Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 59 › Conversation 059-002
Nixon, Shyrock & Murphy
Thursday, June 3, 1971 · 9:51 AM–11:44 AM ET · Cabinet Room · 1 hr 33 min
Audio
This clip was extracted from the full tape recording by Easy Nixon.
Listen to the full tape segment
part A, 11:43
059a.mp3
059b.mp3
NARA Description
On June 3, 1971, President Richard M Nixon and police chiefs, staffers, and others, including John R. Shryock, George A. Murphy, Don R. Derning, Edmund I. Hockaday, Rocky Pomerance, Richard C. Clement, Ramon M. Nardini, Michael N. Canlis, James H. Young, Clarence M. Kelley, James B. Conlisk, Jr., Jerry V. Wilson, William E. Kirwan, Edmund L. McNamara, Wilson E. Speir, Edward M. Davis, Peter J. Pitchess, Joseph J. Caspar, Guy F. Van Cleave, Roman L. Hruska, Richard H. Poff, Emanuel Celler, J. Edgar Hoover, John N. Mitchell, Egil ("Bud") Krogh, Jr., White House photographer, and members of the press, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 9:51 am and 11:44 am. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 059-002 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 59-2
Date: June 3, 1971
Time: Unknown after 9:51 am until 11:44 am
Location: Cabinet Room
John R. Shryock met with George A. Murphy, Don R. Derning, Edmund I. Hockaday, Rocky
Pomerance, Richard C. Clement, Ramon M. Nardini, Michael N. Canlis, James H. Young,
Clarence M. Kelley, James B. Conlisk, Jr., Jerry V. Wilson, William E. Kirwan, Edmund L.
McNamara, Wilson E. Speir, Edward M. Davis, Peter J. Pitchess, Joseph J. Casper, Guy F. Van
Cleave, Roman L. Hruska, Richard H. Poff, and Emanuel Celler; the White House photographer
and members of the press were present at the beginning of the meeting
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[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 11/17/2022.]
[Unintelligible]
[059-002-w001]
[Duration: 5m 4s]
General conversation
Aircraft [?]
Conference [?]
Campaign manager
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The President, J. Edgar Hoover, John N. Mitchell, John D. Ehrlichman, and Egil (“Bud”) Krogh,
Jr. entered at 10:04 am
Introductions
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[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 11/17/2022.]
[Unintelligible]
[059-002-w002]
[Duration: 1m 45s]
PressShow the rest of the log (265 more lines)
Vice President
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Introductions/greetings
Arrangements for photograph
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[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 11/17/2022.]
[Unintelligible]
[059-002-w003]
[Duration: 2m 19s]
Photographs
The President’s appearance
California
Countdown to photograph
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Previous meetings in Cabinet Room
Meeting
-Attendees
-Hoover
-Mitchell
-Hruska, Celler, Poff, James O. Eastland
-William M. McCulloch
Recent police killings in New York City and Washington, DC
-President’s conversation with Hoover and Mitchell
Increasing number of police killed or injured in line of duty
-Public attitude towards police
-Need for more public support of police
-Concern for families of slain policemen
-Legislative efforts
-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] assistance to all US law enforcement officials
-Forthcoming training meeting at FBI
-President’s schedule
-Proposed study for federal grants to families
-President’s support
-FBI cooperation with local law enforcement officials
-Assistance of FBI to New York City Police
-Black Panther involvement
-Apprehension of police slayers
-Pending legislation
-Measures to prevent police killings
-National Academy of FBI curriculum
-Recent killings of two New York City policemen
-New York City Police Commissioner
-Feedback from visiting police chiefs
-Training of visiting police chiefs
-Administration-sponsored legislation
-$50,000 death benefit for families of policemen
-Legislation through Law Enforcement Assistance Administration [LEAA]
Strong Administration support for police and law enforcement
-News media
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Attorney General
-Hoover
-Congress
Killings of policemen
-Death benefits for widows of survivors
-Public’s attitude
-Judges’ attitudes
-Supreme Court
Administration’s support for law enforcement
-Effect on police morale
Memorial for policemen killed in line of duty
-Hoover
Attitudes and skills of policemen today
-Training
Revolutionary philosophies
-News media
-Respect for law and order
Support of Administration for police
May Day demonstrations
Political affiliations of attendees
May Day demonstrators
-Activities
-Attempt to halt functioning of Government
-Cooperation among law enforcement agencies
-Arrest for disorderly conduct
-President’s approval of plan
