Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 282 › Conversation 282-031
Nixon & Haldeman on Supreme Court and judicial nominations
Wednesday, October 20, 1971 · 5:40 PM–5:49 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 1 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman coordinate the final logistics for announcing two pending Supreme Court nominations. The President decides to bypass a full prime-time television address, opting instead for a 7:00 p.m. announcement the following evening. This decision finalized the timing for a sensitive political maneuver intended to manage the public reveal of his judicial selections.
- Supreme Court
- judicial nominations
- White House communications
- media strategy
- presidential appointments
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On October 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 5:40 pm and 5:49 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 282-031 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 282-31
Date: October 20, 1971
Time: Unknown between 5:40 pm and 5:49 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President talked with an unknown person [H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman].
Supreme Court appointments
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Timing of announcementAlso recorded on October 20, 1971
- 012-015 5:33 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell talked on the telephone from 5:33 pm to 5:40 pm.
- 282-030 5:33 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:33 pm to 5:40 pm.
- 012-016 5:40 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, unknown person(s), White House operator, and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:40 pm and 5:49 pm.
- 282-032 5:40 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Manolo Sanchez, White House operator, and John N. Mitchell met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:40 pm and 5:49 pm.
- 012-017 5:49 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell talked on the telephone from 5:49 pm to 5:50 pm.
- 012-018 5:50 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:50 pm and 6:05 pm.
- 282-033 5:53 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:53 pm to 6:05 pm.
- 282-034 5:53 PM · 13 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 5:53 pm and 6:05 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 282-031, October 20, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/282-031 (accessed September 28, 2026).