Conversation: 334-036
Prev: 334-035 Next: 334-037Start Date: Tuesday, May 2, 1972 8:41 PM
End Date: Tuesday, May 2, 1972 10:17 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.; Sanchez, Manolo; White House operator; Cox, Tricia Nixon; [Unknown person(s)]; Tolson, Clyde A.; Bull, Stephen B.; Ehrlichman, John D.; Ziegler, Ronald L.; Gandy, HelenRecording Device: Old Executive Office Building
Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 02:29:47
Full Tape Conversation End Time: 03:47:12
NARA Description:
On May 2, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Manolo Sanchez, White House operator, Tricia Nixon Cox, unknown person(s), Clyde A. Tolson, Stephen B. Bull, John D. Ehrlichman, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Helen Gandy met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:41 pm and 6:17 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 334-036 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 334-36
Date: May 2, 1972
Time: Unknown after 4:41 pm - 6:17 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
33
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 334-36 (cont.)
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 56s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
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J. Edgar Hoover
-Death
-Publicity
-Compared with Dwight D. Eisenhower's death
-Press reports
-Past criticism
Vietnam
-North Vietnamese invasion
-Refugees
Hoover
-Rotunda
-Lying-in-state
-Justice Department
-Successor
-Selection
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Senate
-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
-Congressional investigation
-Problems
-Successor
-Selection
-Senate
-1972 election
-Climate of opinion
-Postponement
-Statement
-Political issue
34
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 334-36 (cont.)
-John N. Mitchell
-Ehrlichman
-Forthcoming meeting with Haldeman
-Congressional testimony
-L. Patrick Gray
-Present position
Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked with the President between 4:49 and 4:51 pm.
[Conversation No. 334-36A]
[See Conversation No. 23-114]
[End of telephone conversation]
Vietnam
-US air strikes
-Concentration
-US training programs
-[Unintelligible]
-Robert F. Kennedy
Hoover
-The President's statement
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-News reports
-Funeral
-Publicity
-Detractors
-Flags
-Half-mast
-The President's order
-1972 election
-Issue
John B. Connally
Unknown person
The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 4:51 and 4:57
pm.
35
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 334-36 (cont.)
[Conversation No. 334-36B]
[See Conversation No. 23-115]
[End of telephone conversation]
Meeting
-Duration
-Unknown person's speech
Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 4:51 pm.
Machine
-Removal
Sanchez left at 4:57 pm.
The President talked with Tricia Nixon Cox between 4:57 and 4:58 pm.
[Conversation No. 334-36C]
[See Conversation No. 23-116; one item has been withdrawn from the conversation.]
[End of telephone conversation]
Hoover
-The President's statement
-Ehrlichman
-Law and order
-Detractors
Jerry V. Wilson
Byron R. White
Robert C. Mardian
Curtis W. Tarr
Bill Woods
Connally
36
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 334-36 (cont.)
The President's statement
-Unknown person's reaction
Connally
-Party at ranch
-House
-Tour by Haldeman
-Reaction of Idanell (Brill) (“Nellie”) Connally
-Gift
-World's Fair of 1939
-Letter from the President
-Shelly [sp?] Smith
-Value
-Location
Vietnam
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 33s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
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Unknown person's views
-New York Times
-Indians
-United Nations [UN]
-Blacks
Virgil Percy [sp?]
-Union magazine editor
-Time
-Meeting with the President
37
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 334-36 (cont.)
The President's schedule
-Trip to Annapolis
-Transportation
-Sequoia
-Naval Academy cadets
-Publicity
-Compared with meeting with astronauts
-Sequoia
-Chapel service
-Return to Washington
-Domestic events
-Ehrlichman
-Problems
-Scheduling
-Hoover statement
-Timing
-Price
-Radio
-Audience
-Replays
FBI
-Importance
-Director
-Nominee
Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
-Lt. Gen. Vernon A. Walters
Vietnam
-Refugees
-News stories
-Significance
-News stories
-Public support for the President
-North Vietnamese invasion
-Soviet aid
-Soviet summit
Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 4:58 pm.
