Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 391 › Conversation 391-018

Nixon, Price & Bull on 1972 campaign and Political endorsements

Friday, November 3, 1972 · 8:34 AM–8:42 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.; Price, Raymond K., Jr.Conversation391-018 on Tape 391StartFriday, November 3, 1972 at 8:34 AMEndFriday, November 3, 1972 at 8:42 AMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 391-018 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Stephen B. Bull and Raymond K. Price, Jr. to coordinate 1972 reelection campaign messaging and streamline the President's telephone scheduling. The discussion focused on establishing a standardized endorsement and communication protocol for political candidates across various states. Nixon also directed the drafting of a concise statement emphasizing his administration's forward-looking legislative and national priorities for the next four years.

Audio

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NARA Description

On November 3, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Raymond K. Price, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:34 am and 8:42 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 391-018 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 391-18

Date: November 3, 1972
Time: Unknown between 8:34 am and 9:00 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Stephen B. Bull.

       The President’s schedule
            -Charles W. Colson
            -The President’s telephone calls
       Charles W. Colson

The President talked with Raymond K. Price, Jr. between 8:42 am and 8:46 am.

[Conversation No. 391-18A]

[See Conversation No. 32-160]

[End of telephone conversation]
                                               -39-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                         Conversation No. 391-18 (cont’d)

*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

       1972 campaign
            -The President’s telephone calls
                 -Number
                 -Scheduling
                 -Wisconsin
                 -Connecticut
                 -New Jersey
                 -South Dakota
                 -New Hampshire
                 -Delaware
                 -Georgia
                 -Kansas
                 -John D. Ehrlichman
                 -Message
                 -Endorsement

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************

Bull left at an unknown time before 9:00 am.

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 3 minutes of this recording (about 64% 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.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Oh, Ray, I, uh, read the board and all the answers at this time.

I was wondering if you could put in a very brief paragraph, because I want to keep listening from the beginning.

Okay, good job.

I'm worried to say that in the next four years, the President of the United States or whoever is the President of the United States will be pushing the travel laws, pushing the major problems.

Again, we'll be pushing on a broad

I, uh, I, uh, nationally, nationally supported the American people.

I, uh, I, uh, if, uh, if, uh, if, uh,

You can work out a paragraph on that.

I thought I'd try to get this done this morning, as a matter of fact.

As a matter of fact, I've got a paragraph on that.

I don't have time.

Okay?

Fine.

Thank you.

I'm just going to be doing some of this.

Well, I may.

I don't know.

I'll see what I can do.

I don't think the car is disturbed.

These are rocks.

I want to hang where they are, but they are not going to have other people pressing through the rocks.

They don't even know the truth.

They'll just call me.

Okay, I'll start with the full schedule for tomorrow morning.

They really have some fans.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, all day.

That'll be 12, and then we'll have to do a great job in Wisconsin.

You know, Jason, if you decide to go to the match, yeah, don't worry.

I'll see you in Iowa.

Sure, sure.

Senator, you know the chances.

Sure.

We'll schedule those in the operator this time of day.

So they have a model backed up.

For instance, they have it backed up and then have somebody like Erling, Erling, on the phone, on the phone, on the phone.

He takes out the phone and says, this is John Erling.

President was talking at the present time to Blank.

So as he finishes up with him on the phone, so that they don't wait.

I'm just saying, sorry if you can't go ahead and have somebody else to take a look at the door.

Okay, my only thing is, I just want you to be able to send us essentially the same message to everyone, particularly if it's a candidate.

Like, throw it out.

Sure.

Just, you can just read it off as simple as you're here.

So he has to get rid of the chair, he has to endorse me, he has to get out of the boat, he has to cry, he has to get out of the house.

Okay, now you're going to put this, thank you for your offer.

Yes, sir.

It's, uh, it's very, uh, it's what I'm trying to do.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Also recorded on November 3, 1972

391-014 8:08 AM · 37 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:08 am and 8:15 am.
391-015 8:15 AM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:15 am to 8:31 am.
391-016 8:33 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Mary A. ("Toni") Sidley met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:33 am to 8:34 am.
391-017 8:34 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 8:34 am and 8:42 am.
391-019 8:34 AM · 12 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 8:42 am.
032-160 8:42 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. talked on the telephone from 8:42 am to 8:46 am.
391-020 8:46 AM · 37 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 8:46 am and 9:00 am.
032-161 9:00 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:00 am and 9:12 am.

All 50 conversations from November 3, 1972 →

Nixon phone call with Calhoon on Labor Unions and 1972 Presidential Election July 19, 1972 · 3 min
Nixon, Ziegler & Haldeman on 1972 Presidential Campaign and Press Relations October 9, 1972 · 7 min
Nixon, Utility Workers Union of America & Rodgers on 1972 Presidential… October 13, 1972 · 18 min
Nixon phone call with Rizzo on Frank Sinatra and Philadelphia politics July 19, 1972 · 7 min
Nixon phone call with McClure on 1972 elections and Political endorsements November 4, 1972 · 2 min
Nixon phone call with Bellmon on Senate campaign and Watergate May 11, 1973 · 1 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 391-018, November 3, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/391-018 (accessed November 13, 2026).