Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 255 › Conversation 255-038
Nixon, Haldeman & Ziegler on 1972 presidential campaign and Political strategy
Wednesday, June 9, 1971 · 2:53 PM–4:35 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 47 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman engaged in an extensive series of consultations regarding the 1972 presidential campaign, administrative scheduling, and foreign policy strategy. The participants discussed political intelligence, potential staff appointments, and the necessity of managing press relations, particularly concerning leaks and the administration's public image. Additionally, they reviewed travel plans for international summits and assessed the timing of significant announcements in relation to the domestic political calendar.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 37 minutes of this recording (about 80% 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.
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NARA Description
On June 9, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), Ronald L. Ziegler, Manolo Sanchez, Alexander P. Butterfield, White House operator, and George P. Shultz met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:53 pm to 4:35 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 255-038 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 255-38
Date: June 9, 1971
Time: 2:53 pm - 4:35 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
Schedule
An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 2:53 pm
Delivery
The unknown person left at an unknown time before 4:35 pm
******************************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 02/16/2018.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[255-038-w008]
[Duration: 2m 46s]
Ronald W. Reagan's letter regarding Young Americans for Freedom [YAF]
-Vietnam
-Support
-Cold War
-Barry M. Goldwater
-Congress
-Sabotage
-California delegation; 1972 Convention
-Opponents to administration
-Mass media; political forces
-The President’s opinion
Elliot Richardson
******************************************************************************
******************************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 02/16/2018.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[255-038-w001]
[Duration: 43s]
William F. Buckley, Jr.
-Patrick Buchanan's report of conversation
-Spiro T. Agnew
******************************************************************************
Ronald W. Reagan
[Ronald L. Ziegler talked with the President between 3:07 pm and 3:09 pm]
[Conversation No. 255-38A]
[See Conversation No. 4-96]
[End of telephone conversation]
News summary
-John A. Scali
-Leak of information
-American Broadcasting Company [ABC]
Commendations
-Letters
-Certificates
-Jeb Stuart Magruder
-Lyndon K. (“Mort”) Allin
-President’s previous meeting with police chiefs
[Ziegler talked with the President between 3:13 pm and 3:14 pm]
[Conversation No. 255-38B]
[See Conversation No. 4-97]
[End of telephone conversation]
Melvin R. Laird
-Source of news leak
-Howard K. Smith
Commendations
-Presidential Citizens Medal
******************************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 02/16/2018.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[255-038-w003]
[Duration: 2m 8s]
1972 campaign
-Charles W. Colson
-Robert H. Finch
-Timing
-General election
-Intelligence
-Polls
-George C. Wallace
-Hubert H. Humphrey
-Border states
-Pennsylvania
-Robert H. Finch
-The President’s opinion
-Rose Mary Woods
-Financial difficulties
-Jack Drown
******************************************************************************
Robert [Surname unknown]
-Appointment to Federal Communications Commission [FCC]
Peter G. Peterson
John B. Connally
-President’s previous conversation
-Hubert H. Humphrey’s [?] presentation, June 8
Proposed trip to California
Charles W. Colson
Unknown person in Ziegler’s office
-Work with press corps
-Press corps
Letter writing campaign by Cabinet officers to press
-Allin
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Donald H. Rumsfeld
-Bryce N. Harlow
-Lyndon B. Johnson
President’s schedule
-Young Republicans
-Annual leadership conference
-Proposed meeting with President
-18-year-old vote
-State Department
-Reception for Washington press corps retirees
-William P. Rogers
-Scali
-John M. Hightower
-[Forename unintelligible] Roberts
-Paul W. Ward
-Hightower
Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 3:14 pm
[Unintelligible]
Sanchez left at an unknown time before 3:50 pm
-Directors of the National Association of Broadcasters meeting
-Presentation to President of book
-White House reception
-Forthcoming press conference
-George Putnam
-Paul Harvey
-Briefing for the American Society of the Association Executives
