{"conversationCode":"191-008","tapeNumber":191,"conversationNumber":8,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-191-008","startDateTime":"1972-05-18T15:22:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-05-18T15:23:00.000Z","startDate":"18-May-1972","startTime":"11:22 AM","endDate":"18-May-1972","endTime":"11:23 AM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. (\"Bob\");","description":"On May 18, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. (\"Bob\") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 11:22 am to 11:23 am. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 191-008 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"CDHW","recordingDevice":"Camp David Hard Wire","latitudeEstimated":39.648333,"longitudeEstimated":-77.465,"chronCode":3,"chronRelease":"Third Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"28-Feb-2002","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 191-8\n\nDate: May 18, 1972\nTime: 11:22-11:23 am\nLocation: Camp David Hard Wire\n\nThe President talked with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.\n\n[See Conversation No. 131-29]\n\n[End of telephone conversation]","filename":["191-008.mp3"],"tapeStart":"00:31:35","tapeEnd":"00:33:13","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Haldeman, H. R. (\"Bob\")"],"prevCode":"191-007","nextCode":"191-009","transcript":[{"start":2.17,"end":4.88,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":6,"end":11.02,"text":"If you know, I'm aware of the PR problems of an expensive gift."},{"start":11.06,"end":15.66,"text":"There are also PR problems of accepting a gift."},{"start":15.71,"end":24.71,"text":"I mean, all of the Chinese gifts were infinitely more, you know, because they're not as ostentatious."},{"start":25.59,"end":32.97,"text":"So, but I think you ought to get somebody like a Moore in on the act to see and say, now, how do you think we ought to handle this?"},{"start":34.25,"end":43.72,"text":"Pointing out the background, you know, that what happened was that we learned that the Soviet government, they asked that they could present a hydrofoil because they're very proud of their hydrofoils."},{"start":43.73,"end":50.94,"text":"And so we said we couldn't accept that unless we could present something, you know, in kind and what the Soviet government wanted."},{"start":51.48,"end":52.76,"text":"The Russians said we'd like a car."},{"start":53.75,"end":54.69,"text":"Well, we do cars."},{"start":54.73,"end":55.71,"text":"Well, they do hydrofoils."},{"start":55.75,"end":56.81,"text":"Well, that's really the story."},{"start":56.85,"end":57.83,"text":"It's the God's truth."},{"start":57.85,"end":60.34,"text":"I think that it's well handled."},{"start":60.38,"end":60.9,"text":"It's all right."},{"start":60.92,"end":63.74,"text":"Except that you give them the cattle at the restaurant."},{"start":63.82,"end":68.08,"text":"It could be a hell of a negative story if it's handled that way."},{"start":68.12,"end":68.22,"text":"What?"},{"start":70.82,"end":71.58,"text":"Well, it's a problem."},{"start":71.64,"end":80.85,"text":"But yeah, it's a problem unless you point out that our gifts are less expensive than theirs."},{"start":81.87,"end":84.68,"text":"And it's basically, you know, you turn it and it changes."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman discuss the potential public relations fallout regarding the exchange of high-value gifts between the United States and the Soviet Union. Nixon emphasizes the need to frame the situation by highlighting the reciprocal nature of the gift-giving—specifically the trade of a Soviet hydrofoil for an American car—to mitigate concerns about ostentatiousness. The President instructs Haldeman to consult with staff to craft a narrative that frames these exchanges as balanced and diplomatic rather than extravagant.","topics":["Soviet-American relations","Diplomatic protocol","Public relations","Gift exchange","Foreign policy"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T09:51:46.519Z"},"topicSlugs":["soviet-american-relations","diplomatic-protocol","public-relations","gift-exchange","foreign-policy"],"audioDurationSec":87,"audioFiles":[{"file":"191-008.mp3","bytes":3481407,"durationSec":86.9,"bitrate":320504,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:33.573Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/191-008.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/191-008","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/191/conversation-191-008","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}