President Nixon requested that the Camp David operator connect him via telephone to his former Chief of Staff, H.R. Haldeman. This brief administrative interaction served as a logistical bridge for the President to initiate a private communication with a key aide during his stay at Camp David. The call highlights the ongoing, off-the-record access Nixon maintained with Haldeman despite the latter's recent resignation amidst the burgeoning Watergate scandal.
On May 20, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 3:15 pm and 3:30 pm. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 167-019 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 167-19
Date: May 20, 1973
Time: Unknown between 3:15 pm and 3:30 pm
Location: Camp David Study Table
The President talked with the Camp David operator.
Telephone call to H. R. (“Bob”) HaldemanNo transcript is available for this conversation. The audio may not contain audible speech, or the recording may not yet have been processed.