Conversation 342-016

TapeTape 342StartTuesday, June 20, 1972 at 11:26 AMEndTuesday, June 20, 1972 at 12:45 PMTape start time03:34:00Tape end time04:33:11ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob");  Cox, Tricia NixonRecording deviceOld Executive Office Building

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met to review political strategy, upcoming schedule logistics, and public relations efforts for the 1972 reelection campaign. They discussed managing outreach to various demographics, including veterans and Polish-American leaders, as well as handling legislative issues such as the Vietnam resolution and the Higher Education Bill. Additionally, the pair addressed organizational concerns regarding campaign staffing, the necessity of maintaining a strong public image to project authority, and brief concerns regarding potential surveillance or political sabotage.

1972 Presidential CampaignPublic RelationsVietnam WarWhite House SchedulingPolitical StrategyWatergate

On June 20, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Tricia Nixon Cox met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 11:26 am to 12:45 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 342-016 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 342-16

Date: June 20, 1972
Time: 11:26 am-12:45 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
[The discontinuities in this conversation appear in the original recording.]

[Note: A portion of this conversation was also record in November 1973 and played in open
court on November 27, 1973. See Record Group [RG] 21, Miscellaneous 47-73, Exhibit 63.
                                                32

                       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. Nov-00)


There is no transcript available.]

     Weather
         -Washington, DC
         -Florida
               -Walker's Cay

     The President’s schedule
          -Previous trip to Florida
          -California
          -Walker’s Cay
          -Camp David
          -Gerard C. Smith’s house
                -Rehoboth Beach
          -Higher Education Bill signing ceremony

     Detroit busing issue
          -Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger
                -Higher Education Bill

     Mrs. Miller (Michigan)
          -Walk to Washington
          -Congressional race

     Magazine comments
         -Time
         -[Unintelligible]
         -New Republic
         -National Observer
         -National Review
         -Human Events
         -New Republic
         -Readership size
         -Richard M. Scammon
         -Possibility of pro-administration articles
               -Ronald L. Ziegler
               -Public relations
                     -Elections

     Presidential letter for Richard F. Kneip
          -Natural disaster in South Dakota
                -John C. Whitaker
                                             33

                        NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. Nov-00)
                                                                     Conv. No. 342-16 (cont.)

          -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon’s previous trip to South Dakota
               -Forthcoming election
               -Natural disaster
                      -Tourism
                      -Whitaker
          -Whitaker
               -Kneip’s concerns
          -Parents of Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon

[Blank]

     Federal Judge’s action for Democratic convention
          -George L. Hart
          -Joseph R. Califano
          -Delegations qualifications
          -Chicago suit
          -Delegation qualifications
                -Challenges
                -George S. McGovern’s guidelines
          -Richard J. Daley
                -Supporters

     [Unintelligible]

     Movie, "Hot Rock"
         -Haldeman’s view

     US conference of Mayors
         -Vietnam resolution
               -Clark MacGregor
               -Support for the President
                    -Democrats
                    -Republicans
         -Lawrence F. O’Brien

     Michael J. Mansfield's Vietnam resolution
         -Robert C. Dole
                -Substitute proposal
                     -Prisoners of war [POWs]
                     -Cease fire
                     -Effect on negotiations
         -Congressional alternatives
                                           34

                NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. Nov-00)
                                                   Conv. No. 342-16 (cont.)

           -Nixon proposal
     -Administration actions
     -William P. Rogers
     -Leslie C. Arends
     -National defense and foreign policy

The President’s schedule
     -California trip plans
           -Mrs. Nixon
                 -Julie Nixon Eisenhower

Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
     -National commanders of veterans' groups
          -Briefing
     -Charles W. Colson
     -Defense Department
     -Henry A. Kissinger

The President's schedule
     -National Association of Counties meeting
           -Political candidates
           -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
           -The President’s view
                 -Role of President
                 -Cabinet officers
           -Lawrence F. O'Brien
           -McGovern
           -Timing
                 -Banquet
                 -John D. Ehrlichman
           -Revenue sharing
                 -Local government problems
           -Banquet
           -Possible appearance by the President
                 -Remarks
     -Polish-American leaders
           -Meeting
                 -Value
           -Timing
                 -Haldeman’s view
           -Poland trip
                 -Rogers
                                       35

                 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                               Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. Nov-00)
                                                  Conv. No. 342-16 (cont.)

