Conversation 450-010

TapeTape 450StartTuesday, February 16, 1971 at 10:28 AMEndTuesday, February 16, 1971 at 10:49 AMTape start time00:57:05Tape end time01:33:24ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob");  Butterfield, Alexander P.;  Bull, Stephen B.Recording deviceOval Office

On February 16, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:28 am to 10:49 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 450-010 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 450-10

Date: February 16, 1971
Time: 10:28 am - 10:49 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman; an unknown man [Alexander P. Butterfield?]
was present at the beginning of the meeting
     Previous Cabinet meeting
          -Melvin R. Laird
                 -Briefing
                       -Duration
                       -Compared to Henry A. Kissinger
          -William P. Rogers
          -Butterfield
                 -Role
                 -Instructions for future
          -Length of meeting
                 -Carl Wallace
          -John B. Connally
          -Length of meeting
                 -Problems
          -Number of people at meeting
                 -Reduction
                 -William L. Safire
                 -Raymond K. Price, Jr.
                 -Rank of attendees
                 -Elliot L. Richardson
                       -Attendance of subordinate
                 -Robert J. Brown
                 -Kenneth R. Cole, Jr.
                       -Role in future scheduling
                 -Impact
                 -George P. Shultz
                       -Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger
                 -George H. W. Bush
                 -John D. Ehrlichman
                       -Cole
                 -Need for reduction
                       -Problems
                       -Key staff participation
                             -Future meetings

                        -Compared to other staff meetings
                              -National Security Council [NSC] meetings
                  -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
                  -Price
                  -Safire
                  -Ronald L. Ziegler
                  -Speech writers
                  -Dr. Edward E. David, Jr.
                  -Peter G. Peterson
                  -Richard M. Helms
                  -Robert J. Dole
                  -Paul W. McCracken
                  -Clark MacGregor
                        -William E. Timmons
                  -Herbert G. Klein
                        -Safire
                  -Weinberger
                        -Budget
                  -Key White House staff
                        -Instructions for future meetings
                              -Attendance
                  -Agnew
                  -Limitations
                  -Bush

     Files
             -President
             -Haldeman
             -Content
                   -Tape records
                        -Use

     White House taping system
          -Knowledge of

The unknown man [Butterfield?] left at an unknown time before 10:49 am; Stephen B. Bull
entered at an unknown time after 10:28 am

     Schedule

Bull left at an unknown time before 10:49 am

Medal of Honor ceremony

Press conferences
      -Preparation
           -Staff responsibilities
      -Frequency
                 -Advantages and disadvantages
      -Questions

European trip
     -Robert H. Finch and Donald H. Rumsfeld
           -Wives
     -List of attendees
     -Travel arrangements
           -Air Force planes
                  -Use by Ehrlichman and Shultz
                  -Agnew
                  -Use
           -Wives of party
           -President’s policy
                  -Haldeman

Schedule
     -Patrick J. Buchanan
     -Haldeman
     -Leonard Garment [?]
     -Content of State of World message [?]
           -Congress
                 -Timmons
     -Walter Scheel
     -Staff meeting tomorrow
           -Ehrlichman
           -Shultz
     -State of World message
           -Arrangements
           -Timing
     -Weekly schedule
           -Events
           -Quadriad meeting
     -News summaries

              -Delivery to President
                    -Weekends
          -Newport, Rhode Island event

