Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 199 › Conversation 199-003

Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Camp David and Helicopter transport

Sunday, August 13, 1972 · 9:38 AM–9:45 AM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation199-003 on Tape 199StartSunday, August 13, 1972 at 9:38 AMEndSunday, August 13, 1972 at 9:45 AMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 199-003 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman discuss the logistical arrangements for transporting staff and family members, specifically his children David and Julie, via helicopter from Camp David. The conversation addresses the protocol for managing the press presence during these departures to ensure order. Additionally, the pair briefly touches upon the need to caution an associate, referred to as John, regarding the behavior of an undisciplined individual named George.

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 34% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Yeah.
Tell me, with regard to the helicopters, we send out two, don't we?
Well, my point is that after mine leaves, do the press go away?
Well, you do have two helicopters, many of them.
But you just have two staff and other people on the second one, too.
But now who's in charge of the president?
Ron or Warren or somebody there?
They're there to get them.
They can just get them the hell out.
Do they do that?
David and Julie, I'll put on a second helicopter.
That's the way I think we did work.
It's all right.
It's worth doing.
We have quite a group up here.
It's a wheelie.
without wanting to have it ready by a quarter of one.
The point is that you can just call over and say, well, I don't know if it works.
You might as well try.
Okay.
All right, fine.
What else is new this morning?
Anything?
No.
I thought that's, of course, what you would expect.
But there's no reason to tell John to react to it.
I don't think he's going to.
I mean, George is going to find it.
He's an undisciplined person.
It's John, man.
It's John around there, where you are.
Yeah, I gotta talk to him just a little about a good message for everybody.

NARA Description

On August 13, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 9:38 am to 9:45 am. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 199-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 199-3

Date: August 13, 1972
Time: 9:38-9:45 am
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

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

[See Conversation No. 137-10; one item has been withdrawn]

Also recorded on August 13, 1972

  • 137-009 9:18 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:18 am and 9:38 am.
  • 199-002 9:18 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:18 am and 9:38 am.
  • 137-010 9:38 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David from 9:38 am to 9:45 am.
  • 199-004 9:45 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:45 am and 9:53 am.
  • 137-011 9:53 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 9:53 am.
  • 137-012 9:53 AM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone at Camp David from 9:53 am to 10:02 am.
  • 199-005 9:53 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at 9:53 am.
  • 199-006 9:53 AM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 9:53 am to 10:02 am.

All 29 conversations from August 13, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 199-003, August 13, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/199-003 (accessed October 12, 2026).