Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 298 › Conversation 298-033

Nixon & Haldeman on Personnel management and Secretary of Commerce

Thursday, November 11, 1971 · 5:20 PM–5:25 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); [Unknown person(s)]Conversation298-033 on Tape 298 (tape position 03:25:44–03:29:55)StartThursday, November 11, 1971 at 5:20 PMEndThursday, November 11, 1971 at 5:25 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 298-033 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met to coordinate the President's schedule and manage administrative distractions, including restricting unnecessary telephone calls. The discussion centered on staffing concerns, specifically the vetting of candidates for Secretary of Commerce, with Nixon emphasizing the need for an appointee who would effectively collaborate with Henry Kissinger and George Shultz. They also briefly reviewed ongoing political priorities, including a pending textile vote and potential business council involvement.

Presidential scheduling
Personnel management
Secretary of Commerce
White House operations
Administrative policy

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 49% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Thank you.

Would you try to get a whole bull or Alex to tell him that I just can't take any more calls from him on anything, anything, unless, one exception, unless it has something to do with the table, right?

Because that's what I'm really worried or concerned about instead.

Or I just try to keep talking about the truth and he doesn't know goddamn what he's up to.

And Larry, of course, and I just call him directly, and I'm just not going to talk to him about it.

And they get many calls over each other, come in, just say, I'm sorry, I'm tied up.

We've got a crisis in the paperwork.

I'm just tied up.

I just can't be interrupted on this.

I'm just on that for the rest of the day.

And I spend an hour on agriculture.

Okay.

Can you handle that?

You get a little better yet?

Yeah.

Really good?

Yeah.

Doesn't want to hear it.

No.

The idea of being an internationalist.

Yeah.

Well, it was a pretty goddamn national struggle in Mexico, though.

Yeah.

Well, let's, uh, when Connolly gets back, we ask him about it.

Sure.

Well, those facts we can't inform on.

Uh, but you could do that with the planet.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

I don't.

And you see, Kennedy isn't sophisticated enough to look it over, but I don't know any jurors very well.

He's a doctrinaire right-winger who just can't have any in that job, and that's all there is to it.

I think Blanigan's the best man.

Blanigan, the main thing is, I just need somebody in the job who'll work with Kissinger and Charles.

you know we're part of the team i just don't think i don't want another another three-hander oh it's a hello and important assignment

My deal with them is that they're doing a lot of great things.

On the contrary, I think they like it.

The business council types are always one of them.

See, he's got an international type of business, and I've met all of them.

Thank you.

Anything else?

They had a very good book this time.

Okay, fine, fine.

NARA Description

On November 11, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:20 pm and 5:25 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 298-033 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 298-33

Date: November 11, 1971
Time: Unknown between 5:20 pm and 5:25 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

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

     The President's schedule
          -Telephone calls
               -Stephen B. Bull and Alexander P. Butterfield
               -Pay Board
               -William P. Rogers and Melvin R. Laird
               -Agriculture Secretary ceremony

     Haldeman's conversation with John N. Mitchell
          -Peter G. Peterson
                -Textile vote

An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 5:20 pm.

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 5:25 pm.

     Haldeman's forthcoming conversation with John B. Connally

     Secretary of Commerce
          -Peter M. Flanigan
          -Anthony J. Jurich
                -Relationship with Mitchell
                -David M. Kennedy
          -Flanigan
                -Relationship with Henry A. Kissinger and George P. Shultz
          -Connally
                -Peterson
          -Unknown man

     Business Council
          -Peterson

     Senate vote

Also recorded on November 11, 1971

014-052 5:20 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:20 pm and 5:25 pm.
298-034 5:20 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 5:20 pm and 5:25 pm.
014-053 5:25 PM · 24 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 5:25 pm to 5:50 pm.
298-035 5:25 PM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:25 pm to 5:50 pm.
014-054 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 6:11 pm.
014-055 5:50 PM · 36 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:50 pm and 6:11 pm.
014-056 5:50 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:50 pm and 6:11 pm.
298-036 5:50 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:50 pm and 6:11 pm.

All 91 conversations from November 11, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 298-033, 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/298-033 (accessed October 12, 2026).