Haldeman left at 10:49 am

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

I was going to go before the other thing that was done.
... ... ... ... ...
You got it done?
Yeah, I guess.
I'm starting to roll with this thing now.
The player is supposed to go to the fire.
And most men of the SS, when they are needed, have a more safe environment than that of a multiple war zombie, taking out a man from every place.
The problem is, my body is free.
You know what it is?
I need to talk to my player to hold my hand that way.
If he gets out of my way, talk to my father, who says I have a two or three points if you want to go back and see what matters.
Who was in charge of that?
The house?
Yeah, he's gonna get a new car.
Yeah, he's gonna get a new car.
Yeah, he's gonna get a new control.
I sat there, I saw their papers go over and over, and I was like, I agree, and I see John.
He's gonna come here, but he's doing 35 minutes.
Uh, yeah.
I didn't think.
I didn't think.
I didn't think.
5-9-0-9-0-9-0-9-0-9-0-9-0-9-0
Yeah, I was planning that one.
I didn't want to see the dangerous ones.
The whole, we just did.
We got the dangerous ones.
What's wrong with them?
I talked to Carl Wallace.
He gave Carl Wallace the... Well, I can do it.
That's my job.
I can do it.
He was staying just for that.
He was reckless.
There were only five cabinet members left, so it wouldn't have had the impact it would have if we'd all gone.
But then they can't be blamed for that either because they were told it's a one-hour meeting and they have their commitments to make.
Normally, I do talk to the cabinet members directly.
It happened in this case that Carl Wallace is the special assistant to Carl.
I'm sure he read it, but he didn't make the point that I...
I just wanted to ask you a question.
I'm sorry I've got to talk to you, dude.
The other thing I kind of suggest is this, and I know this is a sensitive matter.
There were 22 people who were on the Sunscanner today, as of this evening.
I know that if you could say one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight years, 22 of them, you don't have to have a full set of iron bars, for instance.
You don't have to have that.
But what does it mean for that, dude?
Okay, you get it.
Well, there's 22 of them.
Bob, listen, I'm not here to please you.
I'm here to relieve you.
... ... ... ... ... ...
We're only here for the rest of the day.
We're only here for the rest of the day.
But when you get those out, then the rest of the people that go back to Portland, you can just make it like they did in Bob Brown and Brown.
That's probably 400 percent.
That is, you're not going to have to do that.
You're going to have to do that.
This is what happens when we run into all the cops here.
You know that, man.
We all go, like, we're going to be good.
This is what you're doing.
And you're good.
So what you're going to do is you're going to go, like, you're going to be there, like, you're going to be there, and then you're going to go, like, you're going to be there, and then you're going to go, like, you're going to be there, and then you're going to go,
I would not have
Alright, we're ready.
Oh, yeah.
I mean, I didn't think you had any.
So you have a bird, and a bird, and an empty house, and some coal.
You don't have any.
Oh, I agree.
I think that you go on my bar, and I turn on some DVDs, and all the rest of it, and it's crammed with the effects.
Well, because, uh, there's somebody else there that's like him.
And then you have somebody there that's like him.
And then you have somebody else that's like him.
All right, listen.
I've never had anybody over 180 years.
Nobody was ever like me there, even though that son of a man has seen me.
Or anybody like me.
I don't know.
You didn't ask for it.
You never let me.
You never let me.
You never let me.
You never let me.
You never let me.
You never let me.
You never let me.
You never let me.
You never let me.
You never let me.
You never let me.
What is the name of the other person?
Follow up on the information, Chris.
Alright, we're going to follow up on the information, Chris.
Alright, we're going to follow up on the information, Chris.
Alright, we're going to follow up.
But go ahead and tell the people that you've got to get it down.
Not as easy as you have it.
Try to stand in the center of our condition.
They've got to be tough, but if you've got one of them, you've got to be careful.
If you've got one of them, you've got to be careful.
If you've got one of them, you've got to be careful.
If you've got one of them, you've got to be careful.
If you've got one of them, you've got to be careful.
If you've got one of them, you've got to be careful.
My name is Ethan from 314 LRT Prime.
There's another way around that.
My result, which is we now have your, your, your, your, your, your, your, your, your, your, your,
I'm, I eat the gun, but I'm a tinkerer.
A tinkerer is not a guy who can do the job.
