{"conversationCode":"211-004","tapeNumber":211,"conversationNumber":4,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-211-004","startDateTime":"1972-09-16T18:31:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-09-16T22:36:00.000Z","startDate":"16-Sep-1972","startTime":"2:31 PM","endDate":"16-Sep-1972","endTime":"6:36 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"estimated","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President);","description":"On September 16, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 2:31 pm and 6:36 pm. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 211-004 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. 211-4\n\nDate: September 16, 1972\nTime: Unknown time between 2:31 pm and 6:36 pm\nLocation: Camp David Hard Wire\n\nThe President dictated a memorandum to H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.\n\n*****************************************************************\n\nBEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1\n[Personal returnable]\n[Duration: 9m 28s     ]\n\nEND WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1\n\n*****************************************************************","filename":["211-004-nara.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)"],"prevCode":"211-003","nextCode":"211-005","aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon dictated a memorandum to H.R. Haldeman outlining revised campaign strategies based on recent poll results, focusing on the scheduling of family members for campaign appearances in smaller and doubtful states, while also advising on the public roles of Vice President Agnew and other surrogates to maximize electoral impact and avoid alienating specific voter groups. He also proposed a project to compile predictions made by columnists and commentators that might prove incorrect after the election, and discussed the allocation of advertising funds and the need for targeted media blitzes in key Senate contests.","topics":["Campaign strategy","Family appearances","Poll results","H.R. Haldeman","Agnew","Surrogates","Senate contests","Advertising allocation","Media blitzes","Columnist predictions"],"generatedAt":"2026-10-28T17:03:34.650Z"},"topicSlugs":["campaign-strategy","family-appearances","poll-results","h-r-haldeman","agnew","surrogates","senate-contests","advertising-allocation","media-blitzes","columnist-predictions"],"audioDurationSec":577,"audioFiles":[{"file":"211-004-nara.mp3","bytes":23098301,"durationSec":577.36,"bitrate":320054,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-10-28T16:49:48.273Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:43:04.784Z","audioSource":"National Archives Catalog (open data, RN-WHT)","audioSourceUrls":["https://catalog.archives.gov/medialz/presidential-libraries/nixon/rn-wht/17408783/6920391/37-wht-conversation-211-004-pa.mp3"],"audioVersions":[{"id":"v1","files":["211-004.mp3"],"source":"earlier download","durationSec":12.8,"primary":false},{"id":"v2","files":["211-004-nara.mp3"],"source":"National Archives Catalog (open data, RN-WHT)","sourceUrl":["https://catalog.archives.gov/medialz/presidential-libraries/nixon/rn-wht/17408783/6920391/37-wht-conversation-211-004-pa.mp3"],"fetchedAt":"2026-10-28T16:49:48.273Z","durationSec":577.36,"bitrate":320054,"bytes":23098301,"supersetOf":["v1"],"supersetVerifiedAt":"2026-10-28T13:48:24+00:00","verification":{"method":"little speech in our copy","ourWords":0,"at":"2026-10-28T13:48:24+00:00"},"primary":true}],"catalogNaId":648453160,"transcript":[{"start":0,"end":15,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"Memorandum for Haldeman. For private file. Paragraph: In view of recent poll results, I have some revised thoughts regarding the schedule for family, period, paragraph."},{"start":15,"end":34,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"Insofar as Christian, Julie, Lady Nixon, and Ed Cox, period. They should hit all of the smaller states. Smaller sized states."},{"start":34,"end":48,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"And the election. Of course, Hawaii and Alaska should be excluded, unless it appears that a trip to Alaska might be essential for the purpose of"},{"start":48,"end":64,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"assuring Ted Stevens, period, paragraph. Also important that they are scheduled into Massachusetts, West Virginia,"},{"start":64,"end":79,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"and any other doubtful states, period, paragraph. Each state must, I want to be sure that none of the southern states feel that they are"},{"start":79,"end":94,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"being taken for granted. For example, not period, for example, I want to be sure that a member of the family is scheduled into Mississippi, Alabama,"},{"start":94,"end":109,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"Arkansas, Louisiana, states where we have our best to be, expect an even-greater-chance winning, period, paragraph."},{"start":109,"end":124,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"A member of the family goes into South Dakota, I want a particularly good event scheduled to be sure that we have a good reception there, period, paragraph. Also, I want the members of the family to be informed that"},{"start":124,"end":143,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"they are to avoid standing beside, standing behind the Republican candidates for the Senate in those states where we think our Republican candidates don't have a chance to win."