Conversation 263-001

TapeTape 263StartTuesday, July 20, 1971 at 1:31 PMEndTuesday, July 20, 1971 at 1:58 PMTape start time00:00:30Tape end time00:26:22ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Recording deviceOld Executive Office Building

On July 20, 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 1:31 pm and 1:58 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 263-001 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 263-1

Date: July 20, 1971
Time: Unknown between 1:31 pm and 1:58 pm
Location: Old Executive Office Building

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

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

The only interesting thing, I mentioned the standardization.
The language in the Secret Service is pretty good.
I had a copy of it the other day.
I really liked it.
It was very, very interesting.
I just found this very, very terrible thing.
Rice said, I said, so this is why the rice is going around.
The only Christ-sitting on the scene today is the one that's coming back over.
Well, I didn't know.
I'm not going to be out there waiting.
I'm going to be in the center of the state.
I'm going to be in the center of the state.
I'm going to be in the center of the state.
I'm going to be in the center of the state.
I'm going to be in the center of the state.
I don't think he has any questions about anybody.
I don't think he has any questions about anybody.
I don't think he has any questions about anybody.
We've got to get a job.
Some of them are younger, some are older.
Instead of having me having to take on the job, we're going to have Walt talking to a lot of these things.
He mentioned this to him as well, back in his third year.
He doesn't come in and produce.
In this day and age, you can imagine what happens when you've got it.
I didn't know.
I don't know how I'm going to reach a conclusion.
That's the right thing to do.
I want you to support the decision, so I mean, I don't want to overdo it.
I don't know.
Okay.
I've had a secretary.
I don't know what to say.
But you're taking a lot of me.
You know, I've been here a few times.
But you're taking a lot of me.
The D.K.I.
wasn't going to tell me that this is...
that's just the thing where you gotta configure the computer and that's like taking a large
What's he going to do up there?
He's going to try to get away.
He's going to try to get off.
What's he going to be able to do?
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
but I'll hand it to Mary.
I don't want Mary to say she'll have a lot of things to do on the air.
It's very great to talk to her, but I don't take care of this, you know.
I mean, it's, uh, it doesn't talk to me a lot.
He's being had by a bunch of other people.
There's a lot of people passing through here at the office.
That's a lot of people, sir.
The office is my house.
He doesn't take the camera with him.
He's got his own security council meeting.
I will not doubt you on a little while.
Maybe you can stay with me.
Rob, he probably likes something different with him instead of what he is meant to see.
If you were to put him in and do the sign of freedom, I'd say you'd go over to the, to the, we'll look at the point where I already told him.
get it up a little bit and we can come to the port and just give you a copy of the microphone.
That's one of those things once you get it, you don't want it to go off.
You don't want it to go off.
You don't care about that.
L.A. here
Trader, I'm truly out of here.
Trader really has got to be made aware of that.
Those of you who are not supposed to be here, you're probably in a hot session.
I don't know what I can say.
I don't know what I can say.
I don't know what to say.
I don't know what to say.
What did he say?
What did he say?
Well, I don't know.
Accomplishment or accomplishment?
I don't know.
No?
I'll get the marker right where I called you.
I can't tell you.
Hard work.
Fuck off.
Well, that satisfies the need to leave and get through.
They can go the same way as I do.
I'll just put them in position first.
We're stuck in the roundabout.
It's not a waste of heat.
I've never seen a parade that was as bad as that.
I don't know why I didn't watch it.
I don't know why I didn't recognize it all the time.
Ha, ha, ha, ha.
It's true.
Many things have been done in the first place.
We should apparently get a word from the government that this has been an appropriate recommendation, certainly.
And so, we want to report this recommendation to the union.
The union said the union is not being proud of the recommendations that they've made.
Although there's a lot of pressure going through this.
The cord makes your feet look like English walking, and he knows how to play it, but if I wasn't, then...
What about Davis?
Davis, you don't know?
No.
That's not very... That's very unneeded, isn't it?
No.
Except that there's no tradition in the Corot that everybody would be honest, and there's no presumption that Davis would go that far.
There's opposition until a decision's made.
Not opposition, just fighting for the job by the factors of various factions.
And then, once it's said,
