Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 188 › Conversation 188-009

Nixon, Haldeman & Kissinger on John B. Connally and Media Relations

Thursday, May 18, 1972 · 5:56 PM–8:22 PM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation188-009 on Tape 188 (tape position 00:31:34–00:36:26)StartThursday, May 18, 1972 at 5:56 PMEndThursday, May 18, 1972 at 8:22 PMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 188-009 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with H. R. Haldeman and Henry Kissinger at Camp David to dictate memoranda regarding administrative management and foreign policy strategy. The discussion focused on establishing editorial accountability during absences, coordinating leaks through Richard Helms to counter negative reporting on North Vietnam, and planning a high-profile diplomatic trip for John B. Connally to Latin America and the Pacific. Nixon directed his staff to finalize recommendations for the Connally mission and strategic communication efforts by the end of the week.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 14% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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i want to be sure that the responsibility while we are gone to see that the best editorials columns and
to be able to get up a good letter today before he leaves, if you get on it right away.
Counterbalance.
Secondly, the line of stories appearing in the New York Times, Tony Lewis, we have to do far more than we are presently doing with regard to what is happening tomorrow in North Vietnam.
I want you to find a way through Helms to have leaked out
we got every possible leak or story that we got now.
We have made that responsibility working with whoever is left here on the news side.
The Connelly trip is vitally important, not only from the standpoint of
but also in terms of, I believe, the good it could do in the foreign policy period.
What I have in mind is that he should go first class with the presidential pipe aircraft to four countries in Latin America, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia.
To that, I think it might be well for him to go to Australia and New Zealand, two countries.
who sturdily support us, and we still can't get attention because they are so far away.
Another country further on around, wish we could stop that.
On the way back, it might not be too bad an idea, period.
This is a way out suggestion, but maybe this is the time for,
The first thing is to get some recommendations and meet by the end of the day, Friday, so that I can talk Conley now about his trip.
It's my view, it is my view, that he and Mrs. Conley should leave on the trip days after we return, period.
Even though Schultz may not be confirmed at that time, he will have been thoroughly indoctrinated
and uh congress leaving as a secondary the treasury might have the nanny benefit very a lot of people on the state or other about this thing just give me your own recommendation later today

NARA Description

On May 18, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 5:56 pm and 8:22 pm. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 188-009 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 188-009

Date: May 18, 1972
Time: Unknown between 5:56 pm and 8:22 pm
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

The President dictated a memorandum for H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

     Charles W. Colson
          -Responsibility during Haldeman's absence
               -Acknowledgements to editorial writers
                    -President's decision on Vietnam blockade

The President dictated a memorandum for Henry A. Kissinger.

     New York Times story
         -Anthony Lewis
         -Morale in North Vietnam

     Administration press efforts
         -Leaks
               -Morale in North Vietnam
                     -Richard M. Helms

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National Security (B) withdrawal reviewed under MDR guidelines case number LPRN-T-MDR-
2014-015. Segment exempt per Executive Order 13526, 3.3(b)(1) on 04/29/2019. Archivist:MAS]
[National Security]
[188-009-w001]
[Duration: 1m 3s]

       INDIA-PAKISTAN

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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

     India-Pakistan
                -Timing
                     -President’s trip to Soviet Union
                -Responsibility
                     -Gen. Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

     John B. Connally trip
          -Importance
          -Mode of travel
          -Destinations
                -Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru
          -Possible additional destinations
                -Australia, New Zealand
                     -Position
          -Kissinger’s recommendation
                -Time and date
          -Departure
                -Timing
                -Idanell B. (“Nellie”) Connally
          -George P. Shultz

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

                 -Confirmation
                 -Benefits of Connally’s trip
           -Others’ recommendations
                 -State Department
           -Kissinger’s recommendations

Also recorded on May 18, 1972

  • 130-006 5:55 PM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David from 5:55 pm to 5:56 pm.
  • 130-007 5:56 PM · 2 min — Unknown person(s) and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 5:56 pm on May 18, 1972 and 11:59 pm on May 19, 1972.
  • 130-008 5:56 PM · 1 min — Unknown person(s), Camp David operator, Kenneth T. McLenden, and Robert Mahaffey talked on the telephone at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 5:56 pm on May 18, 1972 and 11:59 pm on May 19, 1972.
  • 188-010 5:56 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 5:56 pm and 8:22 pm.
  • 188-011 5:56 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 5:56 pm and 8:22 pm.
  • 188-012 5:56 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 5:56 pm and 8:22 pm.
  • 188-013 5:56 PM · 40 sec — Unknown person(s) met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 5:56 pm on May 18, 1972 and 11:59 pm on May 19, 1972.
  • 188-014 5:56 PM · 20 min — Unknown person(s), Camp David operator, and Kenneth T. McLenden met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 5:56 pm on May 18, 1972 and 11:59 pm on May 19, 1972.

All 90 conversations from May 18, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 188-009, May 18, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/188-009 (accessed October 10, 2026).