Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 330 › Conversation 330-038
Nixon & Haldeman on Public Relations and Rhetoric
Wednesday, April 12, 1972 · 3:09 PM–3:20 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 48 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman discuss refining the messaging and rhetorical style for an upcoming public communication, with Nixon emphasizing the need for short, punchy sentences that project a tone of subtle toughness. The participants also coordinate logistics for final revisions, with Nixon instructing Haldeman to join him at Camp David to complete the work. Additionally, they briefly touch upon scheduling matters, including Henry Kissinger's call to Soviet Ambassador Anatoliy Dobrynin.
- Public Relations
- Rhetoric
- Camp David
- Presidential Messaging
- Foreign Policy Logistics
Audio
This clip was extracted from the full tape recording by Easy Nixon.
Listen to the full tape segment
Position in tape: 04:24:17 – 04:25:02
part C, 25:03
NARA Description
On April 12, 1972, 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 3:09 pm and 3:20 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 330-038 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 330-38
Date: April 12, 1972
Time: Unknown between 3:09 pm and 3:20 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President talked with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
A meeting
-Time
The President's schedule
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Call to Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
The President's return callTranscript (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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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Also recorded on April 12, 1972
- 330-037 3:09 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:09 pm and 3:20 pm.
- 022-118 3:20 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 3:20 pm.
- 330-039 3:20 PM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 3:20 pm.
- 330-040 3:20 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:20 pm and 3:26 pm.
- 022-119 3:23 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 3:23 pm to 3:26 pm.
- 330-041 3:26 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:26 pm and 3:27 pm.
- 330-042 3:26 PM · 12 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 3:26 pm and 3:27 pm.
- 022-120 3:27 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 3:27 pm.
Related conversations
- Nixon & Haldeman on Camp David and Sequoia (Presidential Yacht) January 11, 1973 · 7 min
- Nixon & Bull on Presidential travel and Public relations October 15, 1971
- Nixon phone call with Burns on Phase II economic program October 7, 1971 · 5 min
- Nixon phone call with Safire on Phase II and Inflation October 7, 1971 · 2 min
- Nixon phone call with Safire on Economic policy and Speechwriting October 7, 1971 · 2 min
- Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Presidential speechwriting August 19, 1972 · 6 min
Cite this conversation
Conversation 330-038, April 12, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/330-038 (accessed November 15, 2026).