Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 262 › Conversation 262-008

Nixon & Haldeman on John B. Connally and Personnel management

Monday, July 19, 1971 · 5:05 PM–5:10 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation262-008 on Tape 262 (tape position 03:45:52–03:49:36)StartMonday, July 19, 1971 at 5:05 PMEndMonday, July 19, 1971 at 5:10 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 262-008 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met to discuss personnel issues related to Treasury Secretary John B. Connally, specifically regarding staffing disputes and office appointments. They addressed Connally’s frustration over the hiring process for a secretarial position and the perceived interference of Charls E. Walker. The conversation reinforced Haldeman’s role in managing White House personnel matters and ensuring that administration staff remained aligned with the President's objectives.

Audio

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I had a good problem with the man.

I don't know.

What I meant is he didn't want to be sure.

What I told him, no, no, no, what I told him, what I said, he said that I, that he said that he cared at all.

And I said, Don, I said, we've got a major problem.

Is it that way?

He has total confidence in us.

And total confidence in you.

Peterson, thanks for getting him all over the place.

So I just said, Donald, these things didn't happen.

I said, as far as the woman concerned, I said, I don't know.

You bring her back if you want her.

You bring her in if you don't have her.

And I think he just got the answer.

And he knows, yes, as I said, he just hasn't complained at all about it.

He didn't.

I think he just doesn't feel it.

He shouldn't.

Yeah, he shouldn't.

And I think that the other one, he says it.

It may be that all the woman, but twice that's where he says that actually he was told she was appointed before he saw Charlie Walker.

Well, you see, there's Charlie Walker lying down the seat.

And Walker may be the snake that was found here, too.

Well, anyway, I worked on some of those things.

Huh?

Yep, that's what I meant.

I did.

I told you to do it.

I said, next time I hope it doesn't work.

I don't know why it wouldn't work.

Disappointing.

Now the only thing that I would say is that sometimes you want to get saved.

I don't want people to think that they need, for example, that you want a person to be in your life and you'll be in your life now.

NARA Description

On July 19, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:05 pm and 5:10 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 262-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 262-8

Date: July 19, 1971
Time: Unknown between 5:05 pm and 5:10 pm
Location: Old Executive Office Building

The President talked with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

     The President's meeting with John B. Connally
          -Personnel
               -Connally's effort to hire woman for secretarial post
               -Peter O'Donnell
               -Connally's relations with John D. Ehrlichman, Haldeman, Peter G. Peterson
               -Effort to hire woman
                      -Charls E. Walker
          -Handling of personnel matters through the White House

                -Haldeman's role

Also recorded on July 19, 1971

262-001 1:26 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:26 pm and 3:00 pm.
262-002 1:26 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:26 pm and 3:00 pm.
262-003 1:26 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:26 pm and 3:00 pm.
262-004 1:26 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:26 pm and 3:00 pm.
262-005 3:00 PM · 2 hr 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John B. Connally, unknown person(s), and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:00 pm to 5:05 pm.
262-006 5:05 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:05 pm and 5:10 pm.
262-007 5:05 PM · 2 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 5:05 pm and 5:10 pm.
262-009 5:10 PM · 24 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:10 pm to 5:35 pm.

All 26 conversations from July 19, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 262-008, July 19, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/262-008 (accessed October 11, 2026).