Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 278 › Conversation 278-064

Nixon & Haldeman on Congressional relations and Partisan politics

Thursday, September 16, 1971 · 11:50 AM–1:45 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 7 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation278-064 on Tape 278 (tape position 03:12:17–03:21:05)StartThursday, September 16, 1971 at 11:50 AMEndThursday, September 16, 1971 at 1:45 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 278-064 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman discussed strategies to implement an aggressive public relations campaign aimed at labeling Senate Democrats as obstructionists, particularly regarding the Vietnam War and national defense issues. Nixon directed Haldeman to coordinate with Charles Colson to develop a media plan utilizing columnists like Victor Lasky to counter Democratic opposition. While Nixon emphasized the need to maintain a level of separation from the direct political attacks, he pushed for the White House communications team to aggressively challenge Democratic legislative maneuvers.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 11% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 and Coulson could get each other a plan, an electronic plan, with regard to an immensely long-standing partisan obstructionist label on the Democrat Senate.
Now, I think that we, I don't know if we can ever realize it too much, but what we really see now is an assault on the floor.
And then I would take that quote, whatever it was, out of that leadership meeting and build on that and make them deny it.
And we was rehearsing that idea going on on the draft and how they were, how they were, you know, stopping us in Vietnam and so forth and so on.
But he doesn't realize it.
I mean, I got to stay somewhat above the battle.
But his view, of course, always takes the lead.
But on the other hand, we are one where we need an instructional label on some things, and particularly with regard to getting out of Vietnam.
Now, certainly, we've got enough bright people around this place, and we have a good PR program on that.
I did a sat-iron on that.
I did a Buchanan on that.
We've got, you know, the smart, tough, mean masters in, you know what I mean, the people who couldn't hold it.
I think this is the time to start really slaughtering this back-and-forth on this planet.
Particularly when they start planning the national defense.
They start saying, well, we've got to remember that other thing.
Don't you agree with me that that's an enormously vulnerable thing that's been done in the past years as the legislature says?
It's totally vulnerable.
The reason it's vulnerable is because of this fact.
who then would say, well, actually, get us out of the war.
And the question is, do our little boys know how important that is?
And they do, and they do it around the Republic.
So who's going on?
What do we have so far?
I mean, in case you come to me, I don't know.
I may have to do a little bit more on it myself.
I'm impressed with it.
But if it's being done in other areas, I want to stay a little further.
That's right.
Thank you.
I don't think anybody would go and meet him across the street, but anybody else is going to.
There is a report.
It is a report.
It's been circulated.
It's going to be reviewed.
It's going to be out.
It's going to be up.
That's it.
That's it.
We don't have any kind of .
Right.
I'm sure everyone has an option to do that.
I understand it's definitely that the time is such a poor time.
Definitely.
So I can always be there for you.
That would be a little more of a...
You see, the longer you go, the longer, the shorter the dead might start, and then D, there's no one else.
So D might just go up to the bottom of the court.
Yeah, so that I can go out there, and I'm going to start writing the war.
I'll just say that I'll have to start a quarrel by him on the doctor, because I remember the last time that he spoke to me before he came down here.
And I was just trying to get in there and start .
Anyway, there was some thinking about this problem, and I .
It was a problem with God that I just had to leave down the seat bottom on every goddamn day, you know.
And as far as the light went on the street, it was like, how the hell are we going to do this?
I had to go to the back of the president and step up and do something that he'd never done before.
I had to lay on the table and the goddamn thing was still up there.
I had to sit around it, you know.
I mean, I just decided to do it.
I just decided that I'm not going to kill it today.
You can close the table any time.
Any time.
OK.

NARA Description

On September 16, 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 11:50 am and 1:45 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 278-064 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 278-64

Date: September 16, 1971
Time: Unknown between 11:50 am and 1:45 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

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

    Congressional relations
        -Meeting with Charles W. Colson
              -Plan of action on obstructionist partisan label
                    -Senate Democrats
                          -Victor Lasky
                                -Column
                          -Handling
                                -Cabinet
                                -Leadership meeting
                                     -Quote
              -The President's role
                    -Henry A. Kissinger
                    -Draft
                    -Vietnam war
                    -House of Representatives
                          -Reaction of House members
                          -Quotes by members
                          -Obstructionism
                                -Draft
                                -Vietnam war
              -Public relations [PR] program in the White House
                    -William L. Safire
                    -Patrick J. Buchanan
                    -Colson
              -Vietnam war
                    -Michael J. Mansfield
                          -Report

    Press conference
          -Time
          -Location
          -Deadline

    Congressional relations

Also recorded on September 16, 1971

  • 009-041 11:50 AM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:50 am and 1:45 pm.
  • 278-058 11:50 AM · 33 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 11:50 am and 1:45 pm.
  • 278-059 11:50 AM · 7 min — 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 11:50 am and 1:45 pm.
  • 278-060 11:50 AM · 35 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 11:50 am and 1:45 pm.
  • 278-061 11:50 AM · 6 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 11:50 am and 1:45 pm.
  • 278-062 11:50 AM · 26 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 11:50 am and 1:45 pm.
  • 278-063 11:50 AM · 10 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 11:50 am and 1:45 pm.
  • 278-065 11:50 AM · 12 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 11:50 am and 1:45 pm.

All 52 conversations from September 16, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 278-064, September 16, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/278-064 (accessed October 12, 2026).