          -Reception at State Department
          -Rogers
          -Colson
          -Briefing
                -Location
                -Ehrlichman
                -The President’s remarks
                -Location
     -VIP [Very Important Patients] Program
          -No Greater Love program
                -POWs' children
          -Picnic on White House lawn
                -The President’s view
                      -Benefits
                -Celebrities
                    -Johnny Unitas
                    -Arnold D. Palmer
                    -Bill Frasier (?)
                    -Ted Williams
                    -Arthur Ashe
                    -Althea Gibson
                    -Jack Nicklaus
                    -Unitas
                    -Carmello Espota
          -The President’s view
     -Media briefing
          -Black newspapers
                -Reception
                -Haldeman’s view
                -Briefing in 1968
                    -Leonard Garment
                -Jewish press
                -The President’s view
                -Timing
                      -California
     -Requests for meetings
          -Haldeman’s role
     -Black newspapers
          -Selective promotions

1972 campaign
     -Pay offs
                                              36

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. Nov-00)
                                                            Conv. No. 342-16 (cont.)

                -Black newspapers
                      -Haldeman’s view
                      -The President’s view
                -Ministers
                      -Haldeman’s view
          -Frederick V. Malek's staff
                -Duties
          -Colson's staff
          -Meetings
          -White House staff
                -Work on 1972 campaign
          -Political support
          -Activities related to campaign

The President talked with Tricia Nixon Cox.

[Conversation No. 342-16A]

[See Conversation No. 25-74; one item has been withdrawn]

[End of telephone conversation]

     Public relations
          -White House staff
          -Ehrlichman
          -Kissinger
                 -Foreign policy
          -Possible reception for black newspapers
                 -White House staff


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                                             37

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. Nov-00)
                                                          Conv. No. 342-16 (cont.)


     Watergate
         -Wiretaps
               -The President’s view
                    -Previous campaigns


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[Duration: 2m 53s ]


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Haldeman left at 12:45 pm.

