Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 225 › Conversation 225-016

Nixon phone call with Haldeman on 1972 election

Wednesday, November 15, 1972 · 9:50 AM–10:05 AM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation225-016 on Tape 225StartWednesday, November 15, 1972 at 9:50 AMEndWednesday, November 15, 1972 at 10:05 AMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 225-016 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met to streamline the administrative process for sending post-election gratitude to supporters, staff, and campaign personnel. The President expressed frustration with the burden of personal correspondence and directed Haldeman to prioritize sending letters while delaying or eliminating the distribution of gifts and mementos to various groups. They reached a decision to exclude paid vendors and service providers from receiving presidential recognition, emphasizing that such honors should be reserved for those who performed significant campaign service rather than mere professional duties.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I think now I haven't talked to them.
You don't need to be with them.
This is R-N-S-T-E-N-S-T-E-N-S-T-E-N-S-T-E-N-S-T-E-N-S-T-E-N-S-T-E-N-S-T-E-N-S-T-E-N-S-T-E-N-S-T-E-N-S-T-E-N-S-T-E-N-S-T-E-N
My people meant a great deal.
It's impossible.
It's impossible for me to have to sit here and fart around with these goddamn letters.
I'll do that one over too, but there you go.
That's pretty bad.
It's just not good.
It's pretty bad.
Now, what is this?
business about gifts and things.
I don't know what in Christ we're talking about.
I don't know what we're sending in the way of the meadows.
I wonder if we should just send them later and get the letters off.
See what I mean?
Sure.
It would take time and so forth.
Then I don't have to put them in a crowd about a meadow.
Okay.
See?
Okay.
Just fire them off and send a letter to them too, right?
Yep.
Because there's a meadow that doesn't fit in like this.
It'll take a while to get to the meadow.
Residential strategic
That should also go, too, at a later time.
But I just think the letter should go now.
OK, I'll put it down later.
Presidential letters without a gift to the local CRPG .
You can go through all that.
But can't the advancement get the same kind of a damn letter, exactly the same that I write to the members of the committee on the election for president?
Yeah.
It's a good general letter.
And the work you've done and so forth, they don't have to say,
I think the gift should go later.
Okay.
That's why I got the letters all fat.
If the letter's right now, then the white house fat.
Anything else?
What is the White House staff?
What are they supposed to get?
I think they should get... No, I don't think they should.
Not any more than the members of the cabinet.
That's right.
They should get a letter, do you think?
When they leave.
But people shouldn't get letters for doing their duty.
So you're right.
Who do you write?
Do we write down all the surrogates?
We don't have them on here.
Who the hell is a renter?
That I think we should take off.
That's the people that we bought stuff from.
No.
Hell no.
Ever.
Ever.
Like a film producer.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
They are all paid.
No, sir.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
I think it's bad.
I agree.
We have them off of the, they're not on the.
We'll have a little talk with Buchanan, then come right over.
Take five minutes is all you need.
But I'll just get in the living room here and talk to him.
Why don't you cut in when you're ready?
All right.
You want to meet him over there?
Where is he now?
He's on his way here.
All right, let me know when you're ready.

NARA Description

On November 15, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:50 am and 10:05 am. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 225-016 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 225-16

Date: November 15, 1972
Time: Unknown between 9:50 am and 10:05 am
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

      The President's schedule
           -Meeting with Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
                 -Meeting with Haldeman

      The President’s letter to heads of state
           -Channels
                 -The President, State Department, National Security Council [NSC],
                  unknown committee, NPS [?], RLE [Roland L. Elliot], RKP [Raymond K.
                  Price, Jr.]
           -1972 election
                                            -9-

                 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                           Conversation No. 225-16 (cont’d)

                 -Messages of congratulations
                      -The President’s appreciation
           -Tone
           -Letters
           -Quality

*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

           -Gifts and mementos
                 -Delivery
                 -Letters
                 -Presidential certificates
                 -Letters
                        -Committee to Reelect the President [CRP]
                        -Grand Old Party [GOP]
                        -Advance men
                        -Local volunteers
                        -Smaller contributors
                 -Gifts
                 -Letters
                        -White House staff
                        -Cabinet
                        -Surrogates
                        -Vendors
                              -Pollsters
                              -Filmmakers

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************

      Haldeman’s schedule
           -Patrick J. Buchanan
           -Agnew

      The President’s schedule
           -Agnew
                 -Location
                                              -10-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                           Conversation No. 225-16 (cont’d)

Haldeman left at an unknown time before 10:05 am.

Also recorded on November 15, 1972

  • 225-010 9:14 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:14 am and 9:50 am.
  • 225-017 9:50 AM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Peter J. Brennan met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 9:50 am on November 15, 1972 and 8:43 am on November 16, 1972.
  • 225-018 9:50 AM · 43 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 9:50 am on November 15, 1972 and 8:43 am on November 16, 1972.
  • 225-019 9:50 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 9:50 am on November 15, 1972 and 8:43 am on November 16, 1972.
  • 225-020 9:50 AM · 49 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 9:50 am on November 15, 1972 and 8:43 am on November 16, 1972.
  • 225-021 9:50 AM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 9:50 am on November 15, 1972 and 8:43 am on November 16, 1972.
  • 225-022 9:50 AM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 9:50 am on November 15, 1972 and 8:43 am on November 16, 1972.
  • 225-023 9:50 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 9:50 am on November 15, 1972 and 8:43 am on November 16, 1972.

All 22 conversations from November 15, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 225-016, November 15, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/225-016 (accessed October 9, 2026).