Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 344 › Conversation 344-033

Nixon, Haldeman & Colson on White House media relations

Tuesday, June 27, 1972 · 3:35 PM–4:40 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Colson, Charles W.; [Unknown person(s)]Conversation344-033 on Tape 344 (tape position 03:36:55–04:31:03)StartTuesday, June 27, 1972 at 3:35 PMEndTuesday, June 27, 1972 at 4:40 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 344-033 ↗

President Nixon met with H. R. Haldeman and Charles Colson to review the guest list and logistical arrangements for an upcoming White House reception for broadcasters. The participants evaluated the political leanings of specific media figures, aiming to ensure that invitees were sympathetic or at least neutral toward the administration’s goals. Beyond the event planning, the group discussed the strategic advantages of incumbency for the reelection campaign, specifically through the use of federal resources like social security mailers and National Park materials to boost the President's image.

  • White House media relations
  • 1972 election campaign
  • Incumbency strategy
  • Broadcast reception logistics
  • Political vetting

Download MP3 (part 1) · 111.9 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 112.0 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 33.4 MB

This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 03:36:55 into the tape and ends around 04:31:03.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.
3:38:03Manola, would you tell Mr. Coulson and Cullen to come over?
3:38:17Yes, sir.
3:38:18Manola, also would you bring over to me the...
3:38:27The folder, have them send over the folder that's on my desk for the affair tonight.
3:38:32Just have the call people.
3:38:34You don't need to go.
3:38:36Just the folder that's on my desk for tonight.
3:38:40Yes, sir.
3:39:42If the new pictures are all right.
3:39:45Yeah, I don't know if they're...
3:39:49But they've got one there.
3:39:51Yeah.
3:40:02We haven't probably heard of a line.
3:40:09You need to use a social aid or client.
3:40:14Clients always do it.
3:40:15Social aid can't do it if it doesn't.
3:40:22With this many people, I just haven't had the time to.
3:40:30The line will be too long.
3:40:33to go through two long situations.
3:40:38They have got to be, on the other hand, described as to where the hell they're from, you see.
3:40:54God put Ralph Rennie on it.
3:40:59Jesus Christ, I'm glad I told you to check these things with the local, but what about the home?
3:41:10They're okay.
3:41:10Well, one of the very, very successful, I'd just like to know, that was unbelievable.
3:41:15I would, I'd say to have a chance to read that.
3:41:19Go ahead.
3:41:23I really don't know.
3:41:24He's bad.
3:41:25I mean, I don't mean just a little bad.
3:41:26He's very bad.
3:41:27Ralph Rennick, he's a big, he's a big audience member.
3:41:31He's a CBS qualification as they had to be.
3:41:34either technically or at the very least completely neutral.
3:41:40And that was the only event that ever happened.
3:41:43I said, ask the local people.
3:41:47I said, ask the local people.
3:41:56We ran through a couple of houses.
3:41:58Well, I know you can't, but I don't expect you to be forced.
3:42:02You've got to watch it.
3:42:05I'm afraid there's going to be too many more like that.
3:42:11I'm not going to say a word.
3:42:12I apparently didn't get across what I was trying to get at.
3:42:19I wanted to reveal the potential on our side.
3:42:25I wouldn't, for example, knowing even New York, I wouldn't have paid Preston.
3:42:28I know Preston.
3:42:28He's not going to, he's going to pick the shit out of us.
3:42:35You know Preston?
3:42:37New York?
3:42:39Well, I mean, it's obvious the curve got extinguished.
3:42:46I don't see something's happening here with Preston.
3:42:50I don't think he did.
3:42:56What do they do?
3:42:57Just put it on the list and see whether they had big lists of how they actually sued them.
3:43:01I don't know.
3:43:02No?
3:43:02Well, that was one.
3:43:03We had, it was a three-week effort on this president to go home to the country to find the people who had influence up to date and who were abused.
3:43:14Our test was that they'd be reasonably sympathetic, not necessarily pro, but at least accept police guys that we could work with.
3:43:22with the influence by some stroking he had with him.
3:43:25He thinks we took a close look at him.
3:43:27I'm sure.
3:43:27I'll wait here.
3:43:28For what?
3:43:28For a body check, of course.
3:43:39Probably the other, the word.
3:44:19I'd rather have a client who will button it up a little bit.
3:44:29I mean, it's better to have somebody that knows the point rather than a tenant.
3:44:43See, the social aid, they don't know how to do that.
3:44:46They were going to say, this is Mr. Joe Blow.
3:44:49I don't know these people.
3:44:51I don't know these people.
