{"conversationCode":"253-031","tapeNumber":253,"conversationNumber":31,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-253-031","startDateTime":"1971-05-26T22:42:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1971-05-26T22:46:00.000Z","startDate":"26-May-1971","startTime":"6:42 PM","endDate":"26-May-1971","endTime":"6:46 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. (\"Bob\");","description":"On May 26, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. (\"Bob\") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:42 pm to 6:46 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 253-031 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"EOB","recordingDevice":"Old Executive Office Building","latitudeEstimated":38.897567,"longitudeEstimated":-77.039147,"chronCode":1,"chronRelease":"First Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"5-Oct-1999","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 253-31\n\nDate: May 26, 1971\nTime: 6:42 pm - 6:46 pm\nLocation: Executive Office Building\n\nThe President talked with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman\n\n[See Conversation No. 3-142]","filename":["253-031.mp3"],"tapeStart":"02:48:30","tapeEnd":"02:50:28","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Haldeman, H. R. (\"Bob\")"],"prevCode":"253-030","nextCode":"253-032","transcript":[{"start":1.95,"end":3.71,"text":"Oh, any late developments after I tell you today?"},{"start":3.73,"end":8.18,"text":"I understand I'm going to see Earthman tomorrow on drugs, which is good."},{"start":8.26,"end":13.16,"text":"But we had a very good meeting with Hoover and Earthman."},{"start":13.18,"end":21.62,"text":"Got a meeting planned for next week, and John's really running the ball, and I'll stick it to Mitchell, and that's that."},{"start":22.09,"end":28.91,"text":"He's going home."},{"start":32.99,"end":34.42,"text":"The market still dribbles off."},{"start":34.46,"end":35.92,"text":"What happened the other day?"},{"start":35.94,"end":40.02,"text":"Well, maybe it's reached the bottom."},{"start":40.04,"end":44.73,"text":"The trip, I think, has been quite good."},{"start":44.74,"end":47.87,"text":"I told Price the read that, listen, I didn't do those editors."},{"start":47.95,"end":53.93,"text":"We'll give a lot of these people a sense, you know, a lot of rambles and all that."},{"start":53.95,"end":57.28,"text":"It's a sense of respect to you, which they really need."},{"start":64.2,"end":64.31,"text":"Great."},{"start":64.33,"end":66.31,"text":"I have something to add."},{"start":66.33,"end":70.09,"text":"Colson's analysis about this in theory is what the hell's happening."},{"start":71.15,"end":77.37,"text":"He thinks that our strong stand on NATO, on the United People, that followed immediately by the Soviet thing."},{"start":77.39,"end":89.06,"text":"And while it may not have had public effect, he thinks it's had a massive effect on the senators who started to have prognosis, and they're just afraid we may have something on far-state and they don't want to be the wrong side."},{"start":89.83,"end":91.03,"text":"What do you think?"},{"start":91.05,"end":91.35,"text":"I don't know."},{"start":96.41,"end":98.8,"text":"I don't think we're right in putting the conference over now."},{"start":98.81,"end":100.1,"text":"You know, I think everybody's leaving."},{"start":100.2,"end":100.58,"text":"They're clashing."},{"start":100.94,"end":101.86,"text":"They're leaving."},{"start":102.78,"end":108.52,"text":"We wouldn't really hit them when they're listening, you know."},{"start":111.23,"end":113.61,"text":"This will not be normal, right?"},{"start":113.63,"end":113.71,"text":"Okay."},{"start":113.73,"end":113.81,"text":"Okay."},{"start":114.11,"end":114.75,"text":"Well, I'll see you tomorrow."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman discuss administrative updates, including a scheduled meeting with Congressman Glenn Earthman regarding drug policy and the progress of internal efforts involving J. Edgar Hoover and John Mitchell. They also evaluate the political impact of recent foreign policy stances on NATO and the Soviet Union, with Haldeman noting potential influence on congressional support. The conversation concludes with a brief assessment of current market trends and upcoming scheduling logistics.","topics":["Drug policy","Foreign policy","NATO","Soviet relations","Congressional relations","Administration management"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T11:55:42.832Z"},"topicSlugs":["drug-policy","foreign-policy","nato","soviet-relations","congressional-relations","administration-management"],"audioDurationSec":118,"audioFiles":[{"file":"253-031.mp3","bytes":4709018,"durationSec":117.59,"bitrate":320375,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:38.006Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/253-031.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/253-031","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/253/conversation-253-031","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}