And I do make a look or something in his car to have the day brought.
He'd go back in the day and pull it back in the day and give it to us long ago.
But I had a friend who's a bad liar, but he did not make a lot of mistakes in his life as well.
He'd read me some history, but I'm a reader.
He certainly doesn't, he certainly doesn't read it.
Not for gold, but, uh, but his reading.
... ... ... ...
I don't know, I'm sure he was looking at my head a little bit, but I already knew it.
The mood has dropped.
He's supposed to be around, but he's not interested in it.
I mean, he's watching for himself.
He's smart about it.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
He does do all the follow-up stuff here.
This is just like a ramp, but not that hard.
You know, it's not all that he does here.
It's not hard to knock off.
We're not going to have that for any longer.
Yeah, we can see that.
Now, let's see.
We're not going to have this.
I don't know.
You're talking to me like you know us.
You're saying you may know us.
We're not going to know us at all.
You're making no sense at all.
We're not going to be able to do it.
We're not going to be able to do it.
We're not going to be able to do it.
We're not going to be able to do it.
He really does
I think we're about to go back.
Unless we have a car, better job.
We can do that now.
We can do that now.
We can do that now.
We can do that now.
We can do that now.
We can do that now.
Here's the other thing.
If the FC was capped off, and he's not there, that's... That would be the airline's bus station.
It's higher than that probably right there.
Well, that's fine.
That's fine.
That's all we've got in the case.
The plan is to go out of your door and send her to the technical case.
And I'm right here.
I've got no reason for you to be here.
I'm just going to leave this on.
Don't play along.
I'm just going to leave this here.
I'm just going to leave this here.
I'm just going to leave this here.
If your study is off, let us know if you have any comments on the three-chamber items.
Clear?
Yes, sir.
And, uh, if there are scanners on the three-chamber items, which of them is John?
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
The crack, the LDS, all the other technologies.
We have a C-E-A-I-N-2-R-O-N-N-E-P-S-Y.
Ridiculous.
Same thing with the crack.
Use of the aeronautics are being counted.
We thought we wanted to be known, but not all of these matter.
Uh, but, uh, I, I have a, uh, a crack fueling on a, on a, on a, on a, on a, on a, on a, on a, on a, on a, on a, on a, on a, on a, on a, on a, on a, on a, on a, on a, on a, on a,
Do you read me?
About your actor, he's just a good man, you know, I can assure you.
Just, you're just, you just make the easy way here.
Take a bow, that's all.
That doesn't matter to me, but that's not a reason.
You see, you guys, those two are doing something about what's being done in there.
They're kind of interested in, you know, just in the way they are.
All right.
All right.
All right.
All right.
Well, he said he wants to treat us to whatever he wants.
Oh, fine.
I don't have either.
Mike does not have either.
Unless it's a budget match.
Why not?
Oh, I guess I told my brother that he could come.
That was the plan.
We have a wiper, not a heater, but a hand dryer.
Oh, he said it can't be decent.
We have a wiper.
We can't get out.
Whatever I know, we just can't do it.
We just can't.
We'll be honest.
You know, we've got to try someplace.
But why don't we get rid of it if you're trying to get it?
What you did not get earlier, you know, yourself.
And he said, I love this job.
We're not going to have fun with these people.
We're not going to have fun with these people.
We're not going to have fun with these people.
We're going to have fun with these people.
No, no, no, no special people, no people.
No, they're not.
I think we've just got to re-organize it.
And also, you're going to have to do exactly what you need to do to get it.
So that they do that.
I'm not sure that my father-in-law said exactly what kind.
He said it might be, but I don't think he just said it was not.
and then as fast as I can.
Let them see this, it'll be great if you can have them see it that way in front and stand right in front of you.
And I think if I can get as fast as I can, it just checks off.
And the Vice President, I'll be called the Vice President in a minute, so I might do something here.
This is E2, I'm E2, this is E2.
Although we're trying to as well as we can, sure, I don't know why none of us are all there, and I don't know why none of us are all there, and I don't know why none of us are all there
Well, I'll leave for a minute.
I just need to read the address.
And, uh, the defense said, uh, the defense said, uh, that all can be present.
I want you to call Sanford and the defense and get you arrested.
I want us.
But you got the numbers for George Boone.
It's time to roll this one.
