Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 35 › Conversation 035-117

Nixon, Haldeman & Bull on Presidential security and Bebe Rebozo

Tuesday, January 9, 1973 · 3:25 PM–4:11 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsHaldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); White House operator; Nixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.; Bull, Stephen B.Conversation035-117 on Tape 35StartTuesday, January 9, 1973 at 3:25 PMEndTuesday, January 9, 1973 at 4:11 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 035-117 ↗

AI Summary

H. R. Haldeman coordinates with Stephen B. Bull to arrange an unannounced, low-profile excursion for President Nixon and Charles G. “Bebe” Rebozo on the White House South Grounds. Haldeman specifies strict security and aesthetic requirements for the vehicle, including the necessity of a seat divider and the removal of presidential flags. Additionally, he instructs that Press Secretary Ronald L. Ziegler be notified of the President's departure only after the thirty-minute drive is already underway.

Audio

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NARA Description

On January 9, 1973, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:25 pm and 4:11 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 035-117 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 35-117

Date: January 9, 1973
Time: Unknown between 3:25 pm and 4:11 pm
Location: White House Telephone

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

The President and Charles W. Colson can be heard in the background.

[See Conversation No. 401-16B]

       Request for a call to Stephen B. Bull

Haldeman talked with an unknown person in Bull's office at an unknown time between 3:25 pm
and 4:11 pm.
                                            -104-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                           Conversation No. 35-117 (cont’d)

       Request for Bull.

Haldeman talked with Bull at an unknown time between 3:25 pm and 4:11 pm.

[See Conversation No. 401-16C]

       The President's schedule
            -Automobiles for ride with Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo
                  -South Grounds of White House
                  -Duration of ride
                  -Announcement
                  -Security requirements
                         -Seat divider
                  -Ronald L. Ziegler
                  -Security requirements
                         -Seat divider
                         -Flags
                  -Ziegler
                         -Notification
                               -Timing
                  -South grounds
                  -Stops

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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Steve Boll, please.
Thank you.
No.
No.
Mr. Haldeman?
Mr. Boll's office.
Speak to Steve, please.
like a car on the south grounds as quickly as you can get it there to go for a little drive with bb all right he'll be out for about a half an hour and there'll be no announcement it should be a plane car and a plane follow-up car you know no station wagon or anything okay and he but he needs a car with a divider get the smallest car we have with a divider between the front and back seat after he leaves you may have to take a presidential car if you
Take whatever you have to take that's got a divider.
And don't use the flags or anything like that, you know.
Tell Ziegler after he leaves.
Half an hour after he leaves.
Right.
After he's been gone a half an hour, then tell Ziegler that the president went for a ride.
South Grounds.
South Grounds, and he's not making any stops.
All right.
So he's ready to go.
You know, he'll be over in just a few minutes.
I'll do it very quickly then.
Righto.
Thank you.

Also recorded on January 9, 1973

  • 035-114 3:02 PM · 2 min — Julie Nixon Eisenhower and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 3:02 pm to 3:03 pm.
  • 401-012 3:02 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:02 pm to 3:03 pm.
  • 401-013 3:03 PM · 31 sec — 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 3:03 pm and 3:04 pm.
  • 035-115 3:04 PM · 22 sec — the White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 3:04 pm.
  • 401-014 3:04 PM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 3:04 pm.
  • 401-015 3:04 PM · 9 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 3:04 pm and 3:09 pm.
  • 401-016 3:09 PM · 1 hr 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Charles W. Colson, unknown person(s), Manolo Sanchez, Lenore L. Romney, White House operator, Stephen B. Bull, John D. Ehrlichman, White House operator, and Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:09 pm and 4:25 pm.
  • 035-116 3:24 PM · 54 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Lenore L. Romney talked on the telephone from 3:24 pm to 3:25 pm.

All 45 conversations from January 9, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 035-117, January 9, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/035-117 (accessed November 2, 2026).