Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 467 › Conversation 467-018

Nixon, Haldeman & Butterfield on Thomas E. Dewey funeral and Public relations

Wednesday, March 17, 1971 · 9:16 AM–9:42 AM ET · Oval Office · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation467-018 on Tape 467 (tape position 00:59:25–01:15:13)StartWednesday, March 17, 1971 at 9:16 AMEndWednesday, March 17, 1971 at 9:42 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 467-018 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417176127 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with H. R. Haldeman and Alexander Butterfield to coordinate the logistics for his attendance at Thomas E. Dewey's funeral and to prepare correspondence for female members of the press. The discussion also turned to the administration’s public relations strategy, with the President evaluating the effectiveness of staff members like Leonard Garment in managing media narratives. Nixon emphasized the need for a more persuasive, "bullshitting" approach to public relations to better compete in the political landscape.

Audio

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NARA Description

On March 17, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:16 am and 9:42 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 467-018 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 467-018

Date: March 17, 1971
Time: Unknown between 9:16 am and 9:42 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman

     President’s schedule
           -Thomas E. Dewey funeral
                -Time
           -Dinner, March 17, 1971
           -Unknown event

     Notes to women press members
          -Preparation
          -Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon
          -Content

     President’s schedule
           -Dewey funeral
                -Flight time
                -Andrews Air Force base
           -Press conference

     Public relations
           -Leonard Garment
           -Ronald L. Ziegler, Herbert G. Klein, and Constance M. (Cornell) (“Connie”) Stuart
                 -Public relations efforts

Alexander P. Butterfield entered at an unknown time after 9:16 am

     President’s schedule

Butterfield left at an unknown time before 9:42 am

     Press and public relations
          -Ziegler, Klein, and Stuart
                -Work
          -Garment
          -White House staff
          -Garment

Haldeman left at 9:42 am

Transcript (AI-generated)

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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You're still stuck with dinner tonight, aren't you?
Oh, sure.
I hate it when I'm drunk.
I don't want a bottle.
I want little notes to go to any of the women.
You have to prepare for that good writer, one of our good letter writers, and the other writers who wrote good stories on the path.
Do you understand?
Let me see what I've had this time.
I don't know.
You know, the things that I use, those are what I'm more concerned about what they say about me.
Right up there, three, right.
Survive it.
You need to be here at two.
It's an hour's flight.
Chop her over and then drive up.
If you leave here, if you leave the airport, if you leave Andrews, if you leave here at 1.45, you arrive there at airport 2, you have to get there at 2, at 3 o'clock, and leave, and arrive uptown, or you're way too early.
That's too early.
You want to get there at about 3.30, or at the church.
3.30 is a hell-bent run, which gives us a 20-minute ride up to about 10 minutes to 4.
We went out there early this afternoon.
I should be there 10 minutes earlier, but we're at 3.30 up there, so that means leaving Andrews at 2.30, leaving the hell-bent, leaving the White House at 2.50, which means the press conference should be at 1.30.
They have to use, you know, like you say, you have to do it, you have to use it.
You've got to do it.
They have views.
They don't like views.
I must say, I don't care.
I don't agree with them.
I didn't really remember how to land it, but it's better.
And that was just one of the steps.
I think, I didn't say Burger, Klein, Connie all tried to get out the stuff, but I think they have a goddamn good iron culture in terms of trying to get it out.
John's culture is funny.
Yeah.
See, I really think they have a hell of a time.
And, no, the other thing I would say is that none of them had the knack of getting it out.
because they just don't feel it themselves, you know?
And that is to be a bullshitter like Leonard, and none of them are bullshitting themselves.
That's basic.
And, I mean, you know, you don't really come down to who are the PR guys.
A Leonard is a bullshitter, a Paul Key is a bullshitter, you know, and we just don't have it around.
And it's just the way we're made.
And now, I think Leonard's a pretty good guy to have around like a bullshitter.
Everybody that has one of Obama, everybody that's in politics, he's got one that's so big.
So, we might as well get one now.
Whatever.
He just wants to let us know.
It isn't just anybody in politics.
It's anybody in any other.
He's fine.
He just might be good enough himself.
You know, who knows?
The guy is, uh... Never underestimate one of the guys.
It happens to be for us.
You know, he... Sure, I'm very excited about what he did for us.
I don't know.
She sure saw him go.

Also recorded on March 17, 1971

  • 467-012 9:01 AM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:01 am and 9:10 am.
  • 467-013 9:01 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:01 am and 9:10 am.
  • 467-014 9:10 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Adm. Thomas H. Moorer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:10 am to 9:14 am.
  • 467-015 9:15 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:15 am to 9:16 am.
  • 467-016 9:16 AM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:16 am and 9:42 am.
  • 467-017 9:16 AM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:16 am and 9:42 am.
  • 467-019 9:42 AM · 36 sec — Manolo Sanchez and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:42 am and 10:04 am.
  • 467-020 2:32 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:32 pm and 2:43 pm.

All 31 conversations from March 17, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 467-018, March 17, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417176127). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/467-018 (accessed October 31, 2026).