Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 259
Nixon White House Tape 259 (June 28, 1971)
10 conversations · Old Executive Office Building · about 1 hr 23 min of released audio
Featuring Nixon, Woods, Butterfield, Kissinger, Sanchez
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss a sensitive special project intended to curb government leaks and centralize control over security clearances. Nixon instructs Kissinger to coordinate with General Alexander Haig to inventory individuals holding clearances and potentially revoke them, specifically excluding the State and Defense Departments from the deliberation process. The President emphasizes his intention to issue an immediate executive directive without consulting other agencies to ensure strict adherence to these new security protocols.
President Nixon met with his personal valet, Manolo Sanchez, in the Executive Office Building for a brief private discussion. Given the lack of a transcript and the short duration of the recorded segment, the specific subject matter remains confidential or personal in nature. No administrative actions or policy decisions were recorded as a result of this encounter.
President Nixon initiates a call to the White House operator to facilitate a connection with Steve Bowles. The interaction serves as a routine administrative request to place a telephone communication. No further substantive policy matters or political discussions were recorded in this brief exchange.
President Nixon directs his aide, Stephen B. Bull, to coordinate his personal schedule with the White House barber. The brief exchange concludes with instructions to delay the haircut until after the President finishes a meeting with Burns. This interaction reflects the routine logistical management of the President's daily agenda.
President Nixon consulted with the White House operator to facilitate a telephonic connection. This brief interaction served an administrative purpose to initiate communication with another party. No substantive policy matters or major political decisions were addressed during this short exchange.
President Nixon contacted his personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, to request her immediate presence at his Old Executive Office Building workspace. This brief administrative interaction served as a coordination effort for the President's logistical workflow. The primary action item was the relocation of Woods to the EOB to facilitate further office operations.
President Nixon and personal secretary Rose Mary Woods met to discuss various administrative and social matters, including guest lists for upcoming White House events and logistics for presidential appointments. The conversation also touched upon the development of communication strategies regarding the Vietnam War, specifically addressing how to explain the history of U.S. involvement to young people. Additionally, they reviewed reports on personnel matters and discussed the involvement of family members in public outreach efforts.
President Nixon initiated a brief communication with the White House operator from his office in the Old Executive Office Building. The interaction primarily functioned as a logistical request to facilitate a phone connection, though the specific details of the intended call remain unintelligible. No substantive policy or political decisions resulted from this brief administrative exchange.
President Nixon and Alexander Butterfield met to review administrative tasks and upcoming scheduling requirements. The discussion focused on the President's signature on sugar legislation, arrangements for a dinner honoring Winton M. Blount, and logistical preparations for a forthcoming presentation involving the press. Additionally, they addressed a request for a meeting regarding a personnel matter.
President Nixon, H.R. Haldeman, and Alexander Butterfield met to coordinate administrative logistics for upcoming White House social functions, including the planning of state dinners and the management of guest lists. The discussion addressed personnel roles regarding these events, specifically touching upon the involvement of Rose Mary Woods and Charles Colson. Additionally, the President reviewed his current schedule and discussed political reactions to staff appointments and potential public responses to the Supreme Court's pending decision on the Pentagon Papers.