Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 223 › Conversation 223-018
Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Political strategy and Public relations
Sunday, October 22, 1972 · 9:57 AM–10:09 AM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 3 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met at Camp David to coordinate their departure schedules and discuss concerns regarding an unnamed individual’s overly optimistic perception of current events. Nixon expressed skepticism toward this individual's outlook, noting a tendency to ignore harsh realities. The two agreed on the necessity of collaborating to manage the narrative surrounding an unspecified "hell of a story" involving potential intruders.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 59% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On October 22, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 9:57 am to 10:09 am. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 223-018 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 223-18 Date: October 22, 1972 Time: 9:57 am - 10:09 am Location: Camp David Hard Wire The President talked with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman. [See Conversation No. 151-9; two items have been withdrawn]
Also recorded on October 22, 1972
- 151-008 9:45 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:45 am and 9:57 am.
- 223-016 9:45 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:45 am and 9:57 am.
- 223-017 9:45 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:45 am and 9:57 am.
- 151-009 9:57 AM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David from 9:57 am to 10:09 am.
- 151-010 10:09 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:09 am and 10:10 am.
- 223-019 10:09 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:09 am and 10:10 am.
- 151-011 10:10 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone at Camp David from 10:10 am to 10:16 am.
- 223-020 10:10 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 10:10 am to 10:16 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 223-018, October 22, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/223-018 (accessed October 10, 2026).