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

It was a neat day out there today.
Yeah.
Certainly appreciated that.
Appreciate the core of it.
Yeah.
It was a great day.
It was great.
It was a good day.
I wasn't sick.
What do you know?
I mean, you know, six days has been a glory.
It's a good day.
It was a good day.
It was a good day.
One other possibility would be that as we get back in the morning, we got to hear it.
There may be something over there.
Actually, there's a place that's apparently a spectacular place that I'm not sure how private the ocean is.
I'm not sure how private the ocean is.
But he currently has a hell of a...
I can't spell it.
He has one, but if you gave it to him, he won't know what to do.
He'll do what he wants to.
No, it had to be only out of necessity.
It had to be not by choice.
I think it was the wine burger.
Hold on.
We can't wait until we come to a wine burger.
That Mrs. Miller of Michigan, you know, that walked to Washington, was running for Congress in a Republican movement.
For the Republican nomination.
Yeah.
Really.
You know, when you get them articulated, like the one today has this lot of names and stuff, a lot of it's going to be really bullshit.
I don't think that's true.
They still get too bogged down, but they're going to try and get some good jobs.
I hope you get bogged down in the National Review, National Observer, and they have an event, State Sheet, they call it, and the Republic, they will.
You know, you take the readership of all of those, including my own,
But, yeah, but they have, they have a fairly comprehensive review several ways, but all the other, you add them all up, and you still are up to more than a few thousand people.
I have, I must have a dozen, a dozen people, and I'm very, I'm personally, I can't, I can't very well agree.
That's right.
The cover is interesting.
They read it, or sometimes they flip through the person's art, the little sports, or the business section and the rest, but don't ever assume it's because of the magazine, because that's what you're reading.
Well, I mean, it's a good article.
We can push it.
It's one that has some lasting value, not just, not just the body, because there's no reason to answer to it.
Well, it'll be much more useful.
Oh, the speakers.
So they have a very good meeting out there.
I would like a letter from the governor in person.
in order to do this, whoever is in charge of the disaster is announced.
Well, I'm waiting on Whitaker's staff to come in.
Well, Whitaker is the guy who made this call.
Basically, I think he's the governor.
The governor told her that he would hold their eye on somebody who might as well make a statement.
So the tourists wouldn't be discouraged from coming in.
I know they have any concerns.
I would think.
The best way to handle that is to say, we're done with this whole thing.
Uh...
Uh...
I want to say that.
You know what I mean?
Fill it in.
Uh...
And the last paragraph says, I've always had a special place in my heart for something good, because of her parents, who married and lived in something good.
Before they moved to the...
They later moved to being in a family where she was born and grew up.
Just a carrier's lever.
Yeah.
I think it's the one in the district.
It gives them a new set of problems, which is to figure out how they're going to qualify the delegation.
They've got enough trouble with that already.
It's just not a concept.
I don't think it's going to make it.
I don't think it's going to make it.
See, this is on a Chicago suit.
It's either way.
I mean, either way, they're still confused.
They've got to develop this pick.
They've just said, we need this decision to stand.
They can't challenge.
I don't remember.
They shouldn't do that.
that wouldn't be there under the normal process.
So there's, you still get a
for the daily forces.
The other thing, if the daily forces win, that's going to become sort of a symbolic battle.
You see that movie, The Hot Rocks?
Pretty funny movie, though.
What did you see the other night?
There's a jewel.
There's a crown of jewels.
Oh, yeah.
They lift the glass box, and the guys all get in the box, and it pops down, and they're trapped inside of it.
And the guy swallows them then or something.
Oops.
No?
Yeah.
Oops.
You're wearing a pair, Scott.
Last year they passed to get out of the war.
This year they won the other one.
And Clark said there was just strong support for the president all through the place, you know.
Impressed as hell with him.
Very able, enthusiastic, young, impressive, dynamic people, guys.
He came away from there with a recharged shot.
Well, they certainly didn't have to.
They have a certain amount of aspirations.
I'm glad we used them.
As of now, don't feel like you can beat Mansfield straight out on Mansfield Revolution, but they do feel that the class man states the thing and the next turn, fuck the hospital.
Instead of Mansfield.
In other words, they can do a substitute and come out all right, but they can't just take Mansfield straight up and beat him.
Because the Senate wants to pass on Mansfield to the House.
It'll be something, it'll be the next, it'll be the next proposal.
You know, to get out and form on a sector, ceasefire, and release a few of those.
Okay.
It's good to have Bill, I think it's good to have Bill arguing that Bill instead of Esquire.
I will consider that for an altercation from the outside also considered.
So that would be in the heart of California, right?
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
was suggested i think they're going ahead with any event is to have a
Have General Haig do a briefing for the National Commanders of all the veterans, the National Veterans Groups.
Give them a full background on all this stuff.
Question, what if you could drop by
We have to reopen the possibility of using
dropping by the National Association of Counties.
Simply because it's basically a supportive group.
The problem is all the candidates are going to do it.
I'm just saying we'll just push you in.
We've got the beef doing it.
He's the guy who should.
All the candidates are going to pull up.
I contact you.
I think you should tell our staff that I am not going to be here.
I think it's worth it.
There's a cycle at the end of it.
I don't want to do things worth it.
