Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 292 › Conversation 292-008

Nixon & Haldeman on Presidential approval ratings and Public opinion polling

Tuesday, October 19, 1971 · 2:53 PM–3:00 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation292-008 on Tape 292 (tape position 00:09:04–00:12:00)StartTuesday, October 19, 1971 at 2:53 PMEndTuesday, October 19, 1971 at 3:00 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 292-008 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman analyze recent presidential approval polling data from Louis Harris, George Gallup, and Albert Sindlinger to assess the political climate. They focus on the timing of survey methodologies, specifically noting that current Gallup figures were collected prior to the announcement of the upcoming Soviet Union summit. The discussion reflects a desire to understand the lag in public opinion trends and the influence of media coverage on presidential support ratings.

Audio

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Position in tape: 00:09:04 – 00:12:00

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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But anyway, it's going to be out of stock.
Which you would expect, Bob.
If Harris was $5,148, Gallup was going to be $3 or $4.
He should have been $3.5 million.
It does, haven't we known that?
Yeah, well, you know why it does?
Because basically that's when their little, their waiters, their waiters go and then they get their fireplace and they knock it down.
They always knock it down.
It'll be up.
But we know it's somewhat better.
I think what it is, it's sort of a late reaction.
Gallup almost said it was taken before the Soviet announcement.
It was taken, it finished the 11th, Sunday before the Soviet announcement.
I don't know.
My guess is that they already have it.
Why don't you tell them about it?
Why don't they have it?
No, he said it was taken over through the night, through the election.
You know what I'm saying?
Before it was really done.
Go out.
There's nothing to do about it.
I kind of think that it was demonstrated that it was supposed to exist.
I think you're right.
Is he?
Well, there's a noose on him, I know.
Where does he get the blood?

NARA Description

On October 19, 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 2:53 pm and 3:00 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 292-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 292-8

Date: October 19, 1971
Time: Unknown between 2:53 pm and 3:00 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

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

     Polls
             -Don [Rumsfeld's ?] figures
             -Presidential approved ratings
             -Louis P. Harris
             -George H. Gallup
                   -Approval ratings
                   -Timing
                        -Soviet Union summit announcement
             -Albert E. Sindlinger
             -Harris
                   -Washington Post coverage

Also recorded on October 19, 1971

  • 292-001 1:45 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:45 pm and 2:53 pm.
  • 292-002 1:45 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:45 pm and 2:53 pm.
  • 292-006 2:53 PM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 2:53 pm.
  • 292-007 2:53 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:53 pm and 3:00 pm.
  • 011-138 3:00 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell talked on the telephone from 3:00 pm to 3:05 pm.
  • 292-009 3:00 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:00 pm to 3:05 pm.
  • 292-010 3:05 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 3:05 pm.
  • 292-011 3:05 PM · 1 hr 58 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger, George P. Shultz, and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:05 pm to 5:05 pm.

All 93 conversations from October 19, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 292-008, October 19, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/292-008 (accessed September 28, 2026).