The President's schedule
38
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 334-36 (cont.)
-Sequoia cruise
-Preparations
-Time
-Attendance
-The President's pipes
Sanchez left at an unknown time before 5:26 pm.
Vietnam
-The President's policies
-Polls
-Soviet summit
-Approval rate
-Enemy casualties in Laos
The President's schedule
-Hoover eulogy
-Trip to Annapolis
-The President's speech
-Subject
[Haldeman talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 4:58 and 5:26 pm.]
[Conversation No. 334-36D]
The President's schedule
-Speech in Annapolis
-Location
[End of telephone conversation]
The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 4:58 and 5:26
pm.
[Conversation No. 334-36E]
[See Conversation No. 23-117]
[End of telephone conversation]
FBI
-Richard G. Kleindienst
39
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 334-36 (cont.)
-Hoover
-Race tracks
-Movie stars
-Pictures
-Unknown person
The President's schedule
-Trip to Soviet Union
-Announcement on steel quotas
-Unemployment
The President talked with Clyde A. Tolson between 5:26 and 5:27 pm.
[Conversation No. 334-36F]
[See Conversation No. 23-118]
[End of telephone conversation]
Hoover
-Tolson
-FBI
-Private files
-Location
-Access
Haldeman talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 5:27 and 5:30 pm.
[Conversation No. 334-36G]
The President’s schedule
[End of telephone conversation]
The President's schedule
-The President's speech at Annapolis
-Location
-Chapel
-Armory
-Mess Hall
-Problems
-Chapel
40
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 334-36 (cont.)
-Problems
-Tradition
-Armory
-Arrangements
-Selection
-Criteria
Hoover
-Eulogy
-John Foster Dulles
-Succession
-Tolson
-Age
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:27 pm.
Meeting with Ehrlichman
Bull left at an unknown time before 5:30 pm.
Ehrlichman entered at 5:30 pm.
Ronald L. Ziegler
Hoover
-Death
-News stories
-The President's announcement
-News release
-Ziegler
The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 5:30 and 5:31
pm.
[Conversation No. 334-36H]
[See Conversation No. 23-119]
[End of telephone conversation]
Haldeman left at 5:31 pm.
41
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 334-36 (cont.)
Hoover
-The President's announcement
-Handling
-Hoover's career
Ehrlichman talked with Ronald L. Ziegler between 5:35 and 5:37 pm.
[Conversation No. 334-36I]
[See Conversation No. 23-120]
Ehrlichman conferred with the President at an unknown time during the conversation.
FBI
-Acting Director
-The President's nomination
-Congress
-Timing
[End of telephone conversation]
FBI
-Acting Director
-Appointment
-Timing
-Gray
-Ehrlichman's recommendation
-Nomination
-Permanent successor
-1972 election
-Partisanship
-Gray
-Nomination
-Conditions
-Congressional investigation
-Martin Luther King
-Wiretap
-Preventive detention
-Possible questions
-Hoover's successor
-Announcement
-Kleindienst
42
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 334-36 (cont.)
-Ziegler
-Ehrlichman
-Appointment
-Gerald R. Ford
-Samuel L. Devine
-Preference on speed of nomination
An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 5:37 pm.
Unknown request
The unknown person left at an unknown time before 5:46 pm.
Hoover's successor
-Appointment
-Devine
-Reelection
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 2m 33s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
*****************************************************************
Bicentennial in Philadelphia
-Problem
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 8
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 8m 3s ]
43
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 334-36 (cont.)
AN UNKNOWN PERSON ENTERED AT AN UNKNOWN TIME AFTER 5:37 PM.
THE UNKNOWN PERSON LEFT AT AN UNKNOWN TIME BEFORE 5:46 PM.
