On October 24, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, John B. Connally, John N. Mitchell, Clark MacGregor, John D. Ehrlichman, Charles W. Colson, and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:16 pm to 6:30 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 373-025 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 373-25/375-1
Date: October 24, 1972
Time: 4:16 pm - 6:30 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with John B. Connally, John N. Mitchell, Clark MacGregor, John D.
Ehrlichman, Charles W. Colson and H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
Greetings
-Connally’s television [TV] appearance, October 20, 1972
The President’s schedule
1972 election
-Vietnam negotiations
-Timing
-Connally’s view
(rev. Nov-03)
-Possible public perception of a settlement
-Political ramifications
-The President’s view
-Potential problems
-Nguyen Van Thieu’s situation
-North Vietnamese
-Deadline compared with flexibility
Manolo Sanchez [?] entered at an unknown time after 4:16 pm.
-North Vietnamese claim
-Thieu’s blocking of possible settlement
-Delicacy of situation
-The President’s recent conversation with Henry A. Kissinger
-The President’s role
-Public perception
-Connally’s view
-Compared with Kissinger’s role
Sanchez [?] left at an unknown time before 6:05 pm.
-Possible question and answer session
-The President’s view
-The President’s frequent consultation with Kissinger
-Ronald L. Ziegler’s possible statement
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-The President’s strategy
-George S. McGovern’s campaign
-McGovern’s fears
-Thieu and possible statement
-Questions and answers
-Type of settlement and timing
-Kissinger’s statements to North Vietnam and Thieu
-Timeline
-The President’s possible military action after election
-The President’s conversation with unknown person
-Cambodia and Laos
-Vietnamese people
-South Vietnam’s future
-Thieu
-MacGregor’s possible appearance on the Today Show
-MacGregor’s recent meeting with Paul {last name unknown]
(rev. Nov-03)
-Paul C. Warnke’s possible appearance
-The President’s position
-White House statements
-Kissinger
-William P. Rogers
-Possible statements
-Status of negotiations
-Kissinger
-Pham Van Dong’s interview with [Arnaud de Borchgrave]
-Type of settlement
-Survival of South Vietnam
-Possible response to MacGregor statements
-Necessity
-Congressmen and Senators
-Haig and Kissinger
-MacGregor’s possible Today show appearance
-Response to Warnke’s statements
-Cease fire
-Melvin R. Laird
-MacGregor’s strategy
-Haig and Kissinger’s view
-Portions of the President’s previous speech, January 25, 1972
-The President’s record
-McGovern’s plan
-Withdrawal
-Laos, Cambodia
-Surrender
-Prisoners of war [POWs]
-Current issues compared with past record
-The President’s view
-McGovern’s statements
-Compared with the President and Hubert H. Humphrey’s statements
in the 1968 campaign
-Effect on negotiations
-Attacking tone
-The President’s view
-Possible statements
-Effect of Democrats on negotiations
-McGovern’s actions and statements
-Trip to Vietnam
-The President’s policy
-POWs
(rev. Nov-03)
-Coalition government issue
-South Vietnamese self-determination
-Thieu’s possible resignation
-McGovern’s plan
-Peace with surrender
-Effect on negotiations
-Ziegler
-Statement about South Vietnamese
Press
-New York Times story
-Connally story
-Source
-Retraction
-Bob [last name unknown]
-Washington Post story on Connally
-Telephone conversation
-Democrats for Nixon
-Los Angeles Times story on Connally's salary
-L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III
-George E. Christian
-Samuel W. Yorty
-Wilbur D. Mills
-Campaign practices
-Author
-Edward M. Kennedy supporter
-Knowledge of Donald H. Segretti and Watergate
-Role in Democratic party
-Connally's support for John F. Kennedy
-Financial records
-Corruption charges
-Response
-Robert J. Dole
-Get-out-the-vote effort
-Watergate
-Quality of reporting
-Ziegler
-Segretti
Forthcoming TV appearance
-Today show
-International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT]
(rev. Nov-03)
-Issues and Answers
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Samuel A. Donaldson
-Face the Nation
-William P. Rogers’s appearance with Daniel L. Schorr
-Possible Meet the Press appearance
-Rogers, George P. Shultz
-Agnew
-Connally
-The President’s view
-Advantages
-Democrats
-Issues
-Democrats
-October 20, 1972
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 8m 51s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************
1972 campaign
-The President’s forthcoming radio speeches
-Crime and drug abuse, October 15, 1972
-Rural America and Farms Ten Goals for America [“Birthright of an American
Child” November 5, 1972]
-Coverage by newspapers
-Sunday compared Monday papers
-Omnibus veto signing statement [Memorandum of disapproval of Nine Bills,
October 27, 1972]
-Bill signing [Statement about decision to sign 37 bills, October 28, 1972]
-TV compared with radio
-The President’s view
-Connally’s view