And everybody, all, all you're asking for that, and you're asking for the number, and the number, and the number, and the number, and the number, and the number, and the number,
I should have kept an eye on him.
He will know everything.
I just don't know about drugs.
Let's have a look at him.
I'm sure I'm going to see him.
I'm sure I'm going to see him.
I'm sure I'm going to see him.
Everybody was like 30, 70, and so forth.
And I'm trying to understand what you're trying to say, because this is the reason we have the camera that we're supposed to have.
Do you have any questions on the side of the business that you might want me to answer now?
This choice, right?
You're explaining to the president, no, you're explaining to me.
Look, the whole order is in the title, not in your description.
Right.
This is totally important.
Or basically, if you put the file in my file, I don't want yours.
They destroyed us today.
The whole purpose, basically.
And it's not that they're taking it anymore.
It's all so they're taking it at the end of the day.
When we have to have it for purposes of maybe we want to put it off, I think it's possible.
I think we need something to be here to be a great friend.
So I think it's a work of mine.
Still coming, buddy.
We've got it.
And don't drive.
My name is Rocky.
Not anything to do with you.
It's probably just on the basis that you're an officer to the president, so don't drive like an officer.
Whatever.
I don't need to hear it.
I don't need to do that.
I don't need to use your business today.
Just forget it.
Bye.
Everything today was fun.
And it's perfect.
I think it's time to get ready for my next station.
My name is Eric.
I'm an officer.
I don't know if he's spoken all this already, but just...
Then you use that and forget the note takers.
Oh, I can't get back to you.
We've got to get this done.
We'll get this done.
We'll get this done.
Okay, good, I'm bored.
Can I ask, uh, can I just, let's just see if I can go out the back.
All right, well, prior to this, that's the, uh, middle ice.
Okay, let's see if it's, uh, about here.
Okay, I'll just, I'll just, I'll just, I'll just,
Yeah, he's coming.
First, I need your help on today.
Leave it in.
I can't have it.
We've been looking for something.
I'll see you in a bit.
What it is, they haven't seen you.
They just see you right ahead of the door.
I've seen you a little bit on the on-land, every two weeks.
And, uh, actually, you realize that I'm gonna try to cut it down, because you're gonna be sent home, so you're gonna be sent home, and I'm gonna be sent home to your parents.
I have to be prepared for it.
I have a lot of questions I have to ask you here.
Right?
Where did we order you to lease?
I'm just sending it.
We had to, uh, we didn't even know where to get you.
If any of you guys can answer, we're not going to let you.
Uh, fuck you all.
I don't know if I can respond to this.
We'll see how this works out.
We'll go to a small lodge on every tree.
You know, a little more frequently on top of the island, and I figured that, you know, doing a little bit of this, uh, probably doesn't have the distance, and, you know, doesn't require there, I've got to have two full days, and then, you know, I can't interrupt you on this final line of interruption, because it doesn't cost so much to ride something totally, and I've got to just, just be all up and hear you.
I just want to let you know that the problem is that I've got three scullers in the wheel trusses.
I think they're down 30 seconds.
I don't think I've ever ridden 30 seconds in this lot.
Yeah.
And I think I've never ridden 30 seconds.
I don't think I've ever ridden 30 seconds.
I don't think I've ever ridden 30 seconds.
I don't think I've ever ridden 30 seconds.
There it is.
And let's try to set it as easy as we can.
Let's also see whether I can work on a situation where I can do one of these.
Wait.
Wait a second.
We won't have a whole day.
Tomorrow's going to be a lot of dreams are here, so I'm going to have to do it.
I mean, that's a map here.
If you're looking for a vehicle that you can make E-plus, that's where you're going to get the same questions over and over again.
There's a bunch of new stuff.
Yeah, it's not you guys that are working with answers.
Yeah.
You know, I, I can't prove to Bob that he runs from Oklahoma to New York, even if they're, they've hooked up.
They're either wise.
I, I have no objection to that and so forth.
I just want to be sure it's handled the way it is, because, well, this is weird.
Uh, Lieutenant, now, are they going to take you to an American plane, or are they going to go back to the Marines and pop you out of those airplanes?
Well, you know, we've worked it out.
I have things in here that probably doesn't find anything that's closer.
I don't know what they do.
I don't know what they do.
I don't know what they do.
I don't know what they do.
Now whatever they said, we had to pull back.
They had to come back early in order to get the bike.
Give that money to the Vice President.
That's how I know they chose that.
