Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 42 › Conversation 042-006
Nixon, Mansfield & Haldeman on Congressional relations and Vietnam War
Tuesday, April 6, 1971 · 9:22 AM–9:27 AM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min
AI Summary
President Nixon coordinated an unscheduled meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield to discuss an upcoming, highly sensitive announcement regarding Vietnam policy. Nixon sought to brief Mansfield privately to prevent leaks that had plagued previous communications involving South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu. The two agreed to hold a discreet meeting at the Executive Office Building that morning, while keeping the encounter off the official record to avoid political friction with Republican leadership.
Audio
NARA Description
On April 6, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Michael J. ("Mike") Mansfield, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 9:22 am to 9:27 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 042-006 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 42-6
Date: April 6, 1971
Time: 9:22 am - 9:27 am
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield.
[See Conversation No. 245-2]
Mansfield's schedule
Meeting with Congressional leaders
-Big Five
-Gerald R. Ford
-Carl B. Albert
-Time
Meeting with Congressional leaders
-Albert
-[Thomas] Hale Boggs
-Ford
-Hugh Scott
-President's announcement
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Leaks
President's schedule
-Meeting with Mansfield
President's schedule
-Message on revenue sharing
-Meeting with Mansfield
The President conferred with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman at an unknown time between 9:22am and
9:27 am, April 6, 1971.
Mansfield's schedule
-FloridaTranscript (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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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Also recorded on April 6, 1971
- 042-002 8:54 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 8:54 am to 8:58 pm.
- 042-003 8:54 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:54 am and 9:10 am.
- 042-004 9:10 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:10 am.
- 042-005 9:20 AM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:20 am and 9:22 am.
- 245-002 9:20 AM · 29 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, Michael J. ("Mike") Mansfield, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:20 am to 9:59 am.
- 042-007 9:27 AM · 2 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:27 am and 9:59 am.
- 042-008 9:59 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:59 am.
- 042-009 9:59 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Gerald R. Ford talked on the telephone from 9:59 am to 10:06 am.
Related conversations
- Nixon phone call with Colson on Vietnam War and Public Relations January 5, 1973 · 20 min
- Nixon, Safire & Kissinger on Gross National Product and Economic policy May 12, 1971 · 4 min
- Nixon phone call with Walters on Central Intelligence Agency and Soviet Union July 1, 1972 · 3 min
- Nixon phone call with Haig on Watergate and Public relations strategy May 11, 1973 · 1 min
- Nixon phone call with Ziegler on Daniel Ellsberg and Watergate scandal May 22, 1973 · 1 min
- Nixon & Flanigan on International Economy and Textiles August 12, 1971 · 3 min
Cite this conversation
Conversation 042-006, April 6, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417187767). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/042-006 (accessed October 31, 2026).