Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 389 › Conversation 389-018
Nixon, Haldeman & Colson on 1972 Presidential Campaign
Saturday, November 4, 1972 · 11:02 AM–11:40 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 26 min
AI Summary
President Nixon, H.R. Haldeman, and Charles Colson met to discuss the final stages of the 1972 presidential campaign, focusing on delegating media responses and organizing future public appearances. They evaluated the effectiveness of Vice President Spiro Agnew in challenging George McGovern's stance on Vietnam negotiations, specifically emphasizing the contrast between "peace with honor" and McGovern’s perceived "irresponsibility." Additionally, the participants discussed personnel matters, including a potential transition for Clark MacGregor into a new role following the election.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 13 minutes of this recording (about 49% 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.
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NARA Description
On November 4, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Charles W. Colson, Ronald L. Ziegler, Henry Hibbard, and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:02 am and 11:40 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 389-018 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 389-18
Date: November 4, 1972
Time: Unknown between 11:02 am and 11:40 am
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
Press relations
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Judgment
The President’s schedule
-Charles W. Colson
-Arrival
*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
1972 campaign
-Telephone calls
-Value
-George S. McGovern
-Vietnam settlement
-Statement
-21-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 389-18 (cont’d)
-Sense of desperation
-Charles W. Colson
-Comments on campaign
-Local campaigns
-Governors
Colson and Ziegler entered at 11:05 am.
The President talked with Henry Hibbard between 11:04 am and 11:06 am.
[Conversation No. 389-18A]
[See Conversation No. 33-33]
[End of telephone conversation]
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown after 11:06 am.
John B. Connally’s [?] schedule
-Cincinnati
-1972 campaign
The President’s schedule
Bull left at an unknown before 11:15 am.
*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
1972 campaign
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Tough statement
-Release
-Press conference
-22-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 389-18 (cont’d)
-Arrangements
-Media coverage
-Topics of discussion
-Demonstrators
-Meeting with Ziegler
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************
1972 campaign
-McGovern speech in Chicago, November 3, 1972
-Response
-Desperation
-Sabotage
-Vietnam negotiations
-Progress
-Desperation, irresponsibility
-Effect on McGovern’s candidacy
-Negotiations
-Effect of McGovern’s comments on Hanoi
-Peace with surrender
-Compared with peace with honor
-Choice for American people in 1968 and 1972
-Statement by Agnew
-McGovern’s irresponsibility
-Praise for Hubert H. Humphrey’s stand on issue
*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
-Publicity
-Public reacation
-New England
-McGovern’s credibility
-Accusations against the President
-Television [TV]
-Vietnam negotiations
-23-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 389-18 (cont’d)
-Political benefits
-Response
-Ziegler
-Agnew
-The President
-Press
Ziegler and Colson left at 11:15 am.
-Agnew
-Role
-Problems
-Colson’s handling
-Haldeman’s handling
-McGovern speech in Chicago
-Response
-William P. Rogers
-The President’s trips
-Chicago
-Oklahoma
-Mark I. Goode
-Arrangements
-William H. Carruthers
-Chicago
-Problems
-Publicity
-TV
-Arrangements
-Agnew
-Crowds
-Public relations work
-Effectiveness
-Clark MacGregor
-Morale
-Statements
-Attorney General
-Richard G. Kleindienst’s replacement
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
-24-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 389-18 (cont’d)
*****************************************************************
Second term reorganization
-Clark MacGregor
-New job
-[United Aircraft Corp]
-Conservatism
-Title
-Vice President
-Location
-Washington, DC
-Duties
-Travel
-Compared to Ronald W. Reagan [job at General Electric]
-Explanation of relationship of business and government to
students
-Expense account
-New establishment
-“Georgetown salon”
-[Barbara Porter (Spicer) MacGregor]
-Thomas W. Braden
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Possible judicial appointment
-Attitude
-White House staff
White House staff
-Attitudes
-Complainers, leakers
-Unknown person
-Internal memorandum
-Writing
-Timing
-Leak
*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
-25-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 389-18 (cont’d)
1972 campaign
-Letter to the President
-Murray M. Chotiner
-California
-Crowds
-Ohio
-MacGregor
-McGovern
-Press coverage
-James J. Kilpatrick, Jr.
-Column
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************
Haldeman left at an unknown time before 11:40 am.Also recorded on November 4, 1972
- 033-030 11:00 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 11:00 am.
- 033-031 11:00 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:00 am and 11:01 am.
- 389-013 11:00 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:00 am and 11:01 am.
- 389-014 11:00 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:00 am and 11:01 am.
- 389-015 11:00 AM · 12 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 11:01 am.
- 389-016 11:00 AM · 10 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 11:00 am and 11:01 am.
- 033-032 11:01 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 11:01 am to 11:02 am.
- 389-017 11:01 AM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 11:01 am to 11:02 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 389-018, November 4, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/389-018 (accessed October 11, 2026).