They can talk to their brother-in-law and say, I don't know if I'm going to be able to do this today.
But I am going to tell them that I'm going to be able to do this tomorrow.
But I think it has to be a challenge.
If you do that, that'll smoke out any arguments with the NFL.
He's going to have to go with it.
Well, I mean, the factory testified.
Did he testify today?
No, he testified yesterday against the company.
He was against the big company.
The big company.
What company?
The big company.
In fact, it tried to send, curiously enough, he sent a written transcript of the testimony to the chairman ahead of going up there and then tried to get it back, then asked for it back and wanted to delete the part opposed to the other law.
And I had to give it back to him.
So he refused to read it, so I had to write it.
I don't...
I just thought that might be another thing to get kind of scared of.
I'll be talking about it with you if there's a problem.
He understands that kind of problem, and I'd like to try it.
John doesn't have any ideas what to analyze.
You asked him to check out the question piece.
He knows that you have been on an appointment with Vice President.
No.
You know I have a non-objective appointment with him.
I don't know whether he knows it or suspects it.
One or the other.
One thing John pointed out is... ...somebody in that meeting...
I'm really starting to hate the fact that this is presidential leadership.
I'm from China.
I don't care.
I don't care.
I don't care.
I don't care.
I don't care.
I don't care.
I don't care.
I don't care.
I don't care.
The common thing, if you work out, you have a couple of different things to do.
You have to help yourself.
You probably can still have one and a half of a shake.
The Democrats, especially the same people who get the problem with China and everything else, and you know that's a problem.
I don't think we need to worry about it.
I'm sure that they worry so much about it.
They're very strong.
Stay back in it.
Thank you, ma'am.
You're welcome.
I'm sorry about that.
I'm sorry about that.
I'm sorry about that.
Apparently, what he's doing on the trip, he's doing damn well.
He said he's made a little...
He has a big little father, and he has a little dad, and he's got... Yeah, I'm snagging him on the usual little things, you know, the advisor, the principal.
He is, he is, and I can't help it.
He's made a lot of...
I can't get out of it.
You don't know if you can get out of it instead of you don't know if you can get out of it.
Wow, that's very interesting.
Yeah, and it's, the fact that that's the worst thing we've criticized before, plus the, what the hell do you feel like?
Yes.
You know what I mean?
For a bastard to be able to never let it happen again.
I bet that's what happened.
He says, what did you read?
He says, did you notice, aren't those fine people that we met with in Indiana?
So I see, and all those people, and just you can't let the Blacks in our country.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You're a Black leader, and you're sold.
It's a country where you easily would make a country of, you know, when you're here, but it's made to your own staff or something.
That's fine.
You get that feeling after you talk to some of those educated, the open-to types, you know, who says that they're smart.
And proud.
Proud of us.
Have some dignity.
Remember our hand-crawled attitudes?
We aren't acting like that.
It's a religion.
Chip-up-the-shoulder attitudes.
But they've got a level of good reason.
They're the presidents and kings.
They were raised up in a different country.
They're proud.
I'll tell you...
I, frankly, I actually don't know if I believe it or not.
I don't know.
I don't believe it.
I don't know what you can say.
It's a political matter.
It's an affront to the whole American black community.
I don't know.
At the end of the day, it doesn't help with the rednecks.
Thanks Christ, they don't want any blood here, but yeah, there's blood.
See, that's the point.
It's very hard to get back to the scene, right?
Yeah.
The trouble is, I have got that heat.
I've been working on it for a long time.
I've been working on it for a long time.
I've been working on it for a long time.
I've been working on it for a long time.
I've been working on it for a long time.
I've been working on it for a long time.
I've been working on it for a long time.
I've been working on it for a long time.
I've been working on it for a long time.
I've been working on it for a long time.
I've been working on it for a long time.
I've been working on it for a long time.
It's like anything else.
You're going to get a few people mad.
in a hell of a lot of water.
There's no base to pass the polo by right now.
The best question is if it's done with the right timing and style and all that.
You have to be able to angle up to a high note someplace where you can come up.
I don't know what the issue is.
I don't know what the issue is.
And also we're going to be laying with the creature.
I mean, it's worth it.
We're going to be laying with the creature.
We're going to be laying with the creature.
Such a formidable man, for sure.
Oh, sorry.
Hey, what's been happening?
Look, I told you.
What?