President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman met to coordinate the messaging strategy for the final weeks of the 1972 presidential campaign. They discussed the scheduling and content of upcoming radio addresses on foreign policy, defense, and urban affairs, while also strategizing a media offensive regarding George McGovern's position on amnesty. Additionally, the pair assessed the administration's aggressive response to recent Washington Post reporting on campaign espionage, framing the coverage as "yellow journalism" to discredit the newspaper.
On October 25, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:25 pm to 4:20 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 372-038 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 372-38
Date: October 25, 1972
Time: 3:25 pm - 4:20 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
The President’s forthcoming radio speeches
-Address on the American Farmer, October 27, 1972
-Address on Foreign Policy
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-Timing compared with Post-Vietnam war settlement
-Address on Defense Policy
-Previous speech in San Francisco, September 27, 1972
-Massive retaliation
-Small nations and conventional forces
-Separate defense policy and foreign policy speech
-Press coverage
-Timing of speeches
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Address on urban affairs
-Address on the American Farmer
-Address on Foreign policy
-Importance
-Possible press coverage
-Use of broadcast time
-President’s preparation time
-Radio
-Fireside chat
-William L. Safire
-Camp David
-Timing
An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 3:25 pm.
Refreshments
The unknown man left at an unknown time before 4:20 pm.
(rev. Nov-03)
The President’s forthcoming speeches
-Timing of radio speeches
-Camp David
-Radio speeches
-Address on Urban Affairs
-Address on Foreign Affairs
-Price
-Chicago trip
-Statements compared with radio speeches
-Previous speech in Atlanta
-Radio speeches
-Address on Urban Affairs
-Address on Foreign Affairs
-Price
-Timing
-Compared with Address on Urban Affairs
An unknown person entered and left at an unknown time between 3:25 pm and 4:20 pm.
Advertisement of issues
-Amnesty
-Possible Television [TV] advertisement
-Administration response to George S. McGovern's position
-Possible radio advertisement
-California
-Massachusetts
-South
-Draft dodgers
-Patrick J. Buchanan
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 19m 47s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
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(rev. Nov-03)
McGovern
-Forthcoming TV appearance
-Corruption
-Sabotage and campaign practices
-Edmund S. Muskie
-Hubert H. Humphrey
-Possible effectiveness of sabotage charges
-Economic issues
-Vietnam issue
-Watergate as issue
Washington Post story on Haldeman and campaign espionage
-Ronald L. Ziegler’s press conference
-Attack on the press
-“Yellow journalism” charges
-Washington Post
-New York Times
-Clark MacGregor
-Veracity
-Ziegler’s press conference
-White House staff morale
-National impact
-Nashville
-Ziegler’s press conference
-Quality of journalism
-Richard A. Moore, Ehrlichman
-MacGregor’s statements
-Future of story
-Washington Post, TV news, news magazines
-Allen S. Drury’s theory
-Moore’s statement
-Future plans
-Attack on the Washington Post
-Previous Washington Post story on Charles W. Colson
-Ziegler’s press conference
-Washington Post motivations
-Benjamin C. Bradlee's statement
-Time magazine
-Haldeman’s view
(rev. Nov-03)
-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] leak
-Ziegler’s press conference
-White House subscription to the Washington Post
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Ziegler’s specific attack
-Washington Post motivation
-Quality of information
-Desperation
-Ehrlichman’s view
-Possible libel charge
-New York Times v. Sullivan
-Moore’s theory
-Bradlee and Katharine L. Graham
-Plans to attack the White House
-Possible Pulitzer Prize reward
-Methods
-Colson article
Vietnam peace settlement
-1972 election
-Polls
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Willingness to make a statement
-Ziegler
-Coalition government issue
-Telephone call to William F. Buckley, Jr.
-Telephone call to Howard K. Smith
-Telephone call to Richard (“Dick”) Wilson
-Press speculation
-Kissinger
-Political effect
-Public stance
-Effect of 1972 election on negotiations
-Coalition government in South Vietnam
-Prisoners of war [POWs]
-McGovern attack
-Buchanan
-Newspaper advertisement
-Kissinger
(rev. Nov-03)
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 26s ]
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 3:25 pm.
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
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Audio messages
-Microphone
-Format
-Procedures
-Reading
-Wesley Powell
-William Loch
-Procedures
-Reading
Bull left at an unknown time before 4:20 pm.
Camp David press accommodations
-The President’s instructions
-William C. Carruthers
-Briefing room
1968 campaign practices compared to 1972
-1969 surveillance of Nixon campaign plane
-Possible use in 1972 campaign
-Lyndon B. Johnson’s possible response
Possible appearance on Meet the Press
-John B. Connally
-McGregor
News story on campaign financing
-Richard Mellon Scaife’s contribution
(rev. Nov-03)
-Source of revelation
-The President's campaign coverage compared with McGovern's
-Stewart Mott
-Public perception
Wisconsin campaign
-McGovern claims of campaign sabotage
-Possible sabotage by Humphrey campaign
-MacGregor’s statement
-White House strategy
-FBI leak
-Haldeman's conversation with Richard G. Kleindienst
-Source of information
-L. Patrick Gray, III.
-Robert K. Kunkel
-US Attorney's office
-The President’s view
-Possible response after 1972 election
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 19s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
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Haldeman left at 4:20 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.