.86,"text":"Warneke, I guess, announced today that there was no possibility of a Vietnam settlement."},{"start":205.88,"end":209.48,"text":"That's good."},{"start":209.5,"end":215.33,"text":"They did?"},{"start":215.35,"end":215.45,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":215.47,"end":218.45,"text":"It was this thing on the radio."},{"start":218.49,"end":222.06,"text":"I couldn't figure out whether he gave a speech or put out a statement or what."},{"start":222.2,"end":227.53,"text":"Well, let them—what they do there is—I mean, we have our own game."},{"start":227.57,"end":230.21,"text":"We'll just play it and let them— Absolutely."},{"start":230.51,"end":234.34,"text":"If it comes out fine, if it doesn't, we'll just— Or I'll completely apply it however it comes."},{"start":234.36,"end":235.23,"text":"Sure, sure."},{"start":236.57,"end":237.53,"text":"That's the way to do it."},{"start":237.55,"end":239.54,"text":"Okay, very good."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman discussed strategies to mitigate negative press coverage regarding Herbert Kalmbach and campaign political activities appearing in the New York Times. They decided to adopt a defensive posture by directing John Connally to go on the offensive against dirty campaign tactics, while simultaneously coordinating a hardline response for Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler. Additionally, the pair briefly touched on Vietnam, dismissing recent public comments by Paul Warnke regarding the lack of a potential peace settlement.","topics":["Herbert W. Kalmbach","John B. Connally","Ronald L. Ziegler","Campaign practices","Vietnam War","Press relations"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T03:50:20.849Z"},"topicSlugs":["herbert-w-kalmbach","john-b-connally","ronald-l-ziegler","campaign-practices","vietnam-war","press-relations"],"audioDurationSec":243,"audioFiles":[{"file":"031-047.mp3","bytes":5841187,"durationSec":243.32,"bitrate":192049,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:28.232Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:42:40.101Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/031-047.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/031-047","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/31/conversation-031-047","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}