-George W. Romney
-Rumsfeld
-Connally
-Proposed meeting with the President
-Proposed meeting with unknown organization
-Timing of meeting
******************************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 02/16/2018.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[255-038-w004]
[Duration: 46s]
1972 campaign
-State-by-state
-The Committee to Re-elect the President [CRP]
-Timing
-October
******************************************************************************
The President’s schedule
-Vietnam announcement
-Forthcoming summit
-Soviet Union
-People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Vietnam negotiations
-Xuan Thuy
Alexander P. Butterfield entered at 3:50 pm
President’s schedule
Butterfield left at 3:51 pm
******************************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 02/16/2018.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[255-038-w006]
[Duration: 2m 4s]
1972 campaign
-State lists
-New Jersey
-New England
-Maine
-Vermont
-New Hampshire
-Massachusetts
-Connecticut
-New York
-[First name unknown] Mahoney
-State negotiations
-Wives
-Charles W. Colson
-Vincent T. (“Vince”) Lombardi
-Marie Lombardi
-Democrat
-Contributions
******************************************************************************
1972 campaign
-John A. (“Jack”) Mulcahy
-Forthcoming sale of Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo’s house in Key Biscayne
-John N. Mitchell
-Rental of house to administration officials
-Presidential residence at Camp David
-Termites
-Repairs
-Lack of facility for support staff
Economics and government spending
-Rogers
-State Department reception rooms
-New office buildings for House and Senate
-Unknown committee
Unknown person discussed [Robert H. Finch?]
-Counselor to the President
-”Free agent”
-Harlow
[The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 3:51 pm and
4:04 pm]
[Conversation No. 255-38E]
[See Conversation No. 4-98]
[End of telephone conversation]
-Finch
-Nelson A. Rockefeller
-Rumsfeld
[George P. Shultz talked with the President between 4:04 pm and 4:17 pm]
[Conversation No. 255-38C]
[See Conversation No. 4-99]
[End of telephone conversation]
Conversation with Shultz
President’s schedule
-Forthcoming meeting with Quadriad
-Budget meeting
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Connally
-Forthcoming trip to Rochester, New York
-Wednesday’s schedule
Foreign policy
-President’s schedule
-State visits
-Value
-Timing
******************************************************************************
[Previous National Security (B) withdrawal reviewed under MDR guidelines case number
LPRN-T-MDR-2014-008. Segment declassified on 01/12/2018. Archivist: AY]
[National Security]
[255-038-w007]
[Duration: 1m 10s]
Foreign policy
-Foreign travel
-Canada
-Pierre E. Trudeau
-The President’s opinion
-Mexico
******************************************************************************
Foreign policy
-Foreign travel
-Europe
-Moscow
-PRC
-Possible meeting with Europeans
-Camp David
-State dinners
-Scheduling
******************************************************************************
[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 02/20/2018.]
[Unintelligible]
[255-038-w001]
[Duration: 20s]
Foreign policy
-Foreign travel
-The President’s schedule
-Timing
******************************************************************************
Foreign policy
-Foreign travel
-Haile Selassie
-Value
-Photographic value of foreign travel
-Peking
-Moscow
Trip to Moscow
-Timing
-Democrat Convention (1972)
-Possibility of a Democratic candidate visit
President’s schedule
-Transition period
-Timing
-Public awareness
-Possible General Alexander M. Haig, Jr. announcement
[The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 4:17 pm and
4:38 pm]
[Conversation No. 255-38D]
[Unintelligible]
[End of telephone conversation]
Peterson [?]
Haldeman left at 4:35 pmAlso recorded on June 9, 1971
- 004-092 1:32 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:32 pm and 2:53 pm.
- 004-094 2:52 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 2:52 pm to 2:55 pm.
- 255-037 2:53 PM · 32 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:53 pm to 2:55 pm.
- 004-095 2:55 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:55 pm and 3:07 pm.
- 004-096 3:07 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 3:07 pm to 3:09 pm.
- 004-097 3:13 PM · 31 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 3:13 pm to 3:14 pm.
- 004-098 3:51 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:51 pm and 4:04 pm.
- 004-099 4:04 PM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz talked on the telephone from 4:04 pm to 4:17 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 255-038, June 9, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/255-038 (accessed September 27, 2026).