Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 418
Nixon White House Tape 418 (March 7, 1973 – March 9, 1973)
6 conversations · Old Executive Office Building · about 2 hr 26 min of released audio
Featuring Nixon, Sanchez, Haldeman, Rebozo, Kissinger
President Nixon met with his personal aide, Manolo Sanchez, to discuss the logistical arrangement of dictation equipment within the President's bedroom. Nixon provided specific instructions on how to reorganize the machines on his bedside stands to improve accessibility. The discussion also briefly touched upon necessary repairs for lighting fixtures in the room, requiring coordination with a communications officer.
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met to discuss a wide-ranging agenda of personnel, public relations, and scheduling matters, including salary adjustments for staff and strategies for upcoming events. They focused on optimizing the President's image by managing interactions with Vietnam POWs, coordinating high-profile "stag" dinners with key "New Establishment" figures, and organizing state visits for leaders such as Lee Kuan Yew. Additionally, they reviewed long-term political objectives for the 1974 election cycle, emphasizing a shift toward emphasizing "Square America" values and delegating domestic battles to surrogates while the President maintains the stature of a global peacemaker.
President Nixon, Manolo Sanchez, and H. R. Haldeman met briefly to discuss logistical arrangements regarding the President's schedule and travel. Nixon inquired about traffic conditions for travel to Camp David and requested specific historical copies of his daily schedules for the 7th, 8th, and 9th of March. The conversation concluded with instructions to provide these documents, including additional copies intended for his daughters, Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon Eisenhower.
President Nixon held a brief, routine administrative interaction with the White House operator to facilitate an outgoing call. No substantive policy matters or political discussions were addressed during this short exchange. The conversation served exclusively as a functional step in the President’s telephonic communication process.
President Nixon and his advisors discussed strategic communication, particularly the need for effective framing and "phrasemaking" for the administration’s legislative agenda, including a forthcoming crime speech. The participants reviewed the status of high-level ambassadorial appointments, aiming to balance career diplomats with political appointees and prioritizing the inclusion of minority representatives. Additionally, Nixon and Kissinger finalized plans regarding the release of prisoners from the People's Republic of China, emphasizing the need to manage the announcement to maximize political credit and handle sensitive diplomatic back-channel communications.
This recording captures an unidentified group of participants meeting with President Nixon in the Old Executive Office Building. The brief and fragmented dialogue consists primarily of an inquiry regarding the President’s location. Due to the incomplete nature of the transcript and the lack of context, no substantive policy decisions or meaningful developments can be discerned.