And they're concerned that it was too far.
Please.
I'm not saying, you know, that's, that's awful.
When we walked out into Europe, we noticed a lot more than what's over there where they were.
Certain strangers.
But I am bored of it.
They, they, they can't, you know, they can't do it where they can.
I mean, I have the funds, you know, for a lot of business.
That's probably the problem.
Unless they take the plane to see their wives or do your problem, I'll probably end up on the jet.
If you can do that, I'd love to go.
I want the wives to go.
But I'm telling you, I don't want to get any trouble on it.
I wonder if we could get the, uh...
He has a little speck in here.
He's gone there.
So forth and so forth.
You've got to knock those out.
Here's my concern.
I just don't want us to not have a reason.
Having people that are good people are taxing these presidents.
You know what I mean?
Now, if they take their dues, it's not the right thing.
Do you think I'm overly sensitive on this one?
I disagree.
No, I can see the thought.
I don't mind people talking to you if you tell me there's something I can't understand.
But first of all, if you read this, you're not an iron in the head.
This is somebody that can be cool, can be clear, can be proper, can carry a sword on the house, can always try to get there if you don't plan to do anything else.
Uh, the, uh, the, uh, the evidence is behind you, Connor.
So, uh, I know that.
This is what I expect to say.
We're worried about
It's not bad.
I just don't, I just don't want this kind of stuff in the first place.
Okay, and also I need to promise that I won't be hanging around here to get out.
I'm hard with regard to this business here.
Uh, not that I want to see this guy cheating on me.
He will cheat tomorrow.
And, and as far as I'm concerned.
But I have a plan tomorrow to have the rest of them sit around the man working for other people.
Those people.
Sure.
We'll get you scheduled tomorrow after 5, 6, 9, 12 p.m.
We are ready.
And, if you have to, remember that if I'm going to be starting to work Friday night, I'm going to save the world.
So, if you have to, uh, put on, put on an hour, then, here's your money.
I think it's better to pull away at this, uh, rather than have a high-level history of mine.
Saturday morning, do the same thing.
Uh, you're not studying the world.
So, remember that we, that we, we want to get, get ready to take care of that.
Get work done, get ready to take care of that.
There are, there are, there are, there are, there are, there are, there are, there are, there are, there are, there are, there are, there are, there are, there are, there are, there are, there are, there are, there are, there are,
Well, I'm thinking we're right.
I guess the 24 team could do something as well.
I don't even know if they're actually doing something for 11 o'clock.
I think there's somebody that has to see if I can control it.
Everybody may have something on the 24 team.
But he had something that just has to be decided.
I don't know if it's going to be this time.
Let's do it all all of a sudden.
We have to set the clock box up.
Let's do that.
Let's keep that free so that I can't see that robot.
And keep it on 33.
And I need to hurry.
Now, we were listening to the quantity at the action at 23.
Push it over.
Push that.
I want you to push it over, push it off.
At the 22nd, maybe.
As a matter of fact, I have to go to work.
I don't think we can work.
All right.
All right.
All right.
All right.
All right.
All right.
All right.
We're gonna do something with it.
We're gonna do something with it.
I would suggest that just, I think it's the money that goes more in on the summaries.
What I would like for you to set up an interesting number by, I do not want to do a summary on a Saturday morning, I have a lot on a Sunday.
In other words, I have one on a Saturday and a summary on a Sunday.
You can always, you can always, you can always, you can always, you can always, you can always, you can always, you can always, you can always, you can always, you can always,
And that's the, uh, as far ahead from me.
Let it take the money when I report it to you.
Let it take the money when I report it to you.
Right.
And also give that a little time off to the rest of the day.
So here's the contact.
I'll turn it on again.
And we'll start.
Do you have any, uh, is there any schedule with Blackhawks when they're not with us?
Not yet.
Sorry for those.
I mean, in case you want to splat as well, I'm sure we can all bet the throat.
Instead of getting put out, we can try to work something out.
Well, if you're going to take a car, you've got to work with Blackhawks.
Once it's the way you go, Mark, you need to take it back.
Uh, the world needs to take it back.
I know that.
Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh,
Well, we can afford it.
We can do it.
We can do it.
We can do it.
We can do it.
We can do it.
We can do it.
We can do it.
... ... ... ... ...