-The President's previous veterans statement [Radio Address on the American
(rev. Nov-03)
Veteran, October 22, 1972]
-Time
-Audience figures
-Newspaper coverage
-Hecklers on previous trip to New York
-The President’s statement
-Tax issue
-Use of radio speech material
-The President’s forthcoming trips to Ohio and Appalachia
-Statements on rural America
-Newspaper coverage
-Quality
-Focus on Vietnam peace settlement issue
-McGovern
-Administration campaign strategy
-McGovern fiscal policy
-Labor unions
-Shultz's preparation of response
-Price increases
-Tax increases
-Inflation
-National issues compared with local issues
-The President’s statements in Atlanta, San Francisco
-National welfare
-McGovern’s character
-Handling
-Ehrlichman’s interview at Camp David
-The President’s statements
-Herbert Stein
-Inflation
-Unemployment
-Possible statements
-Donald H. Rumsfeld, Stein, Charles E. Walker
-Pierre Rinfret
-Today Show
-The President’s role
-Possible radio advertisement
-Today Show alternate
-Results of McGovern policies
-Taxes
-Prices
-Unemployment
(rev. Nov-03)
-Recession
-Preparation by Patrick J. Buchanan
-McGovern’s inflationary policies
-The President’s view
-Buchanan
-Rinfret
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 44s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
*****************************************************************
The President's rally in New York
-Nassau County
-Joseph M. Margiotta
-The President's speech on issues
-Senior citizens
-Hecklers
-Agnew
-Margiotta
-Rally cost
-Audience desire to hear the President
-Police action
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 4m 19s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
(rev. Nov-03)
*****************************************************************
Watergate
-Newsweek
-Segretti
-Alleged recruitment of Arthur H. Bremer
-Dwight L. Chapin memorandum to Haldeman
-Possible release to the press
1972 campaign
-Democratic strategy
-Advertisements
-New York Times article
-Crime
-High pries
-McGovern
-Amnesty
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 24s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
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Campaign finances
-Progress
-Maurice H. Stans
-Telephone calls
-Schedule
-Camp David
*****************************************************************
(rev. Nov-03)
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 59 s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
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1972 campaign advertisements
-Amnesty
-Crime
-Food prices
-Marijuana
-McGovern’s statements
-Radio
-Use of President’s speech material
-The President’s schedule
-Coverage in areas of the US
-Midwest
-Chicago
-California
-Times
-Daylight savings time
-Effectiveness
-1968 campaign
-George C. Wallace
-Unemployment, inflation
-Speech topics
-Schedule
-Employment, wages
-The President's accomplishments during
first term
-economic topics
-Vietnam
-Contrast between the President’s and McGovern's positions
-McGovern's emphasis on issues
-Henry A. Wallace
-Timing
-Spending on advertisements
(rev. Nov-03)
Campaign finances
-Compared with Democrats
-Contributions
-Collection
-Stans
-Democrats
-Colson’s recent conversation with Frank E. Fitzsimmons
-Progress
-Stans
-Paul C. Hall
-Fund raising
-Time story
-Press coverage
-Newspapers
-Washington Post
-Grand Jury
-Time story on Democrats fund raising
-Comparison of loans and gifts
-Repayment of loans
-Investigation
-Spirit of the law
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 13m 43s ]
Mitchell, Macgregor, Ehrlichman and Colson left at 6:05 pm.
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
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Presidential safety
-The President’s view
-Connally’s view
(rev. Nov-03)
-Movement
-The President’s trip to Ohio
-Cities
-Cincinnati
-Cleveland
-Possible stop at a college
-Hiram College
-Radical students
-Assassin types
-John F. Kennedy
-[Lee Harvey Oswald]
-Report
-Motorcade safety
-Problems
-Assassination attempt
-John Kennedy
-Haldeman’s view
-Planned assassination compared to spontaneous violence
-Types of assassins
-Ohio trip cancellation
-Connally’s view
-Chicago
-Compared with Lyndon B. Johnson
Watergate
-Newsweek
-Mel Elfin’s conversation with Leonard H. Marks
-Chapin-Haldeman memorandum
-Segretti
-Existence
-Haldeman’s view
-White House policy on use of memoranda by staff
-Colson’s staff
-Dissemination of information
-Richard J. Whalen
-Press
-Washington Post
-Jack N. Anderson
-Strategy
-White House involvement
-Colson
-Chapin
-Memorandum
(rev. Nov-03)
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 8
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 3m 43s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 8
*****************************************************************
This conversation was cut off at an unknown time after 6:05 pm.
[An unknown portion of this conversation was not recorded while the tape was being changed]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.