Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 251 › Conversation 251-027
Nixon & Haldeman on Personnel management and Vietnam War
Thursday, April 29, 1971 · 10:24 AM–10:48 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 10 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman met to discuss a range of administrative and political concerns, including personnel vetting for appointments and the management of media relations. They touched upon strategic matters regarding Vietnam withdrawal rates and the handling of anti-war protests and civil unrest. Additionally, they analyzed the importance of economic psychology, focusing on how stock market performance influences consumer confidence and investment behavior.
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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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Well, the way I would do things,
ever compared in talking.
The way I look at it, I say, now, let's figure out what we'll regret if she's the first one to mind.
If she's the first one to mind, I'll say it.
If she's the first one to mind, I'll say it.
He tries to go into the whole background.
He graduated from Stanford, California, law school.
That's all interesting.
How was it all that?
That's interesting.
You know, in the one minute that that press will hear me, I've got to have something that will grab them.
But it's all right.
It's all right.
They do the best they can.
I know what happened to them.
They had kids.
All their staffs are all too big.
About 18 little boys and girls working up these things.
The problem you really got is what you've got here is the payment compared by now.
I'm just concerned with the personnel, not with the...
I don't care about the personnel.
Not what they... Another one I'm concerned about...
She's got her law school work coming in early.
Coming in early.
The left wing out there is law firm.
Anybody that will left in that firm is out.
If you watch the southeast danger they have, it's a bad one.
It's a bad one.
Did we ever get rid of her?
No.
No.
No.
No.
Stretching.
If the division strength varies, it's less scallops.
There is a problem over getting in something you can't support in anything.
You know, it sounds good at Scallion, as it looks, because it's, I guess, check the back figures.
In fact, the Marine Division is 18,000.
Marine Divisions are 16,000.
14,200.
Now, there's a difference between that and 16,000.
One division a day, by the end of November, there's more divisions.
Tomorrow, I'm not asking, what I'm asking, what I want to talk to you about is today.
I read this column, again, it's looked in there, by Smith Hemsworth.
The administration will fall into the other caravan.
College presidents, that's what I'm concerned about.
They're all good people and also not enforcing the law.
That's my problem with RCIC.
You don't think we have that problem, do you?
The arrest yesterday showed we're enforcing the law.
The arrest on Monday.
I'm not backing down on anything.
Certainly not doing any antagonizing.
It's kind of gone last week.
That was...
Now, one thing is saying we expect to be violent.
I don't think we should say that.
So, seeing that if there is violence, then we look foolish.
And if there is, we're charging a full name.
The thing to do is wait.
If there is violence, then we can play that count on it.
They look at the staff and all that they want.
The function is
I'm inclined not to change the style at all.
I mean, you haven't done what some people have and what others have done, which is to say they're wonderful people, or I think it would be great if so many of us could play or do that crap, but you've got to do that.
That's not going to be said in anything you do.
So I anticipate trouble just picking beyond the demonstration.
Well, actually, as I did more of the other conditions this time instead, there's no kind of a question there.
We always have that.
And I'm sure the price is going to be more balanced than the one that I was using.
In my case, it was a soft hypocrite who told me, I don't believe it.
You can't do that, can you?
Well, then, if you can, I'm suggesting you don't.
I'm not going to do it.
I'm going to do it.
I'm going to do it.
I understand.
It's very hard work.
That's why he's gotten as far as he has.
He hasn't quit at all.
He doesn't really, you know, I mean, he's just a guy that picks things up in a hell of a hurry.
And, you know, the great deal, though, is that it shows why it's pretty hard to send Jeff off to the bar or something like that.
You know, they do good will, but he couldn't make it.
Yeah, well, then that's what it's supposed to be doing.
You know, business and trade and so forth, so...
That's right.
Why don't they stay with what was television, energy, TV, and Q&A?
I told them they were going to be good.
I think you should say it's fine.
We were talking about the whole thing.
It came out, and it was an answer to their question.
So he didn't raise the time.
The guy raised it and said, what about it?
I'll tell it, and you can try my luck for him to have the people of the state on my line.
I'll tell it, and you can try my luck for him to have the people of the state
You don't need to push very much now anyway.
My feeling is that the confidence factor was a good reason to push earlier.
Do you think so?
No.
and you got this leading indicator story which is
The portfolios of corporations, the portfolios of individuals, people think he's a million-dollar richer than he was, or a thousand-dollar richer, or $50,000 richer, or $25,000 richer.
When he'd go out and buy a house, he wasn't going to do it.
He'd get the car, or he'd borrow the car.
He didn't even make commitments.
Isn't that true?
When it was going down, I think, my God, I'm losing everything I have.
That's right.
But don't you think that's the truly true of the game?
It's that psychology that I think is so terribly important.
They use themselves to plunge into companies, and all the rest of the whole business.
That's why the stock market does sometimes, it isn't only just a cynical reading of the future, it also pulls the future.
So it's got a long ways, it's got a long ways potentially to go.
You've got all the small investors, private investors yet to come in.
You've got to buy mutual funds, and mutual funds get more money the faster a lot of them are in.
Okay, where's Agnew?
He was here.
I'm not sure.
He's in good shape?
I think so.
NARA Description
On April 29, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:24 am to 10:48 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 251-027 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 251-27
Date: April 29, 1971
Time: 10:24 am - 10:48 am
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
Jayne B. Spain
-Civil Service Commission
-Public relations impact
-Background
-Education
-President’s press conference
Personnel
-Frederic V. Malek
Unknown appointee [Vicki L. Keller?]
-Covington and Burling
Unknown woman
[The President tried to make a telephone call; the call was incomplete]
Vietnam
-Withdrawal rate
-Division size
-1st Marine Division
-John A. Scali
-Division size
-Withdrawal rate
[A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared under court order from
December 1978 through March 1979 for Special Access [SA] 8, Ronald V. Dellums, et al. v.
James M. Powell, et al., No. 71-2271. The National Archives and Records Administration
produced this transcript. The National Archives does not guarantee its accuracy.]
[End of transcript]
Patrick J. Buchanan
-Suggestion for President
-Response to critics
Cabinet officers’ statements
-Maurice H. Stans
-William P. Rogers
-Television interview
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-State Department
-President’s instructions to Haldeman
-Rogers
-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
Economic indicators
-Confidence factor
-Stock market
-Consumer spending
-Investment psychology
-Stock market
-Small investors
-Mutual funds
Agnew
-Location
Haldeman left at 10:48 amAlso recorded on April 29, 1971
- 251-023 9:50 AM · 25 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:50 am and 10:24 am.
- 042-078 10:48 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:48 am and 11:08 am.
- 042-079 10:48 AM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:48 am and 11:08 am.
- 042-106 10:48 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:48 am and 11:08 am.
- 251-028 10:48 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:48 am and 11:08 am.
- 251-029 10:48 AM · 8 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 10:48 am and 11:08 am.
- 251-030 10:48 AM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:48 am and 11:08 am.
- 251-031 10:48 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:48 am and 11:08 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 251-027, April 29, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/251-027 (accessed October 3, 2026).