Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 419 › Conversation 419-017
Nixon alone in his EOB office on Public Relations and Vietnam War
Wednesday, March 14, 1973 · 8:59 AM–9:25 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 9 min
AI Summary
President Nixon dictated a memorandum for the file regarding a variety of administrative and policy matters. The discussion covered public relations strategies for domestic policy, the status of Vietnam War objectives and U.S. troop withdrawals, and the performance of the Justice Department and FBI. Nixon also reviewed personnel and scheduling concerns, specifically regarding the roles of H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, and William Rogers, while noting potential awards for customs agents.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 3 minutes of this recording (about 36% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 March 14, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:59 am and 9:25 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 419-017 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 419-17
Date: March 14, 1973
Time: Unknown between 8:59 am and 9:25 am
Location: Executive Office Building
The President dictated a memorandum for the file.
*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
-18-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 419-17 (cont’d)
Awards to customs agents
-Good idea
-Press coverage
Prisoners of war [POWs]
President’s meetings with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Public relations [PR]
-Problems
-Education [?]
-Domestic policy
-Timing
-Compared to foreign policy
Justice Department
-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
Robert H. Finch [?]
-Candidacy
John D. Ehrlichman [?]
Selection process
Meeting in Executive Office Building [EOB]
-Scheduling
-Haldeman
-Power
-Recognition
Vietnam War
-Objectives
-US withdrawal
-POWs [?]
-South Vietnam
William P. Rogers
-Pentagon [?]
-19-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 419-17 (cont’d)
-Position
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************Also recorded on March 14, 1973
- 037-097 8:36 AM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 8:36 am.
- 037-098 8:36 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:36 am and 8:55 am.
- 419-010 8:36 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 8:36 am.
- 419-011 8:36 AM · 12 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 8:36 am and 8:55 am.
- 037-099 8:55 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John W. Dean, III talked on the telephone from 8:55 am to 8:59 am.
- 419-015 8:55 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John W. Dean, III met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:55 am to 8:59 am.
- 419-016 8:59 AM · 10 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 8:59 am and 9:25 am.
- 419-018 8:59 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:59 am and 9:25 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 419-017, March 14, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/419-017 (accessed October 5, 2026).