Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 298 › Conversation 298-024

Nixon & Haldeman on Cabinet briefings and Executive appointments

Thursday, November 11, 1971 · 3:33 PM–3:34 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation298-024 on Tape 298 (tape position 02:25:33–02:27:36)StartThursday, November 11, 1971 at 3:33 PMEndThursday, November 11, 1971 at 3:34 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 298-024 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon directed H. R. Haldeman to ensure that cabinet officers are briefed regarding an upcoming announcement and to oversee the composition of official delegations. Expressing frustration with State Department-led appointments, Nixon instructed Haldeman to personally vet future delegation members in coordination with secretary Rose Mary Woods to ensure political efficacy. This directive aimed to centralize control over executive appointments and bypass traditional bureaucratic influence.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Yeah.
Yeah.
Hello.
Uh, Bob, can you get, uh, uh, to be, to be sure that Alex, uh, maybe they've thought of this already, calls the cabin officers about this today?
Have they done that?
They haven't.
Well, they've got to before the goddamn announcement is made, you see.
So get Alex on it right away.
Point two.
Pat was talking to me a few minutes ago, and Gary Milbank has called her about wanting some people on the delegation.
One was Bunny Lasker, another was Doug Mockerson.
I don't think we understand Doug much.
Nevertheless, my point is, I...
On this delegation thing, if you don't mind, put somebody on a real intelligent and real political leader so that they don't get the usual State Department people on these things.
You know, it means an enormous amount of people to go.
I would have no objection to the last one going, he says he'll pay his expenses.
He could do nothing in his way, including his kids, and that's okay.
But I don't get it, but you get at it, and then you look at every one of these delegations from now on, personally, yourself, and send me in and say, here's the deal, and I suggest this or that, and have Rose look at it.
See, that way we can get at it, because they've been coming at me from so many different directions, and usually it's Henry or Rogers.
And I think you and Rose, together, will know that somebody is, all right, all right, Bob, thank you.
Yes, sir.

NARA Description

On November 11, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:33 pm to 3:34 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 298-024 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 298-24

Date: November 11, 1971
Time: 3:33 pm - 3:34 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

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

[See Conversation No. 14-45]

Also recorded on November 11, 1971

  • 014-042 3:30 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:30 pm and 3:32 pm.
  • 014-043 3:30 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:30 pm and 3:32 pm.
  • 298-020 3:30 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 an unknown time between 3:30 pm and 3:32 pm.
  • 014-044 3:32 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 3:32 pm to 3:33 pm.
  • 298-022 3:32 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:32 pm to 3:33 pm.
  • 014-045 3:33 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 3:33 pm to 3:34 pm.
  • 298-023 3:33 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 3:33 pm.
  • 298-025 3:34 PM · 52 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 3:34 pm and 3:35 pm.

All 91 conversations from November 11, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 298-024, November 11, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/298-024 (accessed October 12, 2026).