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 8
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The President's schedule
-Nelson A. Rockefeller
-Statement
-Support from Republican governors
-Governors Conference in White Sulphur Springs
-Public support
-Meeting with the President
-Length
Bicentennial in Philadelphia
-Frank L. Rizzo
-Ehrlichman's call
-Commission
-Recommendation on Philadelphia
-Problems
-Finances
-Conversations with Rizzo
-State of Pennsylvania
-Highway funds
-Appropriations
-Adverse recommendations
-Rizzo
-Meeting with Ehrlichman
-Alternative proposals
Tax reform
-Wilbur D. Mills's letter
-Answer
-Meeting with Mills
-Connally's recommendation
-Problems
44
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 334-36 (cont.)
Welfare reform
-Senate Finance Committee
-Republicans
-Meeting with the President
-Ehrlichman's recommendation
-Proposals
-Criticism
-Elliot L. Richardson and James D. Hodgson
-Russell B. Long
-House Resolution [HR] 1
-Administration's position
-The President's meeting with Senate Finance Committee
-Meeting with Ehrlichman
-Ehrlichman's appearance on Meet the Press
-Question
-"Workfare"
-Family assistance
-Republican senators' proposals
-Criticism
-Possible questions for the President during recent Texas trip
-Budget
-Inflation
-Welfare costs
Postal system
-Ehrlichman's conversation with Hobart D. (“Hobe”) Lewis
-Subsidy
-Life
-Problems with elimination
-Life
-Future
Unemployment
-Plan
-Lewis's article
-Title
-Connally
-Mailing
-Reprints
Ronald L. Ziegler entered at 5:55 pm.
45
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 334-36 (cont.)
Phone call
-Richard C. Valeriani
The President's schedule
-Haldeman
-An announcement
-Meeting with Rockefeller
FBI
-Acting director
-Morning briefing
The President's schedule
-Meeting with Rockefeller
-Time
-Duration
-News story
-Acting Director of FBI
-Time
FBI
-Acting Director
-Nomination
-A briefing
-Senate
-Partisanship
-Timing of selection
-Successor to Hoover
-Kleindienst announcement
-Confirmation problems
-Announcement of interim director
-Public acceptance
-Selection
-Postponement
-Election year
-Senate approval
Ziegler left at 6:03 pm.
The President talked with the White House operator at 6:03 pm.
[Conversation No. 334-36J]
46
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 334-36 (cont.)
[See Conversation No. 23-121]
[End of telephone conversation]
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 9
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 46s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 9
*****************************************************************
The President's schedule
-Trip to Annapolis
-Discussion with Haldeman
-Possible stops
-Hoover
The President talked with Helen Gandy between 6:06 and 6:07 pm.
[Conversation No. 334-36K]
[See Conversation No. 23-122]
[End of telephone conversation]
The President's schedule
-Grocery store visit
-Trip to Annapolis
-Stops
-Value
-University of Maryland
-Dinner with midshipmen
-Significance for youth
-Discussion of issues
-Arrangements
47
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 334-36 (cont.)
-Youth
-Naval officers
-University of Maryland students
-The President's identification
-Control of conversation
-Emphasis on young members of staff
-Control
-Transportation
-Stopover
-Supermarket
-Planning
-Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
-Small store
-Jews
-Chains
-Connally
-Safeway
-Sanchez
-Victorio Delacruz
-Dinner with midshipmen
-Ziegler
-Newspaperman
-Robert Semple
-New York Times
-Pulitzer Prize
-Wire service reporter
-Walter Meares [sp?]
-Edward E. Carlson
-United Airlines
-Edward E. Carlson, Jr.
-Hubert H. Humphrey
-Ambition
-John K. Andrews, Jr.
Andrews
Ziegler
-Age
The President's schedule
-Trip to Soviet Union
-Soviet summit
48
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 334-36 (cont.)
-Summer trips
Briefcase
Ehrlichman left at 6:17 pm.