President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met to coordinate White House strategy on several pressing political issues, including securing campaign contributions from the dairy industry and lobbying senators for the upcoming vote on the Supersonic Transport (SST). They also discussed arrangements for an upcoming meeting with black leadership regarding social policy and reviewed the fallout from the President's recent interview with Howard K. Smith. Throughout the discussion, the pair balanced legislative priorities with public relations concerns while maintaining their daily executive schedule.
On March 23, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Marjorie P. Acker, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:38 pm and 6:07 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 472-022 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 472-22
Date: March 23, 1971
Time: Unknown between 5:38 pm and 6:07 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
President’s schedule [?]
[Pause]
President’s preparation
Patrick J. Buchanan
President’s previous interview with Howard K. Smith
-Public opinion
-President’s demeanor
-Format
President’s schedule
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 55s ]
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Dairy industry
-President’s decision
-John B. Connally
-Campaign contributions to President
-Parity level
-Connally
-Relations with dairymen
-Possible additional contributions by dairymen
-Campaign contributions to President
-Amount
Supersonic Transport [SST]
-Upcoming vote
-Meeting at 6:00
-Possible meeting of President and Marlow W. Cook, John Sherman Cooper, Winston
L. (“Win”) Prouty, Jack R. Miller, and Clifford P. Hansen
-Upcoming vote
-Tally
-Hubert H. Humphrey
-Cooper
-W[illiam] Stuart Symington
-Peter H. Dominick
-Humphrey
-Labor
-Cooper
-Symington
-Connally
-Dominick
-Clark MacGregor
-Pairing
-Cook
-Quentin N. Burdick
-Karl E. Mundt
-Possible pairing with Burdick
-Milton R. Young
-J. William Fulbright
-Location
-Joseph M. Montoya
-Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson and Warren G. (“Maggie”) Magnuson
-Possible pairing
-Lloyd M. Bentsen, Jr.
-Connally
-Campaign promise
-Cook
-Possible compromises
-James L. Buckley
-Margaret Chase Smith
-Prouty
-Hugh Scott
-Environmental concerns
-Lawton M. Chiles, Jr.
-George A. Smathers
-David H. Gambrell
-Herman E. Talmadge
-Aerospace industry
-Chiles
-Smathers
-Possible meeting with President
-Prouty
-Possible meeting with President
-Environmental concerns
-Buckley
President’s schedule
-Connally
-John N. Mitchell
-Thomas A. Pappas and Mitchell
-John A. Scali
-Health
Whitney M. Young, Jr. funeral
-President’s eulogy
-Distribution
-Leonard Garment
-Ministers, black leadership, white civil rights supporters
President’s schedule
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Comparison with President’s meeting with mayors
-Cabinet role
-James D. Hodgson, George W. Romney
-Size of group
-Agenda
-Housing
-Romney
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 3m 3s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
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President’s interview with H. K. Smith
-President’s credibility
-William F. (“Billy”) Graham
-Telephone poll by White House
-Unknown persons’ response
-Questions
-Raymond K. Price, Jr. and Buchanan’s response
-Garment’s response
-Background
Hatfield
Dairy industry
-Campaign contribution
-President’s decision
-Congressional action
President’s schedule, March 24, 1971
-Afternoon
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 2m 20s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
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News summaries
Marjorie P. Acker entered at an unknown time after 5:38 pm
Rose Mary Woods
-Location
-A letter
Acker left at an unknown time before 6:02 pm
News summary
-Use
Crisis atmosphere
-White House staff
President’s schedule
-California trip
-Weather
-Florida comparison
Alexander P. Butterfield entered at 6:02 pm
-A briefing
-[Name unintelligible] [Burdick?]
-A call
-Henry A. Kissinger
An unknown man [Burdick?]
President’s schedule
-National Security Council [NSC] meeting
-Time
-Compared with Congressional leaders’ meetings
Haldeman left at an unknown time before 6:07 pmThis 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.