Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 278 › Conversation 278-010

Nixon & Haldeman on Robert T. Monagan and Personnel recruitment

Thursday, September 9, 1971 · 1:52 PM–1:58 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation278-010 on Tape 278 (tape position 00:13:34–00:14:43)StartThursday, September 9, 1971 at 1:52 PMEndThursday, September 9, 1971 at 1:58 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 278-010 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman discussed the political recruitment of Robert T. Monagan to the administration following a positive assessment from Robert H. Finch. The President expressed strong support for Monagan's abilities and his potential to work effectively with Ronald Reagan, instructing Haldeman to coordinate with Attorney General John N. Mitchell to finalize the appointment. Additionally, the pair touched upon a recent phone call involving Clark MacGregor.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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You couldn't get it by yourself?
Of course, yeah.
Yeah, I talked to Ben and tried to talk to him.
His idea of Monaghan, I think, is excellent.
Monaghan, I like him.
He's always been a very good man.
He's got a tremendous public interest.
He'd be a great asset in the next generation.
He gets along with Rick, and he's sophisticated, and you just tell Mitchell, I want mine, and then let's do it that way.
Okay?
Good.
Yeah.
Okay, fine.
I got it.
Okay.

NARA Description

On September 9, 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 1:52 pm and 1:58 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 278-010 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 278-10

Date: September 9, 1971
Time: Unknown between 1:52 pm and 1:58 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

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

     Conversation with Robert H. Finch
         -Finch's view of the President's speech
         -Robert T. Monagan
               -Abilities
               -Ronald W. Reagan
               -Recruitment to administration
                     -John N. Mitchell

     Unknown person
         -Call from Clark MacGregor

Also recorded on September 9, 1971

  • 008-068 1:39 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:39 pm and 1:48 pm.
  • 278-007 1:39 PM · 21 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 1:39 pm and 1:48 pm.
  • 008-069 1:48 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Robert H. Finch talked on the telephone from 1:48 pm to 1:52 pm.
  • 278-009 1:48 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Robert H. Finch met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:48 pm to 1:52 pm.
  • 008-070 1:58 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 1:58 pm to 2:03 pm.
  • 278-011 1:58 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:58 pm and 2:03 pm.
  • 008-071 2:03 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:03 pm and 2:05 pm.
  • 278-012 2:03 PM · 9 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 2:03 pm and 2:05 pm.

All 58 conversations from September 9, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 278-010, September 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/278-010 (accessed October 10, 2026).