Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 192 › Conversation 192-017

Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Political conventions

Friday, June 9, 1972 · 5:38 PM–5:39 PM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation192-017 on Tape 192 (tape position 02:41:19–02:46:21)StartFriday, June 9, 1972 at 5:38 PMEndFriday, June 9, 1972 at 5:39 PMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 192-017 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman discuss the management of upcoming political conventions and the necessity of maintaining control over institutional processes. They touch upon budgetary constraints and emphasize the importance of having professional oversight to handle convention logistics. Nixon explicitly instructs Haldeman to remain detached from specific external pressures and to simply 'let it go' and finish the current political maneuvers.

Audio

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Position in tape: 02:41:19 – 02:46:21

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).
I think that the strategy was good to get those damn carrots closed off, and we did.
Yeah.
I agree.
I agree that it was right to have the hearing and then get that 11-4 vote, or 9-4, whatever it was.
11-4.
That, you see, was the critical thing.
budget for example is a terrible problem yeah yeah well whatever whatever you do just run a tight ship yeah
Yeah, I guess what I mean is that I think that if we want to be as reasonable as it can be with an emigrating convention, if they get too rough, we simply have to... We've got to protect them, but we've got to make them ask for it, too.
They've got to ask
Laurel?
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Bye.
No, no, no, no.
Go ahead.
I hope you're playing the game.
No, no, no.
Not a thing.
Not a thing.
Let it go.
Let it go.
Finish the game.
Finish the game.
No, no.
I was just on the phone.
Is that right?
I'd like you to know about that.
Klein says he wants me to keep my mind open.
I said I would.
His argument is this.
He wants a pro in there to handle the conventions and that sort of thing.
Well, he can find a pro to do that.
But it can't be Marty in there.

NARA Description

On June 9, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 5:38 pm to 5:39 pm. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 192-017 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 192-17

Date: June 9, 1972
Time: 5:38-5:39 pm
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

H.R. Haldeman talked with President.

[See Conversation No. 172-10]

Also recorded on June 9, 1972

  • 172-007 5:15 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Robert H. Finch talked on the telephone at Camp David from 5:15 pm to 5:23 pm.
  • 172-008 5:26 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 5:26 pm.
  • 192-015 5:26 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at 5:26 pm.
  • 172-009 5:27 PM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard G. Kleindienst talked on the telephone at Camp David from 5:27 pm to 5:36 pm.
  • 192-016 5:27 PM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard G. Kleindienst met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 5:27 pm to 5:36 pm.
  • 172-010 5:38 PM · 57 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David from 5:38 pm to 5:39 pm.
  • 172-011 5:39 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 5:39 pm and 5:47 pm.
  • 192-018 5:39 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 5:39 pm and 5:47 pm.

All 37 conversations from June 9, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 192-017, June 9, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/192-017 (accessed October 12, 2026).