You know, they get oversensitive, just like the mayor.
I mean, I'm sure Larry O'Brien or somebody will go up there, or the governor will go up and say, makes them want to come to your meeting, but let's keep that in mind.
Okay.
It's the first, it's Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Here's the keynote, which is what the lead is doing.
A big banquet is Tuesday night, which is another possibility to drop by the banquet, but I don't know who's speaking and who's what.
John and Earl.
The whole person is at the other side.
Yeah, revenue training is part of the purpose for this time.
How many people are basically our people?
If you went and gave a speech, it would be a real problem.
It might not be a bad idea, and we can see how it goes, even if you're the last man to go.
If the man who was speaker was Tuesday night, you just go and greet them.
You do it discreetly.
Yeah, if somebody can check the street names there, so they don't have the White House going there.
We can get the program, because our guys are working with the county hall.
Also, I want to know if the other candidates are there.
Let's see if the other candidates are at the pen.
I don't want to go there.
You know, if I go, it needs to be lined up with that.
Absolutely.
Sure, sure, sure.
Your intuition is exactly right on this.
I should not be locked up in another chamber.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
If I'm about to study, I've got an administration briefing.
Now, another thing I could do, I could take a computer to the top of my head and look at it.
Wow.
Half hour, you know what I mean?
Or the corrections, or something like that.
Yeah, they can get some attention for a day.
The drop light question is,
They're thinking about bringing all the national Polish-American leaders for a briefing on the Poland trip.
You can drop me a line, I'm going to get a picture.
They're only looking at it on the basis that the visit to Poland gives us a chance to invite Polish-American leaders to the White House and go back to Poland.
Folks say the President's concerned about Poland.
What do you say?
I think that's one hell of a process.
It's broken politically before.
I don't mind doing it a little later.
I would like to do it instead of starting to publish.
I have a very positive reaction to that at this point.
But I'm not sure it's the Navy.
What's your reaction to that?
Of course they're going to say everything is political.
This is a straight-up sham, political.
I mean, some of them aren't quite that political.
I think if you wait a little while and then bring in, not just to brief on the whole issue, but to let our political people bring in and talk about political organization,
And then you stop by and say, I just wanted to know what a great time I had.
Oh, it's great to see you.
And what I would do is give them a hug.
And if they want to do something else, perhaps this is a possible way to maybe do a little reception for me.
If they could get an attitude group, who the hell is going to tell them about the trip?
Oh, you want me to?
No?
And that's the problem.
I don't know who would help you.
rogers rogers rogers rogers rogers rogers rogers rogers rogers
I can see there's, Tulsa may not be sophisticated enough to know that all the airplanes that some of them are advancing for is trying to, most of them are, and they're not so well-versed in what we say we're going to want to do.
We can't really say we're going to want to pull it until it's done.
That's the problem.
We probably just want to tell them.
We just want to tell them.
Rebuilding at the city.
That's the way to rebuild in Washington, D.C. We're scared.
We're scared of the city.
We're scared of the city.
We're scared of the city.
That's a way to reach to the grassroots political structure and basically
I think, you know, the fact that I speak, well, we know it was a fact, but I do it by the leaders.
I do it occasionally as a gesture, you know, where they can't say, I'm not recognizing the other, an actual, actual point of view.
An actual point of view is clearly, I'm speaking to you, that's one thing, but what I want you to get your views on, and so on and so on.
You know, this VIP, very important patient's program, you're a sponsor of this, and a lot of sports personalities have set up, and they've got a branch of it called No Greater Love Program, which is...
directed to the 2,000 children whose fathers and brothers are POWs or MIAs.
And these athletes provide birthday presents for them and just kind of sort of take a substitute father role, in a sense, to identify with the kids.
And they're suggesting having, of course, someone, and I can't exactly figure out where they're seeing from, having a...
picnic on the White House lawn, and he would come out and just say, I didn't have it.
It showed your concern for whether this picnic would work for the kids.
You have children from the Washington area, the white area, and his father's mother, and the troubles they can deal with, I think most of them are going to the same problem.
You know what I'm saying?
Yeah, I know.
It just is a loser.
It's not a loser.
It's a jury.
Yeah.
I don't want to have the kids in the Washington area get a real problem with that.
And also anyone.
They don't even know about us on the league.
So let me just check.
You know, it's very solid.
I mean, he's not his primary father.
He was raised in Central.
He's not a graduate.
He's not a graduate.
I'll be against it, you know.
They are all part of the program.
I don't feel that's a good idea.
I mean, you guys want to get the black newspaper folks in for a
They don't want to do it unless you want to have a reception or something like that.
Or a meeting at the end of the briefing.
I think it's the other problem.
It's the black, you know, 80 black publishers.
He did that much.
I'm sure they've got to give you a bad time.
You've got to scoop up that.
It was turning before the election.
New York, you went over to Garmin, talked you into it at the last minute, you turned it down, and it all cleared up.
You went up, and some guy really worked you over on the way in or out of your attic or something.
I can't remember what it was.
I just heard it in the background.
It was something into it.