3:44:59I don't know these people.
3:45:24This is not done.
3:45:29This is not done.
3:45:33This is not done.
3:45:35This is not done.
3:45:55They have no remarks.
3:45:57They have a mic set up so they don't hear anything.
3:46:05Audit.
3:46:06They're going to have to go to the Eastern.
3:46:17They're going to have to go to Peru.
3:46:22When I see that kind of a, you have a big program, I don't think it's too necessary, but with the editors, I don't think they've been advertising or marketing advertising or something like that.
3:46:41It was just advertising reception.
3:46:43But yeah, it's a briefing and a reception.
3:46:46Here, a briefing and a reception.
3:46:52He wasn't there, but he helped us to be wonderful.
3:46:58Check.
3:46:59Let's go.
3:47:01This is for the...
3:47:01It's a big audience.
3:47:02Let me have you here.
3:47:03Check with right on that.
3:47:05Powerful.
3:47:06Powerful.
3:47:11Powerful.
3:47:14Good job.
3:47:18Good job.
3:47:21He was, I'm sorry, he was checked and came back definitely Democratic.
3:47:25His brother is in the Democratic State Assembly.
3:47:32Yeah.
3:47:32Attends to be local vice president of the station, .
3:47:39Correct.
3:47:39He's been very, very .
3:47:41Correct.
3:47:41Oh, unbelievable.
3:47:42Yeah.
3:47:44So we did check him out.
3:47:46But I told you, liberal is a small.
3:47:49We went through 734 people who had called in on the delivery.
3:47:52We had about 500.
3:47:56At least we have a pretty good block on most of them.
3:48:04That's a pretty good idea.
3:48:06But we put people who were just calling out to the whole group.
3:48:10One of the things we often do is we've got so many people in.
3:48:28It's better to have two or three that have total responsibility than to have a dozen.
3:48:37They all have that responsibility.
3:48:50Well, you've got Scali and Sapphire and all over.
3:48:54We're going to push the end of the fuse.
3:48:56These are people who are advised to do things because they're healers and not people who are prepared.
3:49:05Especially in an election year, it's a lot of ground to cover.
3:49:13It sure is.
3:49:14After the mining decision, they were all useful.
3:49:18That's when we discovered we had a weakness, actually.
3:49:22We got the list of people that we could call around the country, but we didn't do that.
3:49:26We discovered we had about a hundred teachers, professors, and teachers in a couple of other places.
3:49:33And we actually now probably have two or three hundred of those pros, but at least we know the truth.
3:49:40That's great.
3:49:41And we know where they are.
3:49:43See, Bob, this has been always the weakness that I've been hit on in the crime.
3:49:48Client repeats the same damn people all the time.
3:49:52Right?
3:49:53You go to the client office, it ain't there.
3:49:54It's not there.
3:49:55So this is an exercise in the word why I didn't do that.
3:50:00I just thought it was fun.
3:50:02Check.
3:50:02One of the difficulties in any of these main operations, you know, we now have...
3:50:13Oh, so many of those people on the key list.
3:50:16One of the great things is you have to rely on other people too.
3:50:21I know.
3:50:21I'll tell you what you need.
3:50:22I'll tell you what you need each day.
3:50:23You need a friend who, for whatever you're supposed to do, ain't tough.
3:50:32They call and say, oh, Jesus, don't have that guy.
3:50:34He has some of that.
3:50:36No.
3:50:37In Miami, if there's any questions that were posed to him, he was perfectly, perfectly going to be smart.
3:50:48You never know to be smart.
3:50:48He knows all these countries.
3:50:50He knows more than they know about themselves.
3:50:52You call him up and say, maybe in Chicago we would call Flintstones Cinema.
3:50:55They'd register.
3:50:55They'd say, not they.
3:50:56We should be happy to come.
3:50:57He'd say, well, I would have come, but I wouldn't have that other company.
3:51:01And that's what you need.
3:51:04That's what I was expecting from this kind of a check dress.
3:51:10It was done the way you would expect.
3:51:14At least it was supplemented.
3:51:17That's the main thing.
3:51:18That's good.
3:51:20Supplemented.
3:51:21We ended up with 734.
3:51:24I never seemed to think it was that well.
3:51:32Even if you take a guy who's an athlete and you bring him in here, he never has a single name.
3:51:36He gets the first name.
3:51:40And then a lot of what we wanted couldn't come.
3:51:43Well, sure, because they had to read the show.
3:51:44They actually got shows.
3:51:45I don't feel like you pull out a lot of those things.
3:51:49I'm glad that part of it we kind of get it.
3:51:52We covered a lot of ground.
3:51:55And now we're covering a lot of people around.
3:51:56And we're one of the poorest people, the poorest people that I've signed to.
3:52:00So it's not a good thing.
3:52:02It's not a good thing on the ground.
3:52:04It's pretty bad on the ground.
