Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 34 › Conversation 034-104
Haldeman & Armstrong on Cabinet appointments and Media leaks
Saturday, December 16, 1972 · 4:27 PM–5:25 PM ET · White House Telephone · 6 min
AI Summary
H. R. Haldeman informs Anne L. Armstrong that the White House has leaked to the Washington Star her appointment as a Cabinet-rank Counselor to the President. They discuss the scope of her new role, which will focus on broad policy matters including women's issues, and address the logistical arrangement of splitting her time between Washington, D.C., and Texas. To solidify her new position, Haldeman instructs Armstrong to attend a Cabinet dinner that evening, providing her with logistical support and emphasizing the importance of her immediate transition into her new official duties.
- Anne L. Armstrong
- H. R. Haldeman
- Cabinet appointments
- Media leaks
- Women's issues
- White House operations
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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Hello.
I have Mrs. Armstrong.
She just called in.
Good for you.
Okay.
Here you are.
Hello.
Hello.
I'm Bob Haldeman.
Yes, Bob.
You've been out hiding somewhere.
Well, you know, when I left the office, I called your office.
Oh, did you?
And told you that I'd be gone about an hour, but I'm sorry you didn't get the message.
I just talked to your secretary and somehow something went wrong, but I didn't skedaddle out, I promise.
Okay.
I've been over with the president and had the operator trying to track you down.
Uh-huh.
I'm sorry.
The reason being that, uh...
talked over what we talked about yesterday.
The president thinks that the consular concept is a superb idea.
Really?
And we all agree that that would be a real coup.
That accomplishes everything we're after.
And did he think the cabinet rank would be the same?
Oh, yeah.
Yes, indeed.
Oh, sure.
I mean, that would be the whole point.
Wonderful, Bob.
And what he wanted to do and what we, I'll have to confess to you, went ahead and did.
Because
A lot of things that are happening next week.
We leaked the story to the Star.
I see.
So you've got to hurry up and call your family.
Okay, I'll get on the phone right now.
And tell them that you've just been elevated to a position of eminence hardly ever achieved by a woman in American history.
How exciting.
What shall I say my responsibilities are, or will that be announced later?
The way we're putting it in the leak, and this is not an announcement, it's just...
It'll be a leaked story that the Star will run as an advance, and then we'll confirm it later.
Okay.
But saying that the president is appointing Mrs. Ann Armstrong as a member of his cabinet, to his cabinet, as a counselor to the president, that Mrs. Armstrong will be working with the president and the other members of the cabinet
on the whole range of policy matters, including but not limited to those areas of particular interest to women.
And we'll be dealing with the kinds of matters that Bob Finch and Don Rumsfeld most recently have been handling as counselors to the President, and in the past were handled by
the other counselors, Pat Moynihan, Bryce Harlow, and before that, Arthur Burns.
Okay.
That'll rock them.
Oh, man, this is beautiful.
And without getting into any specifics at this point, and then we'll go back on it and, you know, set it up.
some more details and all of them later on.
Bob, when will this appear in the Star?
Tomorrow morning.
Boy, I better get busy.
All right.
Now, what do you want me to tell the press when they call?
When did the president get this idea?
How long have we been talking about it, etc.?
The president has had the idea for some time and talked with you about it when you came in to see him that day, you know, when you had the appointment with him.
Right.
And you discussed the specifics and so forth.
And both of you felt it would be an outstanding idea.
You were, of course, delighted at this concept and at the President's recognition of your role and contribution and so forth, and your hope that you can continue to make a contribution in this kind of a position.
And that you're...
that hadn't been announced was that you were working out the details with your family of the family problem, of working out ways that you could be away from home enough to handle this.
It's been worked out, and the president's agreed that part of the time you can handle some parts of the job by telephone from your home in Texas, but that you'll be spending the majority of your time here in Washington and so on.
OK.
You ought to, you know, work out some kind of a thing with an apartment here or something so you have a base here.
All right.
