Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 415 › Conversation 415-004

Nixon, Haldeman & Sanchez on White House administration and Cabinet management

Sunday, February 25, 1973 · 2:21 PM–5:40 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 8 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Sanchez, ManoloConversation415-004 on Tape 415StartSunday, February 25, 1973 at 2:21 PMEndSunday, February 25, 1973 at 5:40 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 415-004 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with H. R. Haldeman and Manolo Sanchez to dictate a memorandum regarding administrative strategies for managing White House staff, cabinet communications, and press relations. The discussion focused on establishing a systematic checklist for tracking congressional and media supporters versus critics, while also addressing planning for the upcoming visit of Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti. Additionally, the President provided instructions regarding personal inquiries into his family history and directed efforts toward refining the administration's public rhetoric.

Audio

Download MP3 · 2.2 MB

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 4 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.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).

the memorandum

I want to know if my father-in-law was a very good teacher.

Was my father good, and was he a good doctor, and was he a good teacher?

I want to be sure that my father-in-law was a good teacher, that I had noticed him, and whatever, that was their policy.

I want to know if my father-in-law was very good, because I did not want

I don't know what you want to do.

... ... ... ... ...

The same line.

Providing that we should have a checklist for our supporters and not our supporters.

That's why we have a checklist for our supporters and not our supporters.

The same line.

Providing that we should have a checklist for our supporters and not our supporters.

uh...

Hello.

What are you doing?

You're killing me.

... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ...

Thank you.

NARA Description

On February 25, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:21 pm and 5:40 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 415-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 415-4

Date: February 25, 1973
Time: Unknown between 2:21 pm and 5:40 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
                                               -4-

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

The President dictated a memorandum to H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

      Number of copies

      John D. Ehrlichman
             -Clay T. (“Tom”) Whitehead and Kevin P. Phillips
                    -Activities
                    -Rhetoric
                            -Problems

      Whitehead
            -Policy of local control
            -Responsibilities
            -Programming

      Whitehead and Phillips
            -Rhetoric
                   -Moderation
            -Cabinet
                   -Check list
                   -Possible telephone calls

      Telephone calls
            -Cabinet
            -Personal preference [?]
            -Useful purpose

      Checklist
             -Congressional supporters
             -Newspapers
                    -Hearst [?]
                    -Indianapolis Star
             -Telephone calls
             -Pressure

      Washington Press Club
            -Questions for President
            -Press relations
                                              -5-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                     -White House press corps
                     -Reception

       Ehrlichman

       White House staff
             -Officers compared with staff
                     -White House mess
             -Meetings
             -Visibility

       Italian Prime Minister Guilio Andreotti
               -Francis A. (“Frank”) Sinatra and White House entertainment
               -Visit
               -Meetings with President and Henry A. Kissinger [?]
               -Cabinet, Congressional leaders

Manolo Sanchez [?] entered at an unknown time after 2:21 pm.

       Delivery

Sanchez [?] left at an unknown time before 5:40 pm.

       Formal National Security Council [NSC] meeting

The President finished dictating at an unknown time before 5:40 pm.

Also recorded on February 25, 1973

415-001 1:30 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:30 pm and 2:08 pm.
415-002 2:08 PM · 19 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 2:08 pm and 2:21 pm.
415-003 2:08 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:08 pm and 2:21 pm.
415-005 2:21 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:21 pm and 5:40 pm.

Cite this conversation

Conversation 415-004, February 25, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/415-004 (accessed October 1, 2026).