Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 281 › Conversation 281-009

Nixon & Mitchell on Personnel appointments and Political strategy

Thursday, October 21, 1971 · 9:45 AM–9:51 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Mitchell, John N.Conversation281-009 on Tape 281 (tape position 00:44:20–00:50:21)StartThursday, October 21, 1971 at 9:45 AMEndThursday, October 21, 1971 at 9:51 AMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 281-009 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and John Mitchell conferred to coordinate strategy regarding upcoming personnel appointments and communications with key political figures, including Robert Byrd and John Connally. The discussion focused on managing the public rollout of these nominations and ensuring staff discretion to avoid premature leaks. Nixon emphasized the necessity of finalizing these details promptly to maintain control over the political narrative.

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Position in tape: 00:44:20 – 00:50:21

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Yacht.
Yacht.
Yacht.
Hello.
Yacht.
Hello, Yacht.
Where did you see him?
He wasn't too enthusiastic, was he?
Yeah.
Now, incidentally, for your information, I have held this, and incidentally, I haven't told anybody, incidentally, except anybody, believe me, except Mullen.
I haven't told Mullen or anybody else about what we were doing.
Sapphire, personally, I'm moving on, and I'm going to do it myself.
I'm writing to myself right now.
And so I'm not going to have any writers, except myself.
And, uh...
That's that, and I think that's a good thing.
I didn't intend to do this, but, you know, the secretary doesn't know.
I just sort of play it loose.
That's just how it is.
I don't mind playing the shmike bar and stuff.
Okay?
Now, what I do think, though, I've told them that at 6.30, when they get together, the White House people would have to inform senators and congressmen and the entities around the country and so forth and so on, just like we've done on China and Russia, inform them and have them start making calls.
Now, in your case, of course, you should have the responsibility to do the private and to do the will, correct?
And you should take that, and you should get the responsibility to do these things.
Excellent.
and get him lined up.
And I would think the two Virginia Centres, both of them.
And could I suggest Bob Bird, if you want to do that?
Or should you?
I think you should.
I'd have...
Nick Moore, I know, Nick Moore, talked to him all the way down there.
Nick would just say, Connelly's out of town.
He has talked to Connelly and said he doesn't want him anywhere.
And said we appreciate your support of what we're doing.
He should call me on 630 so we can bother him and get him a lot of stuff.
Okay.
Right, right.
And I just feel that this is so important that I write it myself.
I've asked for 125 words maximum on each man that I can use in my brief remarks.
That's enough, you know.
And I just want to say how mainly the whole line is going to be excellence.
Excellence and character and that sort of thing.
And that's the best I can do.
And now we'll break up.
Well, I'm not even going to mention the bomb.
I'm not going to mention it either way.
But on the other hand, through the day, Zegers will get hit on it.
And he's simply going to say, well, the president, the bar is on him.
The people of power are going to give him their advice.
But next week, the president will make his appointment on his own.
That's all right.
In the meantime, I understand the woman's story is leaked.
Right.
Right.
Now, on that, the only thing that hasn't leaked in the woman's story is that it was squarely effective.
It was in the bar.
It was settled.
There were 11 that they knew of no woman that was qualified.
Did we do that?
I want that out, but more of that has to get out today, given the staff that are here today.
Okay?
But I'm not in the column, but I want to hit that hard.
Right?
I would call to our skin warriors, we all should say, we just have appreciated you nervously, what they have done, and what the president has done now.
He just said that we just can't submit these people to them and have them beaten down for non-legal reasons.
But that he has selected two men that he knows the bar, without even asking, will get well qualified from the bar in both cases.
And they tell him what it is.
Fair enough.
But don't tell either, don't particularly don't tell Walsh.
I don't go to Walsh, but don't tell him a 4640 or something.
The reason being is that they have staff, and they may tell them the staff will leave.
So they've got these Jews that worked, Walsh hasn't worked for them.
And they'll leave, the Jews leave, you know that.
Okay.
Yeah.
I'm very pleased that you told that question.
Please, Craig, you'll probably drop his teeth.
I don't want to see him.
I think it's not a, I don't think it should.
And I haven't seen Powell, I would know if I saw him.
I mean, at that point, I don't know.
And I think, really, it's a good move for him, but I'm not going to set up a goddamn block song.
Quite the truth.
You say that the, that Powell made a speech against Martin Luther King, and so he didn't find his reference back.
What kind of speech?
Was it two?
Was it a rabbit?
That's all right.
That's a legitimate thing.
I've said many of the same things.
Well, I think it's been a fine job.
You and more work down there if you want.
Okay?

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 9:45 am to 9:51 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 281-009 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 281-9

Date: October 21, 1971
Time: 9:45 am - 9:51 am
Location: Executive Office Building

John N. Mitchell talked with the President.

[See Conversation No. 12-30]

Also recorded on October 21, 1971

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 281-010 9:51 AM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:51 am and 10:06 am.
  • 281-011 9:51 AM · 35 sec — 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 9:51 am and 10:06 am.
  • 281-012 9:51 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:51 am and 10:06 am.

All 107 conversations from October 21, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 281-009, 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/281-009 (accessed October 12, 2026).