-Reaction of press and senators
-Right of protest in Washington, DC
-Violations of law
Unknown man’s previous election
Liberal Northeast US
-Boston
-Handling of May Day demonstrations
-Public support for police practices
-News media
-Police reporter
-Rewriting of stories by editors
-Photographs
-Use of dogs
-Civil rights of demonstrators
-Criticism of police actions
-American Civil Liberties Union [ACLU]
-Jesuits
Activism of Catholic clergy
Louise Day Hicks
Support for Hoover’s proposal
Bank robbery and students from Brandeis University
-Parolees at Brandeis
-FBI cooperation
Los Angeles’ vote to increase police pension benefits
-Chief Edward Parker
-By district
-Thomas (“Tom”) Bradley
-Councilman William (“Willy”) Mills
-Socio-economic and ethnic groups
Poff
Virginia crime and police
-Comments of Julie and [Dwight] David Eisenhower, II
Police officers
-Death in line of duty
-Administration’s efforts
-Prevention
-Prosecuting of criminal cases before a court
-Eliminating plea bargaining of series cases
-Vigorous prosecution of officer assault cases
-Prosecutors conviction record in court
-Legalization of marijuana
-Heroin use
-Penalties
-Verbal and physical assaults on police
-Courts and reduction of aggravated assault charges
-Updating of criminal justice system
-Warren E. Burger
-LEAA
-Trying of suspects in court on lesser charges
-No plea bargaining for assaults
-Forthcoming meeting with District Attorneys’ Association
Public attitudes and police
Number of criminal cases and plea bargaining
Situation of police
-Recruiting and retirements
Administration support for police
President’s schedule
-Reception for police chiefs
Congressional support for police
-Celler
-Compensation for families
-Efforts to make criminal attacks a federal crime
Newspapers and the government
-Thomas Jefferson
-Ralph Nader
Congressional efforts to compensate families of policemen
Compensation for firemen
Proposed new criminal code
Mitchell and recent speech in California
-Wilson’s handling of May Day demonstrations
-George Putnam
-President’s comments
Robert H. Finch’s call to unknown man in California
-Effect on police morale
New Administration drug program
-Duplication of federal agencies’ programs
-Coordination of federal programs, agencies
-Ehrlichman
-Cut-off of dangerous drugs from abroad
-Treatment of drug abusers
-Drug education and young people
-New York City drug-caused deaths
Forthcoming Judiciary Sub-Committee hearings on drug abuse
-Krogh
Drug education
-Art Linkletter
Coordination of federal drug abuse programs
-Davis
Severe penalties for drug suppliers
-Mitchell’s efforts
Presidential message supporting police
-President’s conversation with Richard J. Daley
-Letters of commendation for heroic police efforts
Presidential gifts for visiting police chiefs’ wives
The President’s experiences after law school
-Application for FBI agent’s job and Hoover
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[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 11/17/2022.]
[Unintelligible]
[059-002-w004]
[Duration: 4m 1s]
Decision
The President’s schedule
The President’s request
-Award
Research
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[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 11/17/2022.]
[Unintelligible]
[059-002-w005]
[Duration: 18s]
[This portion of the tape appears to be blank. However, conversations may have taken place.]
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The President, et al. left at 11:44 amTranscript (AI-generated)
No transcript is available yet for this conversation.
Also recorded on June 3, 1971
- 059-001 8:02 AM · 12 min — unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 8:02 am and 10:04 am.
- 509-003 9:49 AM · 51 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:49 am to 9:54 am.
- 509-004 9:54 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:54 am and 9:59 am.
- 509-005 9:59 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, J. Edgar Hoover, John N. Mitchell, Egil ("Bud") Krogh, Jr., and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:59 am to 10:04 am.
- 509-021 10:04 AM · 16 sec — Stephen B. Bull and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:04 am and 11:47 am.
- 509-006 11:47 AM · 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:47 am to 12:08 pm.
- 509-007 12:09 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Corrine Griffith, Roger E. Johnson, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:09 pm to 12:13 pm.
- 509-008 12:13 PM · 51 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 12:13 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 059-002, June 3, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417174169). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/059-002 (accessed November 4, 2026).