Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 68 › Conversation 068-006

Haig on Cabinet Room and Seating arrangements

Tuesday, August 10, 1971 · 9:14 AM–10:05 AM ET · Cabinet Room · 6 min

ParticipantsHaig, Alexander M., Jr.; [Unknown person(s)]Conversation068-006 on Tape 68StartTuesday, August 10, 1971 at 9:14 AMEndTuesday, August 10, 1971 at 10:05 AMRecording deviceCabinet RoomSourceNixon Library record for 068-006 ↗

AI Summary

Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and staff members met in the Cabinet Room to finalize logistics and seating arrangements for an upcoming briefing involving the President, Vice President, and senior military officials. The participants debated the placement of briefing materials and chairs to ensure that both the President and Vice President could effectively view documents and presentations. Haig finalized the seating chart for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other officials to facilitate a smooth, orderly exchange of information during the planned session.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 27% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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And these guys have breathing books and things like that.
They always have breathing books.
Well, I'm a little worried about the Vice President sitting over there.
The President here, it just doesn't lend itself to his knowing.
Well, what, the men?
The individual books are the books of the President.
Yeah, you know, that kind of thing where they'll say, Mr. President here.
And I don't have to see these guys, it seems to me.
Well, using the book's not your concern.
That's right.
Do you want an easel?
You don't want an easel?
Well, I'd have an easel anyhow, just that we've got it right here.
Just in case, but I don't think they've got it.
Okay.
Just in the event that they still need it.
Right.
See, it would seem to me that it might be well that on this occasion they have the Vice President sitting with the President, don't you think?
so that he gets the same perspective as the president, and then they can all, they have to get up and come over and point something to him, they can both say it.
What do you think?
Does the president ever get upset about that kind of a change?
I don't think he does, not for the police.
Well, that seems to me the most convenient way to do it.
Mm-hmm.
But then have Laird, maybe Chiefs can be over there and they can talk.
Then they'll have to hand something over.
Or they can talk from there and they can point it.
Make a point from there.
And then the present price.
See, the briefings for the present and the vice-president, Henry, layers, knows what it is, so he could put you on this side.
And then put all the cheats over there.
Maybe if they wanted to.
Yeah, I think it would solve the problem so everyone could see.
If the books is big enough, they could pull it like that, and then everyone would be able to see it.
I don't know.
Well, Bruce Lee Brooks.
I better call each of you right now.
Why don't I do that before we make the scene, right?
No, why?
Isn't it a great opportunity to get through a lot of discussion?
Now, each one has a presentation.
And that one necessarily results in discussion.
Well, let me find out how each one .
There certainly would be no objection.
That might be .
Yeah, that's why .
How much time do you have?
So I think that goes to say, you know, the only other question I can think of is the books.
The books are big enough to go.
You know, I've seen the results of that.
But it's the answer to get up and get next to the president.
How about you, Jim?
I don't care what the start is at, you see.
A little more.
The way I view it, I don't know.
And then the Chiefs, when Warren finishes his presentation, he'll get up and sit over there and eat breakfast.
And then the Air Force, they're going to do the same thing Friday.
But I think that's the best way to do that.
I suppose so, the books are that small.
I just hope that they're not going to make big financial decisions, you know.
They're going to be, you know, there's just not going to be all of them.
I just hope not.
The chief's all on this side over here.
The chairman on the president's left.
Kennedy here.
And then there'll be the president, vice president, Blair, Packard.
Four services over there.
Now they are supposed to have folks that they can hand over to the president and even follow them.
And if they don't, then I'll tell the chairman to split back and go down here and bring the guy in.
I'm going to line up the chiefs when they come in.
You're going to have to, they'll be going through a court and a military person will be in line in the following hall.
He's one of our guys.
He's one of our guys.
He's one of our guys.
He's one of our guys.
He's one of our guys.
He's one of our guys.
I just thought that you were going to bring me into this.
Why don't you come in here?
What's going on?
You know him?
Yes.
You're very human.
I know him.
I know him.
That's what I'm worried about.
What would just happen?
You know him.
Maybe you haven't met him.

NARA Description

On August 10, 1971, Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 9:14 am and 10:05 am. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 068-006 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 068-006

Date: August 10, 1971
Time: Unknown between 9:14 am and 10:05 am
Location: Cabinet Room

General Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met with unknown men

     Preparation for meeting
          -Briefing books
          -Seating arrangements
                -President
                -Vice President
                -Melvin R. Laird
                -Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS]
                -Henry A. Kissinger
          -Briefing materials
          -Seating arrangements
                -President, Vice President, JCS, Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, Kissinger, Laird,
                      David Packard

Haig, et al. left at an unknown time before 10:05 am

Also recorded on August 10, 1971

  • 007-082 8:52 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:52 am and 9:28 am.
  • 559-001 8:52 AM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:52 am and 9:11 am.
  • 559-002 8:52 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:52 am and 9:11 am.
  • 559-003 9:11 AM · 54 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, unknown person(s), White House operator, Charles W. Colson, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:11 am to 10:05 am.
  • 068-007 9:14 AM · 2 hr 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and staffers, including Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, Melvin R. Laird, David Packard, Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, Gen. John D. Ryan, Gen. William C. Westmoreland, Gen. Leonard F. Chapman, Jr., Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Brig. Gen. Alexander M. Haig, Jr., and the White House photographer, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 9:14 am and 11:54 am.
  • 007-083 9:28 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 9:28 am to 9:30 am.
  • 007-084 9:30 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:30 am and 2:33 pm.
  • 559-004 10:05 AM · 2 min — unknown person(s), Manolo Sanchez, and United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:05 am and 11:59 am.

All 40 conversations from August 10, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 068-006, August 10, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/068-006 (accessed October 13, 2026).