Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 261 › Conversation 261-008
Nixon & Mitchell on White House security and Public relations
Tuesday, June 15, 1971 · 6:35 PM–6:38 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 1 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Attorney General John Mitchell discuss strategies to manipulate public perception regarding a security breach, specifically emphasizing the need to manufacture a narrative that links the incident to a church. The participants focus on orchestrating a leak or public disclosure to discredit their opponents rather than merely pursuing a standard legal or technical investigation. Nixon commends Mitchell’s tactical approach, signaling approval for these deceptive information operations.
Audio
This clip was extracted from the full tape recording by Easy Nixon.
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Position in tape: 00:08:24 – 00:09:26
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On June 15, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:35 pm to 6:38 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 261-008 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 261-8 Date: June 15, 1971 Time: 6:35 pm - 6:38 pm Location: Executive Office Building The President talked with John N. Mitchell [See Conversation No. 5-86]
Also recorded on June 15, 1971
- 005-083 6:29 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 6:29 pm.
- 005-084 6:29 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:29 pm and 6:34 pm.
- 005-085 6:34 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 6:34 pm.
- 261-007 6:34 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 6:34 pm.
- 005-086 6:35 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell talked on the telephone from 6:35 pm to 6:38 pm.
- 005-087 6:38 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:38 pm and 6:44 pm.
- 005-088 6:38 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:38 pm and 6:44 pm.
- 261-009 6:38 PM · 16 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 6:38 pm and 6:44 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 261-008, June 15, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/261-008 (accessed October 5, 2026).