Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 36 › Conversation 036-076

Haldeman & Timmons on Lyndon B. Johnson and Congressional relations

Tuesday, January 23, 1973 · 12:43 PM–1:06 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsHaldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Timmons, William E.Conversation036-076 on Tape 36StartTuesday, January 23, 1973 at 12:43 PMEndTuesday, January 23, 1973 at 1:06 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 036-076 ↗

AI Summary

H. R. Haldeman and William E. Timmons coordinate the President's schedule regarding a potential address to Congress in the wake of Lyndon B. Johnson's death and discussions surrounding the Vietnam settlement. After relaying that Senator John C. Stennis advised against a joint session due to the proximity of memorial ceremonies, they decide the President will instead host the "Big Five" congressional leaders that evening. They also finalize plans to convene a broader bipartisan meeting the following morning to discuss legislative engagement and select a group of additional members to attend.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Mr. Timmons' office.
Speak to him, please.
May I ask his name?
Harleman.
Hold on.
Did you get Stennis?
Yeah.
He said no.
He said right off the top of his head he thought that it would be a bad idea, and primarily because President Johnson would be lying in state there tomorrow, and so close to that, and the ceremonies relating to the Johnson thing, and also the lateness of the hour tonight.
that he felt it would not be advisable.
However, just after I called you, the operator said that John Stevens has called me back, and I tried to get on and I lost him.
So he may be calling back in.
Well, I was just going to try and stop you because the president has decided not to go up.
Mm-hmm.
Okay.
Weighing the whole thing.
All right.
It comes out that he should not do it.
All right, now.
So we will go ahead with the big five at 9 o'clock.
big five at nine o'clock right okay so when i call them bipartisan cats at 8 30 tomorrow morning just just a second let me call you back on that but i can go ahead with the nine o'clock down here tonight the big five uh bill can go ahead and have the big five here at nine tonight right
At the president's EOB office.
Okay.
At 9 o'clock.
Because I'll have to call the speaker and Jerry back and Mike and I can give them this in lieu of the other.
Right.
Okay.
And you don't want him to say anything about a bipartisan leaders meeting tomorrow?
No, sir.
You want to wait until the leaders are out at 9?
That's going to be hard as hell to call that meeting then for 8.30 in the morning at 9 o'clock tonight.
Why can't we say we're having it now?
Yeah.
And isn't it better to shut the Congress up by telling them they're going to meet with the president in the morning?
OK, we'll call the bipartisan for 8.30.
8.30 in the morning.
Yep.
In the cabinet room.
And you look at the list I sent in.
Yeah, now, shoot, I didn't bring it over.
On the wild cards.
No wild cards.
No wild cards?
Goldwater, McGee, Tower.
Goldwater, Tower, McGee, and Stennis.
No, Stennis is already on.
Yeah.
Sam Stratton, Joe Wagoner.
Stratton and Wagoner.
Jack Kemp.
Kemp and not Kemp.
Let me get the list out.
I'll come over and I'll cover that with you a little later.
Okay.
I don't need to write that right now anyway.
Right.
Just set a bipartisan with it.
Yeah.
We'll add some wild cards on the basis of, you know, broadening the base.
For tomorrow?
Within the Congress.
Yeah, but I'll go over them with you.
Okay.
I'll get a check back here.
I'll have them send over that list.
Okay.
I'll get it.
And I'll turn off these guys about tonight, but tell them that the big five are invited at 9 o'clock.
Right.
Okay.
Bye.

NARA Description

On January 23, 1973, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and William E. Timmons talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:43 pm and 1:06 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 036-076 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 36-76

Date: January 23, 1973
Time: Unknown between 12:43 pm and 1:06 pm
Location: White House Telephone

H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman talked with William E. Timmons’s secretary.

[This is the original beginning of Conversation No. 036-076, which has been merged with
Conversation No. 036-075.]

[See also Conversation No. 404-11G]
                                               -48-

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                               Conversation No. 36-76 (cont’d)

Haldeman talked with Timmons.

       Timmons’s conversation with John C. Stennis
           -Lyndon B. Johnson’s death
           -Joint session of Congress

       The President’s schedule
            -Meeting with Congressional leaders
                   -Vietnam settlement
            -Carl B. Albert, Gerald R. Ford, Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield
            -Barry Goldwater, Gale W. McGee, John G. Tower, Samuel S. Stratton, Joe D.
              Waggoner, Jr., Jack F. Kemp
            -List of Congressional leaders

Also recorded on January 23, 1973

  • 404-010 12:15 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:15 pm to 1:35 pm.
  • 036-072 12:40 PM · 12 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:40 pm and 12:43 pm.
  • 036-073 12:40 PM · 17 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:40 pm and 12:43 pm.
  • 036-074 12:40 PM · 25 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and William E. Timmons talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:40 pm and 12:43 pm.
  • 036-075 12:43 PM · 23 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and William E. Timmons talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:43 pm and 1:01 pm.
  • 036-077 12:43 PM · 17 sec — the White House operator and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:43 pm and 1:01 pm.
  • 036-078 12:43 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:43 pm and 1:01 pm.
  • 036-079 12:43 PM · 5 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and William E. Timmons talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:43 pm and 1:01 pm.

All 94 conversations from January 23, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 036-076, January 23, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/036-076 (accessed October 9, 2026).