Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 250 › Conversation 250-003

Nixon & Haldeman on Media Relations and Vietnam War

Friday, April 16, 1971 · 8:58 AM–9:40 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation250-003 on Tape 250 (tape position 00:17:43–00:23:28)StartFriday, April 16, 1971 at 8:58 AMEndFriday, April 16, 1971 at 9:40 AMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 250-003 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman reviewed the President's upcoming schedule, including a Rose Garden reception for the Rio Grande City High School Student Council and a meeting with business leaders Bernard Lasker, John Connally, and Gustave Levy. They discussed press management regarding a Commerce Department consumer buying study and recent controversies surrounding the Vietnam War, particularly involving George McGovern and William Saxbe. Nixon also instructed Haldeman to facilitate a meeting with an unidentified individual, likely Senator Saxbe, to address these ongoing political disputes.

Audio

Download MP3 · 12.3 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Bob, what is, I think there's something, a rose garden at noon going, apparently.

Whose room is this?

I see nothing.

They think they're all right.

Not a bunch of nuts.

We'll give them a little gift then.

We'll give them a gift then.

Let's give them all of it.

Clips there to see if there's any of that.

Okay.

Well, that's fine.

How about the, uh, the, uh, the Lasker thing?

That's our, what harder words to answer, I think, is the law.

I invited Conley to come over.

I thought it would be, I just didn't think that she was good to go with.

I don't want to invite other judges, but Conley is, I want to keep her here.

Levy?

Gus Levy.

Oh, of course.

He's good to him, but that's Levy's job.

Those are three good friends.

Yeah, that's right.

Okay, anything else?

You know, I was taking a trip with a neighbor this morning.

You know, we got to go to the next district.

You know, they're dirty something.

Now they all, there's a guy over in college, and some of all the counselors, you know, they're selling, saving money.

You know, of course that's true, but why did that kill them?

Do they have to say that?

You know, what are they trying to prove, man?

The lead is strong, I agree

The lead, and I hope all understand, but I think the lead, and that's because of George.

If we had had to agree to it, and I think you would have agreed to it, and I think you would have agreed to it, and I think you would have agreed to it, and I think you would have agreed to it, and I think you would have agreed to it, and I think you would have agreed to it, and I think you would have agreed to it, and I think you would have agreed to it, and I think you would have agreed to it,

I'm going to go to the editors.

You've got to have, I've heard several things that don't work out.

Not for me, but somebody else.

Well, maybe you see the light.

But I wanted to come in

Well, that's fine, Bob.

That's very much.

Oh, Bob.

Well, what's new in your life today?

The China story still bounces around pretty good, doesn't it?

Yeah.

If you've got a little time right now, are you free?

Fine.

That's very fine.

NARA Description

On April 16, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:58 am and 9:40 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 250-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 250-3

Date: April 16, 1971
Time: Unknown between 8:58 am and 9:40 am
Location: Executive Office Building

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

     President’s schedule
          -[Forthcoming greeting of Rio Grande City High School Student Council]
          -Rose Garden
          -Possible gifts
          -Meeting with Bernard J. (“Bunny”) Lasker, John B. Connally, Gustave L. Levy, and
                Albert H. Gordon
          -Picture

     Newspaper story
         -[Commerce Department study on consumer buying]
         -Connally
         -George P. Shultz
         -Unknown assistant Secretary of Commerce
               -Maurice H. Stans
         -Paul W. McCracken
         -Editors
         -George S. McGovern and Norris Cotton
               -Dispute about Vietnam War
         -William B. Saxbe
               -Letter to Saxbe’s son

     Instructions for Haldeman to set up a meeting with an unknown man [Saxbe?]

     People’s Republic of China [PRC] story

     Haldeman’s schedule

Also recorded on April 16, 1971

250-001 8:58 AM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:58 am and 9:40 am.
250-002 8:58 AM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:58 am and 9:40 am.
250-004 8:58 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:58 am and 9:40 am.
250-005 9:40 AM · 48 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:40 am to 10:30 am.
042-053 10:30 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:30 am and 11:06 am.
250-006 10:30 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:30 am and 11:06 am.
042-054 11:06 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 11:06 am to 11:12 am.
250-007 11:06 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 11:06 am to 11:12 am.

All 51 conversations from April 16, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 250-003, April 16, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/250-003 (accessed October 3, 2026).