Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 281 › Conversation 281-007

Nixon & Mitchell on White House Tapes and Records Management

Thursday, October 21, 1971 · 9:33 AM–9:39 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Mitchell, John N.Conversation281-007 on Tape 281 (tape position 00:36:06–00:39:42)StartThursday, October 21, 1971 at 9:33 AMEndThursday, October 21, 1971 at 9:39 AMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 281-007 ↗

AI Summary

President Richard M. Nixon and Attorney General John N. Mitchell engaged in a brief meeting to discuss the status and management of specific White House recordings. The conversation primarily concerns the importance of securing and reviewing these records to determine their potential implications or utility. No definitive administrative action was finalized during this brief exchange.

Audio

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Position in tape: 00:36:06 – 00:39:42

281a.mp3
281b.mp3
281c.mp3

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
It does not require consent of the boss.
Got that, folks?
Just put it down.
All right, fine.
Hello?
Yeah.
Hello?
You work it out?
He wants to go now, huh?
God damn it, you couldn't talk him out of it, huh?
If you've got anything, this will decide me a lot.
What was his record in law school and so forth?
I need to know.
I need to know.
I mean, I want to know whether he's helping you, whether he's just a playboy or something like that.
I'm prepared to correct my remarks, but I'll follow up around that.
These are guys that are qualified, you see.
No, you think we are in a position of telling them, no, no, no.
We'll just deal with them in a little bit.
The consideration should be great.
How are your perceptions?
Maybe we should have done that.
Yeah, and I thought about it, and I thought overnight, too, about it, and I just think we should look at the consideration suggestions that way.
If he wants to go at a later time, I'd replace him with the old one.
Put it that way, too.
Yeah, all right, fine.
Call me right back.
I need to know what his lawsuit record was.
No, I want the option open until I see what kind of a record it is.
He had an outstanding record, so that I can say that it's bein' powerful that I've done any records before him.
But if it's a jackass record, then I really think I'm gonna knock, I'm gonna close the option and go the other way.
I have a feeling it oughta go the other way.
That's just my, my gut reaction.
What do you think?
On the one side, you've got two Southerners, which is not good.
On the other side, you've got a man who's unknown, but with a hell of a record.
You can't get, the unknown thing with Rehnquist is gonna really not wash with it.
He was high in his class.
Was he first or second or something like that?
Do you think he was first?
Hell of a thing.
Five-eight cap, first in his class.
law clerks, one of the great judges of this century, practiced law as a lawyer, lawyer, and so forth.
I really think we ought to go that way.
I think you ought to say, Howard, on the view of the fact that you penciled that, but also, frankly, the President really feels that you're political, that you raise our questions.
And the place will be open for you later if you want it.
Because I'd love to meet you, Sutherland.
There's all that court arguments, you know.
And maybe you'll want to give another crack at the leadership and so forth.
We don't have any questions in the Senate.
Okay?
Turn him off.
I'll take breakfast.
Yeah.

NARA Description

On October 21, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:33 am to 9:39 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 281-007 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 281-7

Date: October 21, 1971
Time: 9:33 - 9:39 am
Location: Executive Office Building

John N. Mitchell talked with the President.

[See Conversation No. 12-28]

Also recorded on October 21, 1971

  • 012-027 9:33 AM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:33 am.
  • 012-028 9:33 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell talked on the telephone from 9:33 am to 9:39 am.
  • 281-008 9:39 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:39 am and 9:45 am.
  • 012-029 9:45 AM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:45 am.
  • 012-030 9:45 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell talked on the telephone from 9:45 am to 9:51 am.
  • 281-009 9:45 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:45 am to 9:51 am.
  • 012-031 9:51 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:51 am and 10:51 am.
  • 012-032 9:51 AM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:51 am and 10:51 am.

All 107 conversations from October 21, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 281-007, October 21, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/281-007 (accessed October 12, 2026).