},{"start":143,"end":162,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"These comments apply, of course, to Agnew and the surrogates. Agnew, having to play a somewhat more temper role in regard to,"},{"start":162,"end":182,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"the rest of the Republican senate, period. Appearing, he must not stir up the animals too much among labor and Democrats who are supporting us. He, of course, cannot and should not stand aside from our Republican candidates,"},{"start":182,"end":200,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"but he should not make a great issue out of campaigning for the Republican Senate. As far as our surrogates are concerned, those that are not too close to me, can be more"},{"start":200,"end":218,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"vocal in their calling for the election of a Republican candidate for the Senate. Those who are close, on the other hand, should be somewhat more restrained because whatever they say will be attributed directly to the White House, period, paragraph."},{"start":218,"end":236,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"With the family, the problem is not too difficult, period. It is expected that they will, be supporting the Republican nominees,"},{"start":236,"end":253,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"they will do it in a low-key, personal way that will not raise the hackles of the nonpartisan politicians, period, paragraph."},{"start":253,"end":271,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"In our conversation earlier today, I think it is important to take the allocation of advertising for Texas and put it into Massachusetts, West Virginia."},{"start":271,"end":291,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"Texas will go with the swing. And as far as Wisconsin is concerned, it probably also will be affected by the swing, although if there is a way to get some special attention paid to Wisconsin, it should be done, period, paragraph."},{"start":291,"end":309,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"Well, make sure that we don't overlook Senate contests in places like Montana, Indiana, where we might have a chance to win, period."},{"start":309,"end":328,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"Also, having in mind the poll on Alabama, it is quite possible now, I think, that Blount can win. It is very important that at least one or two members of the family go to Alabama and be seen with Blount."},{"start":328,"end":347,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"Whoever is drawing Alabama, should make sure that the Alabama media coverage is turned in Virginia, period, paragraph. As far as the Southern big states are concerned,"},{"start":347,"end":367,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"I will cover Atlanta and I will already covered Florida. The others should all, except for Texas, should all be covered by members of the family, and also Rocky Mountain states and farm states."},{"start":367,"end":385,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"New England states, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, which are not on our, first list."},{"start":385,"end":404,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"A subject, I would like you to put somebody to gather together a project entitled \"What the Columnists and Commentators Would Like to Forget\"."},{"start":404,"end":419,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"Get the quotes: \"What the Columnists, Co- Commentators Would Like to Forget\" close quote. Here what I would like to do is to pick up their predictions with regard to the election,"},{"start":419,"end":436,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"beginning right after the California primary and carried through the Democratic and Republican convention, up to election. I would pick up the major liberal columnists and, of course, virtually all of the television commentators."},{"start":436,"end":454,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"Why have made predictions and statements that may well be proved wrong by the election results? Very useful to have, I look forward to, in the writing about the campaign."},{"start":454,"end":474,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"I had great difficulty getting this material together. To describe it, I'm not sure that I will want to use it, but in any event I want the material prepared so that if I do decide to write on this subject, I will have it in my files."},{"start":474,"end":492,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"Paragraph: With further reference to the Senate contest, I think it is important to really scrutinize what contest really need more money,"},{"start":492,"end":511,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"and try to channel some of our major contributors into those contests rather than into the national campaign. On the same subject,"},{"start":511,"end":529,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"let us be sure that in all the Senate contests, we plan a three-week blitz of a combined media fight which will give the"},{"start":529,"end":547,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"major possible coattail effect. [snort] A case in point is the press poll in New Hampshire, period. He probably"},{"start":547,"end":565,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"has very little chance to win at this point because of the split in Republican ranks. On the other hand, with the swing as big as it might be, if he hangs tight enough to us,"},{"start":565,"end":577,"speaker":"Nixon","text":"he could pull it off, and we should not pull away from him. Because, while he is somewhat of a cross to bear, in fact we owe nothing whatever to McIntyre."}],"transcriptCreatedAt":"2026-10-28T13:25:52.519Z","transcriptModel":"google/gemini-3.8-flash","transcriptSource":"audio-llm","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/211-004-nara.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/211-004","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/211/conversation-211-004","catalogUrl":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/648453160","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}