{"conversationCode":"202-005","tapeNumber":202,"conversationNumber":5,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-202-005","startDateTime":"1972-08-14T22:05:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-08-16T00:17:00.000Z","startDate":"14-Aug-1972","startTime":"6:05 PM","endDate":"15-Aug-1972","endTime":"8:17 PM","dateCertainty":"estimated","timeCertainty":"estimated","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. (\"Bob\");","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.","locationCode":"CDHW","recordingDevice":"Camp David Hard Wire","latitudeEstimated":39.648333,"longitudeEstimated":-77.465,"chronCode":4,"chronRelease":"Fourth Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"10-Dec-2003","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 202-5\n\nDate: Unknown between August 14 and 15, 1972\nTime: Unknown between 6:05 pm, August 14, 1972 and 8:17 pm, August 15, 1972\nLocation: Camp David Hard Wire\n\nThe President dictated a memorandum to H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.\n\n     Public relations\n          -Strategy\n                 -John B. Connally\n                 -W. Ramsey Clark\n                      -George S. McGovern\n                      -Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] head\n                      -Patrick J. Buchanan\n                           -McGovern quote\n                           -Clark quote\n                                  -Hanoi\n                           -Possible statement\n                                  -McGovern’s statement\n                                        -Clark as FBI director\n                                  -J. Edgar Hoover\n                                  -Clark\n\n     McGovern\n        -Attitude to communists\n        -Strategy by administration\n              -Buchanan\n              -Administration speakers\n              -Newspaper editors\n              -Clark MacGregor\n              -Richard G. Kleindienst\n              -Quinn Tamm\n                    -International Association of Chiefs of Police\n               -Veterans of Foreign Wars [VFW] head [Patrick W. Carr]\n\n*****************************************************************\n\nBEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1\n[Personal returnable]\n[Duration: 4m 19s ]\n\nEND WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1\n\n*****************************************************************","filename":["202-005.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Haldeman, H. R. (\"Bob\")"],"prevCode":"202-004","nextCode":"202-006","transcript":[{"start":15,"end":18.77,"text":"It's a couple of odds and ends with regard to the counter-attack activities paragraph."},{"start":18.79,"end":23.68,"text":"As I have emphasized, and as Connolly totally agrees, it is important to use the hammer, particularly on the point"},{"start":60.87,"end":62.84,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":89.4,"end":103.7,"text":"Something like this."},{"start":103.72,"end":114.53,"text":"I'll respond."},{"start":114.56,"end":115.38,"text":"That's quite how I speak and how I radio."},{"start":115.4,"end":117.36,"text":"I believe in the opinion of the North Vietnamese propaganda that attacked me in the United States."},{"start":117.38,"end":117.62,"text":"These words."},{"start":119.51,"end":134.48,"text":"any american in particular would attack his own country"},{"start":150.44,"end":177.85,"text":"July Blank, in an interview, Senator McConaughey said, quote, the card would be a perfect FBI director if he would take it, end quote."},{"start":177.87,"end":178.85,"text":"Friends, get here, of course, the exact quote."},{"start":178.87,"end":179.77,"text":"Blank Eaters, J. Edgar Hoover has had the FBI"},{"start":189.74,"end":192.39,"text":"You know, his primary responsibility."},{"start":192.41,"end":192.53,"text":"Great."},{"start":220.47,"end":244.74,"text":"I don't believe in unwittingly spying over the head of your own company."},{"start":244.76,"end":248.35,"text":"I agree."},{"start":248.37,"end":248.53,"text":"I agree."},{"start":248.55,"end":248.71,"text":"I agree."},{"start":248.73,"end":248.89,"text":"I agree."},{"start":250.88,"end":262.81,"text":"Well, they would be soft-headed, and toward comics."},{"start":262.82,"end":263.03,"text":"Me, never."},{"start":263.05,"end":263.17,"text":"Never."},{"start":301,"end":319,"text":"Through the two major speakers."},{"start":319.98,"end":320.62,"text":"Editors, papers, and the makers."},{"start":320.64,"end":322.56,"text":"I would strongly urge in this case that we have not come from a greater course of acquaintance."},{"start":322.58,"end":322.9,"text":"Sound the line."},{"start":335.59,"end":337.37,"text":"is to get it off and get it used."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"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.","topics":["George McGovern","Public Relations Strategy","Ramsey Clark","FBI","1972 Presidential Campaign","J. Edgar Hoover"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T10:13:51.074Z"},"topicSlugs":["george-mcgovern","public-relations-strategy","ramsey-clark","fbi","1972-presidential-campaign","j-edgar-hoover"],"audioDurationSec":354,"audioFiles":[{"file":"202-005.mp3","bytes":8498154,"durationSec":354.01,"bitrate":192041,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:35.864Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:43:03.313Z","transcriptGapSeconds":70,"transcriptGapShare":0.2,"transcriptQuality":"incomplete","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/202-005.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/202-005","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/202/conversation-202-005","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}