Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 378 › Conversation 378-014

Nixon with unidentified visitors in his EOB office on Halloween

Tuesday, October 31, 1972 · 4:10 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 28 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); [Unknown person(s)]Conversation378-014 on Tape 378StartTuesday, October 31, 1972 at 4:10 PMEndTuesday, October 31, 1972 at 4:10 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 378-014 ↗

President Nixon consulted with an unidentified staff member regarding the public relations strategy for a scheduled Halloween event. The discussion centered on promoting the party, with specific focus on ensuring media coverage for a display featuring Tricia Nixon Cox. The President requested that Richard A. Moore and Ronald L. Ziegler coordinate the promotional efforts to maximize the event's visibility.

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I wondered if you would maybe put the, if somebody liked more, or if they're promoting a Halloween thing tonight.
You know, with Trisha's on the wall.

On October 31, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 4:10 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 378-014 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 378-14

Date: October 31, 1972
Time: 4:10 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with an unknown person.

        The President’s schedule
            -Halloween party
                -Promotion
                     -Richard A. Moore, Ronald L. Ziegler
                -Tricia Nixon Cox

                                                    Conversation No. 378-15/376-1

Date: October 31, 1972
Time: 4:10 pm - 5:34 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Charles W. Colson.

        Effect of Vietnam on negotiations
            -Polls
                 -Stock market
                      -George H. Gallup
                      -Louis P. Harris
                      -Hanoi’s recent statement
                 -The President's conversation with Henry A. Kissinger
            -Public relations
                 -Ronald L. Ziegler’s recent press conference

                    -Tone
                -Nelson A. Rockefeller’s recent statement
                    -Tone
                -Proper kind of peace
                -Deadline
                    -Compared to 1968
                -South Vietnamese self-determination
                -Public perception
                    -Possible disappointment, cynicism
                -The president’s forthcoming statements
                    -Address to the nation, “Look to the Future”,
                     November 2, 1972
                    -Campaign visits
                -Nature of peace settlement
                -Timing of agreement
                    -1972 election
                -Ronald Ziegler's briefing
                -Rockefeller's press conference
                    -Watergate
                    -Question and answer [Q&A] session
                         -George S. McGovern
                              -Democratic National Committee [DNC]
                              -Statement on renegotiation of settlement

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 4m 16s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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

       Post-1972 election strategy for dealing with the press
           -Treatment of Washington Post
           -Washington Post attacks on the President
               -Nature of attacks
                    -Comparison with the New York Times

                       -Retractions
                            -Anthony Lewis column
                                 -John B. Connally
           -Washington Post activities
              -Anti-bugging sweep
                   -Investigating firm
                   -Reasons
                       -Katharine L. Graham
                   -Investigating firm
              -Benjamin C. Bradlee
                   -Colson’s view
                   -Speech on freedom of the press

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 3m 5s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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

       Polls
           -Issues
                -Albert E. Sindlinger’s view
                    -Corruption
                    -Vietnam
                         -Effect
                         -Democrats
                              -McGovern position
           -Voter’s preference
                -Sindlinger’s view
                    -Colson’s recent conversation with Sindlinger
                    -Landslide
                    -National referendum
                    -The President’s schedule
                    -Consensus of opinion
                -Corruption, Vietnam

           -Publication
           -Reason for results
               -Corruption

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration:    7m 39s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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

       Polls
           -Issues
                -Corruption
                    -Richard M. Scammon's analysis
                    -Strategy
                         -McGovern
                              -Food prices
                              -Big business
                    -Washington, DC interest
           -Voter’s preference
                -Sindlinger’s view
                    -Connally
                         -Forthcoming appearance on Today Show
                    -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
                    -Clark MacGregor
                    -Robert J. Dole
                    -Voter’s meaning

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 2m 55s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4

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

[This recording was cut off at an unknown time after 4:10 pm.]

[An unknown portion of this conversation was not recorded while the tape was being changed]
  • 810-013 2:44 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:44 pm and 2:52 pm.
  • 810-014 2:44 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:44 pm and 2:52 pm.
  • 810-015 2:52 PM · 26 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:52 pm to 3:23 pm.
  • 810-016 3:23 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:23 pm and 3:25 pm.
  • 810-017 3:25 PM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:25 pm to 4:08 pm.
  • 376-001 4:10 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:10 pm and 5:34 pm.
  • 378-015 4:10 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:10 pm to 5:34 pm.
  • 810-018 4:10 PM · 1 min — United States Secret Service agents and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 4:10 pm on October 31, 1972 and 3:01 pm on November 1, 1972.

Conversation 378-014, 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/378-014 (accessed October 5, 2026).