President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman met at Camp David to coordinate the administration's political response to impending Vietnam peace negotiations and potential North Vietnamese actions. They discussed using Secretary of State William Rogers to publicly criticize George McGovern's position on renegotiating peace terms to clarify the administration's stance before the upcoming election. Additionally, the pair reviewed media coverage regarding Watergate-related allegations, adjusted the President's upcoming speech schedule, and finalized the decision to sign H.R. 1 while vetoing other legislation concerning aging and urban issues.
On October 30, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 9:50 am to 10:25 am. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 222-007 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 222-7
Date: October 30, 1972
Time: 9:50 am - 10:25 am
Location: Camp David Hard Wire
The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
Vietnam settlement
-George S. McGovern’s statements
-William P. Rogers’s forthcoming briefing
-Re-negotiation of terms
-Aid to South Vietnam
-Response to McGovern
-Henry A. Kissinger’s view
-Charles W. Colson
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Prospects of peace talks
-Ehrlichman’s interpretation
-Kissinger’s quote
-Status of talks
-McGovern’s role
-Rogers’s forthcoming briefing
-The President’s remarks at forthcoming regional meetings
-Kissinger
-Rogers’s briefing
-Haldeman’s view
Domestic issues
-The President’s veto of an aging bill
-Congressional appeals
-Ehrlichman
-The President’s view
-Aging, urban issues
-Ehrlichman
-The President’s view
-Kissinger
-The President’s vetoes
(rev. Oct-06)
-Water bill
-Ehrlichman’s view
-Signing of bills
-House Resolution [HR] 1
-Vetoed bills
The President’s speeches
-Speech on aging
-Alternatives
-Statement
-HR 1
-Schedule
-Television
-Radio spot
-Cancellation
-Payment for radio time
-TV compared with radio
-Benefits
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-Television speech by Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Schedule
-Radio spots
Watergate
-Washington Post story about Dwight L. Chapin
-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] document
-Chapin
-Donald H. Segretti
-Haldeman's denial of involvement
-Washington Post retraction
-Chapin story
-The President’s view
-Battle between media and administration
-Espionage
-Media charges
-Chapin
-Segretti
-Haldeman
-Direction of fund
-Accuracy
(rev. Oct-06)
-Lack of evidence
-Prominence of stories
News reports
-Vietnam story
-Time magazine
-Story preparation
-Chronology
-1950
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 2m 46s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************
Vietnam
-Negotiations
[Kissinger’s?] view
Rogers forthcoming briefing on Vietnam
-Notification
-Colson
-Kissinger
-Vietnam situation
-Political advantages
-Public knowledge
-North Vietnamese
-Kissinger’s negotiation efforts
-Compared with the People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Soviet Union
-Hopes for peace
-Prospects for talks
(rev. Oct-06)
-McGovern
-Election strategy
Presentation of position on aging Americans
-Compared with release of statement
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 2m 28s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
*****************************************************************
[Unintelligible]
Speech schedule
-Urban speech
-Price [?]
-Foreign policy
-Vietnam
-Time
-California
Haldeman left at 10:25 am.This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.