Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 202 › Conversation 202-005

Nixon phone call with Haldeman on George McGovern

Monday, August 14, 1972 · 6:05 PM–8:17 PM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation202-005 on Tape 202StartMonday, August 14, 1972 at 6:05 PMEndTuesday, August 15, 1972 at 8:17 PMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 202-005 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon dictated a memorandum to H. R. Haldeman outlining a strategic public relations counter-attack against George McGovern during the 1972 campaign. The discussion centered on exploiting McGovern’s past supportive comments regarding Ramsey Clark to portray the Senator as sympathetic to communists and critical of American interests. Nixon directed the administration to coordinate with speakers, newspaper editors, and conservative groups to amplify these criticisms and highlight the contrast between McGovern’s positions and the legacy of J. Edgar Hoover.

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 20% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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It's a couple of odds and ends with regard to the counter-attack activities paragraph.

As I have emphasized, and as Connolly totally agrees, it is important to use the hammer, particularly on the point

Thank you.

Something like this.

I'll respond.

That's quite how I speak and how I radio.

I believe in the opinion of the North Vietnamese propaganda that attacked me in the United States.

These words.

any american in particular would attack his own country

July Blank, in an interview, Senator McConaughey said, quote, the card would be a perfect FBI director if he would take it, end quote.

Friends, get here, of course, the exact quote.

Blank Eaters, J. Edgar Hoover has had the FBI

You know, his primary responsibility.

Great.

I don't believe in unwittingly spying over the head of your own company.

I agree.

Well, they would be soft-headed, and toward comics.

Me, never.

Never.

Through the two major speakers.

Editors, papers, and the makers.

I would strongly urge in this case that we have not come from a greater course of acquaintance.

Sound the line.

is to get it off and get it used.

NARA Description

President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 6:05 pm on August 14, 1972 and 8:17 pm on August 15, 1972. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 202-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 202-5

Date: Unknown between August 14 and 15, 1972
Time: Unknown between 6:05 pm, August 14, 1972 and 8:17 pm, August 15, 1972
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

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

     Public relations
          -Strategy
                 -John B. Connally
                 -W. Ramsey Clark
                      -George S. McGovern
                      -Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] head
                      -Patrick J. Buchanan
                           -McGovern quote
                           -Clark quote
                                  -Hanoi
                           -Possible statement
                                  -McGovern’s statement
                                        -Clark as FBI director
                                  -J. Edgar Hoover
                                  -Clark

     McGovern
        -Attitude to communists
        -Strategy by administration
              -Buchanan
              -Administration speakers
              -Newspaper editors
              -Clark MacGregor
              -Richard G. Kleindienst
              -Quinn Tamm
                    -International Association of Chiefs of Police
               -Veterans of Foreign Wars [VFW] head [Patrick W. Carr]

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 4m 19s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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Also recorded on August 14, 1972

030-052 5:18 PM · 13 sec — The recording device engaged on an unknown date, sometime between 5:18 pm on August 14, 1972 and 11:17 am on September 19, 1972, but the conversation appears to be blank.
202-001 6:05 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 6:05 pm on August 14, 1972 and 8:17 pm on August 15, 1972.
202-002 6:05 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Manolo Sanchez, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 6:05 pm on August 14, 1972 and 8:17 pm on August 15, 1972.
202-003 6:05 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 6:05 pm on August 14, 1972 and 8:17 pm on August 15, 1972.
202-004 6:05 PM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 6:05 pm on August 14, 1972 and 8:17 pm on August 15, 1972.
202-006 6:05 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Roy Edward Sievers met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 6:05 pm on August 14, 1972 and 8:17 pm on August 15, 1972.
202-007 6:05 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Roger Staubach met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 6:05 pm on August 14, 1972 and 8:17 pm on August 15, 1972.
202-008 6:05 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 6:05 pm on August 14, 1972 and 8:17 pm on August 15, 1972.

All 49 conversations from August 14, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 202-005, August 14, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/202-005 (accessed October 12, 2026).