Now, it's broke fast because of a lot of other things that are falling into place next week.
And it was important to try and cover this before it happened.
And incidentally, it works out awfully well on the thing you raised with me of the Tuesday business, yeah, that'll sink them.
So that would cover that.
Now, the next point is,
As the newest member of the President's Cabinet, you should be at the President's Cabinet dinner tonight.
Oh, gosh.
Can you do it?
Is that absolutely necessary?
I don't know what I'll do for a dress or anything.
We'll buy you a dress.
Well, okay.
I guess I'll find something.
What time is the dinner?
7.30.
You've got all kinds of time.
But then how do I tell my poor family, okay, if you want me there, I'll be there.
What time is the dinner?
Is this important as far as the announcement, the image goes, Bob?
It kind of is.
Okay, I'll do it then.
That's why I was trying to reach you earlier.
I know it's a tough thing to ask you to do at this point, but don't worry about getting your hair done and all that stuff.
You'll be great.
All right, if I'm a few minutes late, is it bad protocol?
No.
All right, I can be as late as quarter of eight, say?
Yep.
Okay, and I just bring my White House pass and show up, huh?
Yeah, we'll get you.
Where is it?
at the residence at the main at the main yeah come in the south south drive you know okay let me have a white house car pick you up
Uh, no, I'll just come in a cab.
I'm at the... No, sir.
I'll have a car pick you up.
All right.
Front entrance of the Mayflower.
Start getting used to it.
Pull your rank now.
Okay, well, listen... You're a cabinet officer.
Don't screw around with a taxi cab.
Okay, Bob.
Well, I'll never be able to thank you enough, but I'll start trying soon.
You, uh... And I'll have him there at 7.30, and I'll be no later than five minutes late.
7.30, main entrance to the Mayflower.
7.30, main entrance to Mayflower.
And I'll talk to no press until I see you.
All right.
Unless you want me to talk to some press.
If the Star calls me, you want me to talk to them?
Okay, I won't talk to anybody until I see you tonight.
Good.
Okay.
Great.
Bye-bye.
Okay, yeah.
Bye.
NARA Description
On December 16, 1972, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and Anne L. Armstrong talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:27 pm and 5:25 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 034-104 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 34-104
Date: December 16, 1972
Time: Unknown between 4:27 pm and 5:25 pm
Location: White House Telephone
H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman talked with Anne L. Armstrong.
[The President can be heard in the background]
[See Conversation No. 382-13E]
Armstrong's conversation with Haldeman's secretary
Counselor to the President
-Cabinet rank
-Leak to Washington Star
-Duties
-Women’s and other issues
-Robert H. Finch
-Donald H. Rumsfeld
-Daniel P. (“Pat”) Moynihan
-Bryce N. Harlow
-Arthur F. Burns
-Leaks
-Timing
-Press coverage
-The President’s recent meeting with Armstrong
-Family
-Work from Texas
-Washington, DC
-Press conference
-Cabinet dinner
-Arrangements
-Limousine
-Prerequisites
-Mayflower Hotel
-Press relations
-85-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 34-104 (cont’d)
-Washington StarAlso recorded on December 16, 1972
- 382-010 3:28 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:28 pm and 3:45 pm.
- 382-011 3:28 PM · 39 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:28 pm and 3:45 pm.
- 382-012 3:28 PM · 29 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:28 pm and 3:45 pm.
- 034-100 3:45 PM · 2 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:45 pm and 4:27 pm.
- 034-101 3:45 PM · 14 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:45 pm and 4:27 pm.
- 034-102 3:45 PM · 25 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:45 pm and 4:27 pm.
- 382-013 3:45 PM · 1 hr 35 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, Ronald L. Ziegler, Manolo Sanchez, unknown person(s), Anne L. Armstrong, and Lawrence M. Higby met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:45 pm to 5:25 pm.
- 034-103 4:27 PM · 59 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:27 pm and 5:25 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 034-104, December 16, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/034-104 (accessed October 5, 2026).