Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 137 › Conversation 137-010

Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Presidential logistics and Press management

Sunday, August 13, 1972 · 9:38 AM–9:45 AM ET · Camp David Study Table · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation137-010 on Tape 137StartSunday, August 13, 1972 at 9:38 AMEndSunday, August 13, 1972 at 9:45 AMRecording deviceCamp David Study TableSourceNixon Library record for 137-010 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman coordinated logistical arrangements for their departure from Camp David, focusing on managing press exposure by staggering helicopter flights for staff and family. They also discussed the impending resignation of HUD Secretary George Romney, with Nixon criticizing Romney’s handling of the situation and instructing Haldeman to have John Ehrlichman contact him for further guidance on the matter. The conversation reflects the President's desire to minimize negative media coverage while managing personnel issues similar to the prior departure of Wally Hickel.

Audio

Download MP3 · 4.3 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Yeah.
Yes, sir.
Tell me, with the regard to the helicopters, we send down two, don't we?
Yeah, I think we do.
I think they send one after yours.
Yeah.
Well, my point is that after mine leaves, do the press go away?
Yes.
They do.
They do immediately, huh?
They do.
uh do they have to be out there to watch me that's the problem ron always has yeah well we can let me think let me see what we can work out we'll either uh well you're gonna you do have two helicopters in any event don't you or not i think we do and if we don't we can get a second one up here which is no problem why don't you just have uh let's just have two and put staff and other people on the on the second one sure and i'll whip out and go off a little early but
But now who's in charge of the press?
Is Ron or Warren or somebody there when they stand over there?
There's someone covers, yeah.
I'll find out who it is.
They could just get them the hell out as soon as we leave there to move them out.
Can they do that?
Sure.
And then we'll take, yeah.
Okay, thank you.
Put David on the second one.
David and Julie I'll put on the second helicopter.
Yeah.
And I'll have, see that's the way I think we could work it very easily.
It's all right.
It's worth doing it now.
we have quite a group up here anyway and we could just you know divide up the troops just a little bit this time yeah that's no problem we could go so we'll leave we'll have one leave at about uh have it ready by a quarter of one we'll leave and then the other one can leave at about a quarter after one 12 45 12 45 and the other one David Charlie after okay the point is that you could just call over and say well the press is gone
go okay all right I don't know whether to work but we might as well try sure make it a little more comfortable sure okay yep all right bye good I'll set it up new this morning anything no reading the papers no I thought that's of course what we would expect that that Ronda didn't handle his stuff very well sort of leaking out his oh yeah he's just spewing it out all that sort of thing
and we're doing but there's no reason just to tell John to react to it I mean about it I just we have no desire to do that or did John have any other some no no and I no I'm sure I don't think he's going to I mean George is going to find that he's he's a nothing out just as Wally Hickle has found out and we'll just we just we just got had a cross to bear there and just try to get off our backs as best we can the way John ought to handle it in my opinion is to simply
get at this.
Is John there?
Is John around there?
He's not right here now, no.
Yeah.
I've got to talk to him just a little about it.
You can ask him to ring me, will you?
Okay, sure.

NARA Description

On August 13, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David from 9:38 am to 9:45 am. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 137-010 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 137-10

Date: August 13, 1972
Time: 9:38 am - 9:45 am
Location: Camp David Study Table

The President talked with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

     The President's schedule

         -Departure from Camp David
              -Helicopters
              -Press

*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 33s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

*****************************************************************

     The President's schedule
          -Departure from Camp David
               -Helicopters
                      -White House staff
               -Press
                      -Ronald L. Ziegler
                      -Gerald L. Warren
               -[Dwight] David Eisenhower, II and Julie Nixon Eisenhower
               -Timing

     George W. Romney
         -Possible resignation
               -Leak
               -John D. Ehrlichman
               -The President’s view
                     -Walter J. Hickel
               -The President's forthcoming conversation with Ehrlichman

Also recorded on August 13, 1972

  • 137-009 9:18 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:18 am and 9:38 am.
  • 199-002 9:18 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:18 am and 9:38 am.
  • 199-003 9:38 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 9:38 am to 9:45 am.
  • 199-004 9:45 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:45 am and 9:53 am.
  • 137-011 9:53 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 9:53 am.
  • 137-012 9:53 AM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone at Camp David from 9:53 am to 10:02 am.
  • 199-005 9:53 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at 9:53 am.
  • 199-006 9:53 AM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 9:53 am to 10:02 am.

All 29 conversations from August 13, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 137-010, August 13, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/137-010 (accessed October 12, 2026).