Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 140 › Conversation 140-042

Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Acceptance speech and Education policy

Saturday, August 19, 1972 · 12:11 PM–12:14 PM ET · Camp David Study Table · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation140-042 on Tape 140StartSaturday, August 19, 1972 at 12:11 PMEndSaturday, August 19, 1972 at 12:14 PMRecording deviceCamp David Study TableSourceNixon Library record for 140-042 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman coordinated the content for the President’s upcoming acceptance speech, specifically regarding education and busing. Nixon requested that Daniel P. Moynihan draft a provocative 700-800 word segment on education that challenges the educational establishment while limiting the busing section to avoid excessive focus on the topic. The President emphasized a concise speech length and requested to review input from Billy Graham while directing staff to avoid preparing lengthy, unnecessary analyses.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Yes, sir.
Ask Moynihan if he could prepare just about five minutes, 700 or 800 words on education.
In other words, a little bit of a bomb thrower type of thing.
Not to go into bussing, but I just want to get at the dam, at the educational establishment a bit.
The other one that, of course, is written the best
I just like to get Bob a couple of new ideas.
I realize this is not all that big a speech and so forth, but we might as well use opportunities like this to say something.
Sure.
Do you think so?
Sure.
The busing thing, I don't have to go on and on and on and on about busing.
It isn't going to be very good.
But I want something that's enough in this.
I plan to talk, say, a maximum.
2,000 words, 15 minutes, maybe 1,500 words.
But my point is I'd like about 500 words on busing, you see, at most, and 1,000 words on education so that the press has got something to write, so that the national press knows that I'm just not there pandering to the busing crowd.
Yep.
The Michigan press will pick up the busing.
Yep.
Does that make sense to you?
Sure.
Okay.
Okay.
He was, Pat was going to work on just some general ideas.
Well, it's too late now.
Yeah, he was going to call me a couple days ago.
We haven't been able to get back to him since.
Okay, now I do have some Billy Graham thoughts.
Do you want those?
I'm getting typed up now.
Just general ideas.
Well, look them over if you think there's something that ought to come into my thought processes and do it.
Okay.
I'll see you in an hour.
The point, basically, that I really can't assimilate much more.
Yeah.
Okay.
I'm going to look at Price.
Price is preparing something on the rest.
Somebody's got a phrase and so forth, but I can't have a lot.
I mean, there's no note.
What I mean is it isn't going to be useful for me to look at any long analysis of what we ought to do on acceptance speech and so forth.
You see what I mean?
Yep.
And I don't want people to waste their time.
Okay.
And also, I don't want to be the very... Yeah, right.
That's my problem.
Right.
But I don't mind seeing what Graham has got.
Okay.
But it's probably not anything that you didn't already tell me, is it?
No, he was going to take a stab at some additional thoughts, though, and so he called in and dictated them.
Good, good, good.
That's fine.
Okay.
Fine.

NARA Description

On August 19, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David from 12:11 pm to 12:14 pm. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 140-042 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 140-42

Date: August 19, 1972
Time: 12:11 pm - 12:14 pm
Location: Camp David Study Table

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

[See Conversation No. 205-10]

     The President’s forthcoming acceptance speech
          -Education
               -Daniel P. (“Pat”) Moynihan
                     -Possible input
                          -Amount

                      -Busing
                -Irving Kristol
                -Busing
                      -Number of words
                      -Press coverage
                           -Michigan
          -Ideas for speech
                 -William F. (“Billy”) Graham
                      -Typing
                 -Raymond K. Price, Jr.
                 -Use of time
                 -Graham's ideas

Also recorded on August 19, 1972

  • 140-039 11:49 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 11:49 am and 12:02 pm.
  • 140-040 12:02 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David from 12:02 pm to 12:05 pm.
  • 205-008 12:02 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 12:02 pm to 12:03 pm.
  • 140-041 12:03 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:03 pm and 12:11 pm.
  • 205-009 12:03 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:03 pm and 12:11 pm.
  • 205-010 12:11 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 12:11 pm to 12:14 pm.
  • 176-007 12:14 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:14 pm and 12:33 pm.
  • 205-011 12:14 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:14 pm and 12:33 pm.

All 35 conversations from August 19, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 140-042, August 19, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/140-042 (accessed October 8, 2026).