Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 385 › Conversation 385-016
Nixon & Haig on Administration and Negotiation strategy
Monday, December 11, 1972 · 5:37 PM–5:42 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 4 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Alexander Haig discuss the frustration and difficulties associated with ongoing administrative negotiations and message management. Nixon expresses a desire to move away from the current, tortuous process of dealing with outside parties who are failing to conform to established frameworks. The President indicates he will take a short recess to regroup and prepare for a more decisive approach to these challenges.
- Administration
- Negotiation strategy
- White House operations
- Decision making
- Message control
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 3 minutes of this recording (about 59% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On December 11, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:37 pm to 5:42 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 385-016 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 385-16
Date: December 11, 1972
Time: 5:37 pm - 5:42 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President talked with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
[See Conversation No. 34-47]
-20-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUMAlso recorded on December 11, 1972
- 034-046 5:35 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:35 pm and 5:37 pm.
- 385-015 5:35 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:35 pm and 5:37 pm.
- 034-047 5:37 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 5:37 pm to 5:42 pm.
- 034-048 5:42 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:49 pm.
- 385-017 5:42 PM · 27 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
- 385-018 5:42 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
- 385-019 5:42 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
- 385-020 5:42 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 385-016, December 11, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/385-016 (accessed October 1, 2026).