Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 282 › Conversation 282-042
Nixon & Mitchell on Political appointments and Information leaks
Wednesday, October 20, 1971 · 6:11 PM–6:17 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 3 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and John Mitchell discuss political messaging and strategic communications regarding upcoming remarks, specifically concerning the vetting or qualification of a female appointee. The conversation reflects concerns over potential information leaks and the potential political fallout from public statements. The two agree on the need for caution, ultimately deciding to hold off on addressing certain controversial topics until the following morning.
Audio
NARA Description
On October 20, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:11 pm and 6:17 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 282-042 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 282-42 Date: October 20, 1971 Time: 6:17 pm - 6:21 pm Location: Executive Office Building The President talked with John N. Mitchell. [See Conversation No. 12-25]
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data
Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Each line starts with a timestamp button; press it to play the audio from that point.
Also recorded on October 20, 1971
- 012-022 6:09 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:09 pm and 6:10 pm.
- 282-037 6:09 PM · 50 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:09 pm to 6:10 pm.
- 012-023 6:10 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. talked on the telephone from 6:10 pm to 6:11 pm.
- 282-038 6:10 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 6:10 pm.
- 282-039 6:10 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:10 pm to 6:11 pm.
- 012-024 6:11 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:11 pm and 6:17 pm.
- 282-040 6:11 PM · 59 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 6:11 pm and 6:17 pm.
- 282-041 6:11 PM · 8 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 6:11 pm and 6:17 pm.
Related conversations
- Nixon phone call with Haig on Watergate and Public relations strategy May 11, 1973 · 1 min
- Nixon & Sanchez on Public relations strategy and Kansas City visit July 1, 1971
- Nixon & Ziegler on Media relations and Governors' conference February 23, 1971 · 1 min
- Nixon & Haldeman on Media relations and Television production January 3, 1972 · 6 min
- Nixon & Kissinger on Media relations and Journalism February 26, 1971 · 1 min
- Nixon, Safire & Kissinger on Gross National Product and Economic policy May 12, 1971 · 4 min
Cite this conversation
Conversation 282-042, October 20, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417184909). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/282-042 (accessed November 12, 2026).