Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 461
Nixon White House Tape 461 (March 2, 1971)
16 conversations · Oval Office · about 2 hr 38 min of released audio
Featuring Nixon, Haldeman, Bull, Butterfield, Ziegler
President Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield held a brief administrative meeting to coordinate the President's upcoming schedule and review recent events. They touched upon Secretary of State William P. Rogers' previous phone call regarding a March 1 dinner and discussed Attorney General John N. Mitchell’s recent press conference. Press Secretary Ronald L. Ziegler was also noted in the context of managing these logistical and media-related items.
President Nixon, H.R. Haldeman, and Ronald Ziegler met to discuss the President's upcoming schedule, including a potential press conference and public relations strategies regarding recent media coverage of his trip to Des Moines. Later, John Mitchell joined the meeting to coordinate his own upcoming press conference, specifically focusing on Revenue Sharing and the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA). The group prioritized proposing a reorganization of U.S. Capitol Police security, using the President’s successful implementation of the Executive Protective Service as a model, which Nixon subsequently discussed with Speaker Carl Albert.
An unidentified group of individuals met briefly with President Nixon in the Oval Office for a conversation lasting less than four minutes. Due to the lack of a transcript and the unintelligible nature of the audio recording, the specific subject matter and objectives of the meeting remain unknown. No discernable policy decisions or significant developments were recorded during this interaction.
President Nixon met with his task force leaders and advisors to discuss the legislative strategy for the Task Force on International Development proposals and the challenges of securing Congressional support. Key participants included Rudolph Peterson, Peter Peterson, Clark MacGregor, and Henry Kissinger, who debated the jurisdictional split of foreign assistance programs between the State and Defense Departments. The group emphasized the need to integrate foreign aid with broader U.S. economic and trade policies, and Nixon tasked MacGregor with coordinating closely with Congressional leadership to ensure the proposals moved forward without significant delays.
President Nixon held a brief, informal meeting in the Oval Office with his personal valet, Manolo Sanchez. The interaction served as a routine check-in between the President and a member of his domestic staff. No substantive policy matters or administrative decisions were recorded during this brief encounter.
President Nixon consulted with the White House operator to facilitate an outgoing call to Secretary of State William P. Rogers. The brief exchange focused solely on establishing the connection and identifying the specific participants required for the conversation. No substantive policy discussions occurred during this interaction.
President Nixon coordinated with the White House operator to facilitate a return call to Secretary of State William P. Rogers. During this brief interaction, the President specified that the connection should be established after 3:00 p.m. to suit his schedule. No further policy matters or substantive discussions were addressed during this exchange.
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman reviewed the administration's public relations strategy, focusing on countering negative media coverage regarding the President's recent trip to Iowa and managing optics for upcoming travel. The discussion emphasized the need for more effective messaging, including the coordination of special letters to governors like Ronald Reagan and Nelson Rockefeller to support revenue sharing initiatives. Additionally, the pair evaluated the logistical success of recent social events, such as the astronaut dinner, comparing them to state functions to better plan future appearances.
President Nixon held two distinct meetings in the Oval Office: the first with Turkish diplomat Targut Menemencioglu and his team to discuss geopolitical concerns in Pakistan, India, and Turkey, including the future of the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO); the second with Chief Justice Warren Burger, John Mitchell, and John Dean regarding judicial reform and the President's potential appearance at an American Bar Association event in London. During the first session, Nixon reaffirmed the importance of maintaining U.S. support for Pakistan and stability in the region despite domestic Congressional opposition. The subsequent meeting focused on the need to expedite the criminal justice system in the U.S. and coordinated scheduling for Law Day and judicial conferences.
President Nixon held a social meeting in the Oval Office with the Ulmer family and their associates to reminisce about past personal connections and exchange presidential memorabilia. Following an informal tour of the office and family pleasantries, the conversation shifted toward potential professional coordination between Ralph E. Ulmer and administration officials George Shultz and Caspar Weinberger regarding the National Association of County Administrators (NACA). The meeting concluded with the President facilitating arrangements for further discussions between these parties to address administrative and organizational matters.
President Nixon met in the Oval Office with the Heltemes family—the 1971 Easter Seal poster family—accompanied by Senator Robert Dole and other guests. The meeting served as a ceremonial event to honor the poster child and distribute presidential gifts, including Apollo-themed viewers and cufflinks. Following the departure of the Heltemes group, Nixon held a broader discussion with his remaining visitors regarding the state of the film industry, expressing his preference for family-oriented entertainment and criticizing the prevalence of explicit content in modern movies.
Stephen B. Bull met with an unidentified individual in the Oval Office to coordinate administrative details regarding the President's schedule. The brief discussion primarily focused on arrangements for a meeting with Kenneth R. Lyons. No major policy decisions were made during this logistical exchange.
President Nixon met with Kenneth R. Lyons, leader of the National Association of Government Employees, and aide Charles W. Colson to discuss labor relations within the federal government. The President emphasized his desire for responsible union leadership, his opposition to strikes in essential services, and his support for addressing pay disparities between federal blue-collar workers and the private sector. The discussion also covered broader political topics, including the recent bombing of the U.S. Capitol and the importance of public support for law enforcement.
President Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met to coordinate the President's upcoming schedule and administrative preparations. The discussion focused on logistical arrangements regarding meetings with astronauts, a visit to the National Aquarium, and the preparation of briefing materials for a presidential press conference. Butterfield also updated the President on coordination efforts with Ronald Ziegler and Patrick Buchanan regarding press deadlines.
President Nixon held a brief, eight-minute meeting in the Oval Office with an unidentified individual. The entirety of the recorded interaction, with the exception of a two-second segment later withdrawn as personal, consists of non-substantive or restricted dialogue. Consequently, no official policy decisions or specific topics of state business can be determined from the available records of this encounter.
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met to coordinate upcoming staff meetings regarding domestic and foreign economic policy involving Henry Kissinger, Peter Peterson, and John Ehrlichman. Nixon also collaborated with staff members Marjorie P. Acker and Rose Mary Woods to finalize a personal letter addressed to British Prime Minister Edward Heath. The President explicitly directed that a copy of the correspondence be delivered to Ambassador Walter Annenberg for his personal files, while strictly prohibiting its distribution to the State Department.