Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 378 › Conversation 378-004
Nixon, Ziegler & Haldeman on Vietnam War and Watergate
Tuesday, October 31, 1972 · 9:55 AM–11:00 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 25 min
AI Summary
President Nixon met with his senior staff, including H.R. Haldeman and Ronald Ziegler, to discuss the ongoing negotiations for a Vietnam peace settlement, emphasizing the necessity of a durable agreement that avoids the pitfalls of previous accords. The discussion also covered campaign strategy, including the management of candidate endorsements and media relations, as well as the political fallout from the Watergate scandal. Additionally, the President reviewed his upcoming schedule, which included meetings with Nelson Rockefeller and security concerns regarding a planned trip to Chicago.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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Thank you.
and while the general mother has been
We don't want that.
We want a agreement that will last, a peace that will last.
And that's why it's very important that we have to deal with that.
Now, first, what is that?
Well, there is one condition.
It's non-negotiable.
One non-negotiable condition.
There can be no commentary.
our primary objective is the right kind of integration the election and we are not going to allow any
For example, the Laotian agreement in 1962.
And the bombing halt in 1968.
And the bombing halt in 1968.
In which the details were not adequately nailed up.
principles.
The details are vitally important in this one.
Target cleared up.
Thank you.
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They are a full partner.
They have a people and all that kind of stuff.
And we're working on that.
We're working on the government itself.
And that's something along those lines.
And the idea that we're not going to...
last, not one that has amputations in it.
One with amputations here, that third, it must be one.
And that's right, it must be further.
But above everything else,
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... ... ... ... ...
We cannot, under the law, we cannot transfer funds.
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.
Okay.
Okay.
and uh
All right.
Thank you.
Okay.
Okay.
Thank you.
I would do that.
Thank you.
Thank you.
uh...
When I saw it, I thought it was a goddamn screw-up.
I didn't even want to raise it.
But, you know, it wasn't practically the only one.
It wasn't the name of God.
It's like talking to a Democrat in there.
It wasn't the name of God.
It kind of looked like the National Council of Other Parties.
It wasn't the same injection.
It was stupid, though.
It wasn't.
Thank you.
Right.
the only thing that I'm concerned about
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
.
.
.
There I go.
NARA Description
On October 31, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), Alexander P. Butterfield, and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:55 am to 11:00 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 378-004 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 378-4
Date: October 31, 1972
Time: 9:55 am - 11:00 am
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.
Vietnam settlement
-Ziegler’s forthcoming press conference
-Viet Cong [VC] statement
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Quality of settlement
-Progress
-Details of agreement
-Importance
-1962 Laotian agreement
-Kissinger
-Quality of agreement
-Importance
-Condition set by the administration
-Coalition government
-Sine Qua Non condition
-Deadlines
-October 31, 1972
-November 7, 1972
-Details of agreement
-Laotian agreement in 1962
-1968 bombing halt
-Coalition government election commission
-De facto, de jure status
-Kissinger
-Laotian agreement
-Self determination
-Election
-Electoral commission
-Communists
-North Vietnamese
-Negotiation progress
-US statements
-Consultation with Saigon
-Kissinger
-Partnership
-Veto
-Settlement timing
-1972 election
-Quality of agreement
-Sine Qua Non condition
-Kissinger
H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman entered at 10:03 am.
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 14m 48s ]
Ziegler left at 10:17 am.
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************
Ziegler entered at 10:19 am.
Signing of final bill of 92nd Congress
-Scheduling
-Oval Office
-The President's meeting with Nelson A. Rockefeller
The President’s schedule
-Rockefeller
-Photograph session
Ziegler left at 10:20 am.
Campaign practices
-Press coverage of the President’s assistance to Congressional
candidates
-Endorsement letters
-Photographs
-Television [TV] spots
-Candidate endorsements
-Campaign contributions
-Clark MacGregor
-Transfer of funds
-MacGregor
-John N. Mitchell
-Kevin P. Phillips
-Films
-Buildup
-Radio
-U.S. News and World Report
-Telephone calls
-Robert J. Dole
-Phillips
-News summary
-News summary
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 3m 33s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
*****************************************************************
Haldeman talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between
10:20 am and 10:50 am.
[Conversation No. 378-4A]
John B. Connally's schedule
[End of telephone conversation]
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 11m 36s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
*****************************************************************
The President’s schedule
-Chicago
-Security considerations
-Demonstrators
-Comparisons to 1968 Democratic National Convention
Record of administration
-Public relations
-Amnesty
-US News and World Report
-1972 election
-White paper
-Distribution
-Hugh Sidey
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Editors
-Buying broadcast time
-Radio
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-George S. McGovern
Watergate
-Possible libel suit
-Charles W. Colson
-Problems
-Chapin
-Chapin
Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
-Political use
-Time article
-News summary
-Ehrlichman’s statement, October 30, 1972
-Crime information in localities
-Justice Department
-Inquiry from Domestic Council staff
-Property of inquiry
-Handling by Justice Department
-The President’s view
-Analogy to bugging of Democratic National Committee
-Domestic Council
-Edwin L. Harper
-Domestic Council
-Geoffrey C. Shepard
-Ehrlichman’s statement
-Analogy to inquiries made of Agriculture and Transportation [sic]
Departments
Watergate
-Haldeman, Chapin, Colson
-Chapin
-Donald H. Segretti
Issues
-Vietnam, corruption
-Administration polls
-Democratic advertisements
-Effect
-Colson
-The President’s forthcoming trip to Chicago
-Vietnam
-Press relations
-Hanoi
-Thieu
-Kissinger
-Left and right
-Administration poll
Haldeman talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between
10:20 am and 10:50 am.
[Conversation No. 378-4B]
Request
[End of telephone conversation]
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 3m 29s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
*****************************************************************
Alexander P. Butterfield entered at 10:50 am.
White House staff
-Size
-Ehrlichman’s staff [Domestic Council]
-Speeches
-Work
-Meetings
The president’s schedule
-Rockefeller meetings
-Connally
-Bill signing
-Chicago
-Possible delay
-Media reaction
Butterfield left at 10:52 am.
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 7m 6s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
*****************************************************************
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 10:52 am.
The President's schedule
-Rockefeller
-Connally
-Chicago
-Delay
Bull and Haldeman left at 11:00 am.Also recorded on October 31, 1972
- 378-001 8:34 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:34 am and 9:28 am.
- 378-002 9:28 AM · 23 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:28 am to 9:50 am.
- 378-003 9:50 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:50 am and 9:55 am.
- 378-005 11:00 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:00 am and 11:04 am.
- 810-001 11:04 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:04 am to 11:10 am.
- 810-002 11:10 AM · 23 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Nelson A. Rockefeller, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:10 am to 11:36 am.
- 810-003 11:36 AM · 31 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:36 am and 11:43 am.
- 810-004 11:36 AM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:36 am and 11:43 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 378-004, October 31, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/378-004 (accessed October 5, 2026).