They're talking about, you know, a briefing like they did to the U.A.
press and all that.
It seems to me it's fine for them to do that.
As long as it's understood it's not, it doesn't involve you, then they don't, they know that you are going to be involved in this, which is basically the rest of it.
I'm avoiding politics, but I don't think there's politics in this.
Yeah.
Maybe they have a reception.
Maybe they have a tour of the White House.
I don't know what to do.
You're not here.
They can do it while you're in telephone.
That's right.
One way.
That's right.
Well, before they get to me, Uncle Locke gets turned down.
90% of them get turned down before they get to me.
And about...
You know what, I get turned down when they do get to me.
And the only reason I raise some of these is for this point.
The black newspapers are, we do have some chance of making primarily some marks with some blacks, but I don't think the black newspapers is a way to do it.
The way to get that blacks is to pick blacks like these dinners that they have where we get our own house.
And the way it goes with black newspapers is to pick those black newspapers and black newspapers.
I don't think it's ever worth buying black papers.
We used to do that.
I think it's a total waste of time.
It's a waste of money.
I think it is worth buying black papers.
If you buy the right ones.
But we didn't.
I think we can, but I don't think we have to buy most of them with money.
I think we can buy them with a little, you know, many kind of glory and, uh, contact with Billy Ram and people like that.
And all of a sudden, those guys can buy them anyway.
It's really, it's just, you know, it's very, very, it's very nice to get their game going.
So, you know, take a, you know, this,
Actually, yeah.
They're the guys that are doing the, you know, the right part of the departments.
And some of the recruiting and the personnel.
I think that's pretty good stuff.
Maybe rather than being with them.
Because I live at the end of the point where I'll come in and just shake hands.
So that they won't hit you.
A lot of the time.
I would, yeah, I'd shake if it's not...
People that are not at the campaign organization, they're in the White House, staffed to work on the campaign.
I'd like to do it.
I'd like to do it.
Yes.
Why don't you just have to come in and get a picture?
I'll do that for you.
Get a picture and get out.
I'm sitting down.
I'm not going to sit down.
Okay.
Okay.
I don't mind if you're any kind of doctor.
I'm always trying to avoid that.
You've covered most of it.
Well, with new types like that, it's just, you've got to feel it.
They're metal types, so they're, I think they're made in a situation where it's like, I don't know what they're going to do right from then.
After the convention, I think it should be done in a smart house.
In a hard convention.
Everything in a smart house is not in a smart house.
Yeah, that's the point.
Smart house.
I'm just saying, you've got to have them feel part of the team.
But what I'm asking is, I don't know if it will cross over to people.
No, but it will help get out of our way.
And then shake all their hands together.
And then you have another person.
Yeah.
Good job.
And they didn't have any difference.
They got half of the... ...the support staffs and the astronomers and then... ...power and the gear... ...analysis and stuff.
I don't even know who is running the energy.
Hello?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Uh-huh.
I want to find Mr. Morris.
That's all right.
I think we'd rather... That's good.
Let's do that.
Okay.
Okay.
Why don't you...
I, I, I, I will work my heart out.
Uh, I think, uh, it's, uh, it's a list of my most important things.
Okay.
Uh, uh, that's good.
I think that's good.
I think that's good.
I think that's good.
I think that's good.
work session.
Yeah.
These fellows should be invited to a work session.
Why are they not?
Because some of the people, they don't have the non-political opinion.
Like, they're only right.
Maybe I've entered history.
That's right.
That's right.
That's all I know.
And then you have a reception.
I didn't have a reception.
Thank you very much.
I appreciate what you're doing.
I'd have to check.
I'm trying to get to their lives.
I don't see your lecture at that time.
I never heard it.
I never heard it.
I heard it.
I heard it.
I heard it.
I heard it.
I heard it.
I heard it.
I heard it.
Oh, yeah.
That's not a great problem for you.
You have to do a lot of preparation.
I can't go down there and do it again.
The reaction is exactly the same.
I think so.
Then afterwards, if you want to report to people after the election or something like that, or next summer, setting up the 76th for the
It will be important for us to make the new day happy
I'm not sure you can see it.
I'm not expecting it.
I was saying, it was just kind of fascinating.
It's just going to be, it's just going to be, it's just going to be, it's just going to be, it's just going to be,
Well, you can see a little, you know, some of their subtlety in Kentucky.
You can hear it.
They're, they still, they're a little bit scared.
That makes no, yeah, I don't think they're running any surprises.
But they're not, Point McGowan isn't getting any surprises either.
He's not getting any of the ones that he didn't expect to get.
He gets his 200 in the yard today.
Yeah.
We have been bugged in the past.
Right.
At this point, I think we're...
That's another reason to maintain a straight position as much as you can, pushing as strong as you can, because it does scare people.
This idea of ice before they see you is very important.
The bureaucrats are scared that you're going to be here for a couple more years.
They won't help.
It's going to be special.
See, the point of getting closer to that, it's going to be immediate.
Immediate.
It's going to be a real good job.
Thank you for your attention.
Seriously capable.
All right.
They responded pretty well.
I think it's pretty hard for them to do what they're doing.
Well, they got in.
Well, they're not just going to do that to tell us all.
Yeah.
They, uh, they, uh, they're publicly fighting for the Democratic Party.
First of all, they're not really going to say that they did what they did.
That's one thing.
That's one thing.
That's one thing.
That's one thing.
Thank you.