Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 334 › Conversation 334-012

Nixon & Haldeman on J. Edgar Hoover and Vernon A. Walters

Tuesday, May 2, 1972 · 10:00 AM–10:25 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation334-012 on Tape 334 (tape position 01:44:23–01:46:30)StartTuesday, May 2, 1972 at 10:00 AMEndTuesday, May 2, 1972 at 10:25 AMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 334-012 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman discussed the leadership transition at the FBI following the death of J. Edgar Hoover, including the strategic timing of the official announcement. The conversation also touched upon the appointment of Lt. Gen. Vernon A. Walters to the CIA, focusing on his Senate confirmation prospects and personal loyalty. Nixon expressed concerns regarding the delay in managing the public announcement of Hoover's passing, tasking staff with expediting the process.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 64% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I'm trying to find out what.

You know, I hate to put something so vague over there.

It's not water.

There's many of the attributes that Luther had.

He had flair, vanity, a couple of years.

He was thinking through the combinations.

Who is delaying?

I mean, are we delaying it?

Yeah, Mike White is.

He's got a note.

Okay.

NARA Description

On May 2, 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 10:00 am and 10:25 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 334-012 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 334-12

Date: May 2, 1972
Time: Unknown between 10:00 am and 10:25 am
Location: Executive Office Building

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

     Lt. Gen. Vernon A. Walters
          -Confirmation by Senate
          -Loyalty
          -Job at Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]

          -Compared with J. Edgar Hoover

     Hoover
         -Announcement of death
             -Delay

Also recorded on May 2, 1972

334-010 9:28 AM · 31 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:28 am to 10:00 am.
334-011 10:00 AM · 4 min — 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 10:00 am and 10:25 am.
334-013 10:00 AM · 7 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 10:00 am and 10:25 am.
334-014 10:00 AM · 3 min — 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 10:00 am and 10:25 am.
334-015 10:25 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:25 am to 10:35 am.
023-103 10:35 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Patrick J. Buchanan, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone from 10:35 am to 10:37 am.
334-016 10:35 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:35 am to 10:37 am.
334-017 10:37 AM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:37 am and 10:43 am.

All 67 conversations from May 2, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 334-012, May 2, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/334-012 (accessed October 9, 2026).