Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 230 › Conversation 230-002

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Second term reorganization

Tuesday, November 21, 1972 · 7:58 PM–10:52 AM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation230-002 on Tape 230StartTuesday, November 21, 1972 at 7:58 PMEndWednesday, November 22, 1972 at 10:52 AMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 230-002 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon dictated a memorandum at Camp David to record his assessments of key personnel and organizational strategies for his second term. He evaluated potential cabinet roles, including the performance of Kenneth Rush and William J. Casey, and expressed his intent to maintain executive control over foreign policy decisions rather than delegating them to the State Department. Additionally, he reflected on recent interactions with prominent figures such as Nelson Rockefeller and James R. Schlesinger regarding administrative shifts and Republican National Committee leadership.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 4 minutes of this recording (about 68% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I had a profile being dictated at Camp David on October the 21st.
I mean, on the record the 21st.
Overlapping this time around because it hits me.
Exactly what I have already recorded.
The phone came last night from the kitchen.
I loved the game.
I've seen thoroughly to enjoy it.
I've been listening to the radio the night of the game.
The conversations with Rush was particularly .
He convinced everybody in his own department, the Defense Department, thinking that they were coming directly from the President.
I believe that I am directing the very apartment, but for the observation of the very Russians, the Department is not there to make policy, but to make it to the President, so that the President can make it.
That's what I'm trying to say.
I'm trying to say that we hang high communicating the assault agreement.
We probably have better recollections of Russia than we have understood exactly.
Russia's against the Russians was not a strong man.
He was sitting through his support.
Oh, I told you, incidentally, that Henry was calling about, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh,
I told Rush that, uh, he should, uh, that he, uh, he, Rush should concentrate on his side.
I'd like to take Casey to the, uh... Casey should be given an economic job, and not build the administrative job.
Most everybody thought he'd get a dinner last night.
He said, uh... Too often, we need to get through.
And we can follow him to the red.
Fleshinger was also enormously impressive.
I understand.
are too.
Jack Miller is a long to him in Kansas, particularly with docking reading.
The meeting with Rockefeller was about as expected.
the usual effervescent salt, which is used for extra rocks.
Apparently, rock had been used in this rock of all days.
Not as far away from the Lord as it is.
Pretty much .
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.

NARA Description

President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 7:58 pm on November 21, 1972 and 10:52 am on November 22, 1972. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 230-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 230-2

Date: November 21 or 22, 1972
Time: Unknown between 7:58 pm, November 21, 1972 and 10:52 am, November 22, 1972
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

The President dictated a memorandum for the file.

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

       Memorandum
           -Camp David
           -Date
           -Previous recordings

       The President’s schedule
            -Football game
                  -Tricia Nixon Cox
            -Radio

       1973 Inauguration
            -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
            -Secret Service
                  -Carg
                                     -2-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                     Conversation No. 230-2 (cont’d)

                -Visibility

Second term reorganization
     -Meeting with [David] Kenneth Rush
           -Secretary of Defense
           -Melvin R. Laird
                 -Department of Defense
           -William P. Rogers
                 -State Department
                       -Roger’s role
                             -Policy
                       -Shanghai Communique
                       -Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty [SALT]
                 -Strength
                 -Henry A. Kissinger
                 -Retention
                       -Kissinger
           -State Department Job
                 -Duties
                 -William J. Casey
                 -Economics
                 -Administration
Dinner
     -Comments

Second-term reorganization
           -James R. Schlesinger
                -Advice
                -Retention

Republic National Committee [RNC]
     -Full-time chairman
     -Jack R. Miller
     -Kansas
           -Robert B. Docking

New tape

Second term reorganization
           -Meeting with Nelson A. Rockefeller
                                             -3-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                            Conversation No. 230-2 (cont’d)

                        -William E. Brook, III
                        -Political News
                        -Work with Congress
                   -Meeting with Herbert G. Klein
                        -Difficulties

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

Also recorded on November 22, 1972

  • 230-003 7:58 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 7:58 pm on November 21, 1972 and 10:52 am on November 22, 1972.
  • 230-004 7:58 PM · 5 min — Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon and United States Secret Service agents met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 7:58 pm on November 21, 1972 and 10:52 am on November 22, 1972.
  • 230-005 7:58 PM · 13 sec — Unknown person(s) met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 7:58 pm on November 21, 1972 and 10:52 am on November 22, 1972.
  • 230-006 7:58 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 7:58 pm on November 21, 1972 and 10:52 am on November 22, 1972.
  • 230-007 7:58 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 7:58 pm on November 21, 1972 and 10:52 am on November 22, 1972.
  • 230-008 7:58 PM · 14 sec — Julie Nixon Eisenhower and President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 7:58 pm on November 21, 1972 and 10:52 am on November 22, 1972.
  • 230-009 7:58 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 7:58 pm on November 21, 1972 and 10:52 am on November 22, 1972.
  • 230-010 7:58 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 7:58 pm on November 21, 1972 and 10:52 am on November 22, 1972.

All 18 conversations from November 22, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 230-002, November 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/230-002 (accessed October 9, 2026).