3:52:13You know, I wanted to talk to you about a very interesting talk with Billy Graham.
3:52:26He talked to me just now.
3:52:30And it may be that what he says will be an interesting...
3:52:36...probably more about Bob... ...all about internet... ...technology... ...technology... ...technology... ...technology...
3:53:07They didn't say what.
3:53:12They didn't say what.
3:53:14They created that mystery.
3:53:18Maybe she was complaining that...
3:53:34Especially, well, the president has a history of bottoming off.
3:53:38Even if he doesn't, I told him I cut him off for that.
3:59:25It's undoubtedly true, undoubtedly true that they have made 500, I don't know, fighters and the kind of stuff that a clever campaign organization just hides.
3:59:41They caught up with the clever campaign organizations.
3:59:44You can't play choppers games nowadays.
3:59:48But none of us feel like it's a good story here.
3:59:51I don't have any degree of question.
3:59:53The problem is, that was done in the back, and they struck down.
3:59:57They found it.
3:59:57And there's no way you can not report it.
4:00:00It goes into the income tax stuff and everything else.
4:00:04All we need to do is lie about some squabble pay and find ourselves...
4:00:10Cut it.
4:13:22It's very, very different right now than it was then.
4:13:31There's ways in which you can exploit the advantages of your comments.
4:13:41This is day and day out.
4:13:43Yeah, and day out is day out.
4:13:44But you can't really say any one thing has a very decisive effect.
4:13:49Well, I chose to run the NDA because it was so, you know, they're going to get it in society.
4:13:59something that even I made a people in the federal parks in the summer time.
4:14:02And every one of them this summer will be handed.
4:14:05This is the main parks that people go to here.
4:14:08Talks about the tremendous progress the president makes in the legacy of the parks.
4:14:15The people going to the parks care about the parks.
4:14:18Everyone gets handed that one.
4:14:20That's good.
4:14:22It's all the stuff that used to frustrate the Jesus out of us.
4:14:25Yeah, we don't do it.
4:14:26No, we're putting, there's a mailer in every social security number on this one that quotes your message on the project which is getting .
4:14:40to every social security person to pay for it.
4:14:42The bank clean and mailer thing, it only goes to the people who are bad at it.
4:14:47We sent out seven and a half million dollars in the year 50 of the anniversary statement on Amherst today.
4:15:00We couldn't do those in 1968.
4:15:02And if you had told a guy like J.O.T.
4:15:05in 1968 just to come back to that example, he wouldn't have done it for us, but he would be more happy to speak to us.
4:15:12The television in the United States is picking up that telephone message right now.
4:23:50Well, I'll tell you, I'll tell you, it's like we're going to get caught eventually with the way I'm playing.
4:23:56Welfare Department, I think, is sharing.
4:23:57Yes, it's really kind of amazing.
4:23:59That's nice.
4:24:03No, I have never, I have never said no to anybody except to Bill Schultz, but the United Welfare Department is losing.
4:24:11And so therefore, we're going to stay right where we are.
4:24:17Some of the things we're
4:24:20And they said, I really don't have to tell you.
4:24:21You can still lose everything.
4:24:22The law is going to screw it up.
4:24:23The Lord has told Buchanan this morning that he's with us all the way in Tennessee.
4:24:26Well, he's about to announce it in the early hours of the city.
4:24:28All right, well, listen to me.
4:24:31He says that your veterans, they said, will be able to prevent what they were going through.
4:24:40Who says this?
4:24:41Kevin Phillips.
4:24:41He's got an article coming in here and there.
4:24:46My veterans came to see me.
4:24:51That was in 1939.
4:24:54I don't think so.
4:24:54I don't think so.
4:24:55I don't think so.
4:24:55I don't think so.
4:24:56I don't think so.
4:24:56I don't think so.
4:24:57I don't think so.
4:24:57I don't think so.
4:25:00I don't think so.
4:25:02I don't think so.
4:25:03I don't think so.
4:25:04I don't think so.
4:25:08I don't think you could base a campaign.
4:25:10Well, I'll tell you what, I get my stuff.
4:25:11Maybe Chuck and I get, I'm basing my own reactions too much on that.
4:25:13And I do have to read now the number of elections, a quick survey.
4:25:20And maybe this doesn't seem true, and it shouldn't, because it is something that should bend over in other ways.
4:25:30It should bend over and see how much it does, the scale stuff.
4:30:39Are you going to talk to these people or not?
4:30:46I'm just trying to greet them and cross them off to the consignor places because there's nothing to say to them.
4:30:51They don't have anything to do with it.
4:30:55I'm sorry.
4:30:56He was telling me that he'd be considering the National Association of Candidates.

On June 27, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Charles W. Colson, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:35 pm to 4:40 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 344-033 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 344-33

Date: June 27, 1972
Time: 3:35-4:40 pm
Location: Old Executive Office Building

The President met with H. R. Haldeman .

     The President's schedule

     Pictures

     Media

     Reception for broadcasters
         -Herbert G. Klein
                -Logistics of reception

Charles W. Colson entered at 3:40 pm.

          -Logistics
                -Introductions
                      -Background
          -Ralph Renick, WTVJ-TV (Miami)
                -Attitude
                      -The President’s view
                            -Henry A. Kissinger
                            -Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
          -Invitations
                -Criteria
          -Klein
                -Reception
                      -Guest list
                      -The President's view
                            -Attitudes
                            -New York
                                  -Gabe Pressman, WNEW-TV
                      -Criteria for selection of invitees
                            -Review of lists

                              -Bill Bayer, WPLG-TV (Miami)
                              -Allan Courtney, WIOD Radio (Miami)
                              -Renick
             -Klein's knowledge of press corps
                  -Kleinr’s review of guest list
             -The President's acquaintanceship with invitees

Haldeman talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 3:40 and 4:40 pm.

[Conversation No. 344-33A]

     Klein
          -Meeting with Haldeman

[End of telephone conversation]

     Reception for broadcasters
         -Klein
                -Review of guest list
         -Remarks by the President
                -Microphone
                     -East Room
                     -Blue Room
         -Program
         -Editors meeting
         -Logistics of reception and briefing
         -Unknown newsman [Renick?]
                -Family and politics
                -CBS
         -List of potential guests
                -Method of selection
                -Post-election public relations

     Staff
             -John A. Scali
             -William L. Safire
             -Richard A. Moore
             -Gerald L. Warren
             -Ronald L. Ziegler
             -Raymond K. Price, Jr.

     Press
             -Contacts with administration

         -Klein
               -Capabilities
         -Allies
         -Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo
               -Abilities
               -Advice
         -Contacts in Chicago
               -W. Clement Stone
               -David E. Bradshaw

    Reception
        -Guest list

    Editors meeting

    The President's telephone conversation with William F. (“Billy”) Graham
         -John N. and Martha (Beall) Mitchell
              -Bugging

*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 5m 42s     ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

*****************************************************************

         -Funding
         -Filing of contributions
               -Problems

*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 10m 47s    ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

*****************************************************************

         -Advantages of incumbency
              -Exposure
                   -Watergate publicity
                         -Bugging
              -National Parks brochure
              -Social Security mailers
              -Veterans anniversary statement
              -Powers of presidency

*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 8m 35s     ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

*****************************************************************

    Welfare reform
         -The President’s view
         -Previous conversations with John D. Ehrlichman and George P. Shultz

    Revenue sharing
        -Russell B. Long
        -Patrick J. Buchanan
        -New York Times article by Kevin P. Phillips

                -Readership

     News Summary
         -Value

*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 5m 1s      ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4

*****************************************************************

     The President's schedule
          -Reception for broadcasters

     Senate resolution
          -Passage

*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 4m 22s     ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5

*****************************************************************

The President, Haldeman, and Colson left at 4:40 pm.
  • 026-015 2:36 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:36 pm and 3:11 pm.
  • 344-027 2:36 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:36 pm and 3:11 pm.
  • 026-016 3:11 PM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William F. ("Billy") Graham talked on the telephone from 3:11 pm to 3:32 pm.
  • 344-030 3:11 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William F. ("Billy") Graham met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:11 pm to 3:32 pm.
  • 344-031 3:32 PM · 11 sec — 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 3:32 pm and 3:35 pm.
  • 344-032 3:32 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:32 pm and 3:35 pm.
  • 026-017 3:40 PM · 36 sec — Charles W. Colson, White House operator, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:40 pm and 4:40 pm.
  • 026-018 3:40 PM · 32 sec — Charles W. Colson, White House operator, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:40 pm and 4:40 pm.

Conversation 344-033, June 27, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/344-033 (accessed September 30, 2026).