{"conversationCode":"481-003","tapeNumber":481,"conversationNumber":3,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-481-003","startDateTime":"1971-04-17T13:56:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1971-04-17T14:13:00.000Z","startDate":"17-Apr-1971","startTime":"8:56 AM","endDate":"17-Apr-1971","endTime":"9:13 AM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.; Haldeman, H. R. (\"Bob\");","description":"On April 17, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, and H. R. (\"Bob\") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:56 am to 9:13 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 481-003 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"OVAL","recordingDevice":"Oval Office","latitudeEstimated":38.8974,"longitudeEstimated":-77.0374,"chronCode":1,"chronRelease":"First Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"5-Oct-1999","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 481-003\n\nDate: April 17, 1971\nTime: 8:56 am - 9:13 am\nLocation: Oval Office\n\nThe President met with Alexander P. Butterfield\n\n**********************************************************************\n\nBEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1\n[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 06/24/2019.\nSegment will remain closed.]\n[Personal Returnable]\n[481-003-w001]\n[Duration: 39s]\n\nEND WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1\n\n**********************************************************************\n\nH. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman entered at 8:58 am\n\n     The President's meeting with the American Society of Newspaper Editors [ASNE], April\n          16, 1971\n          -Television\n          -Questions to the President\n               -Vietnam\n               -Lieutenant William L. Calley, Jr.\n\n       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542\n\n                 -People's Republic of China [PRC]\n                 -Vietnam and Calley\n                 -Compared with the President's press conference\n\nButterfield left at an unknown time before 9:10 am\n\n                -Opening question\n                       -Suggested response\n           -President's responses\n           -Radio reception\n                -John N. Mitchell's call to the President\n                       -Charles G. (\"Bebe\") Rebozo\n                       -J. Edgar Hoover\n                -President's responses to questions\n                       -Hoover\n                       -Calley\n                       -Prisoner of War [POW] issue\n                       -Vietnam\n                             -Emmett Dedmon\n                             -Withdrawal\n                             -Residual forces\n                                   -Melvin R. Laird\n                             -Withdrawal\n                                   -Timing\n                                        -Election date\n                             -Communist takeover issue\n           -Radio audience\n                -Numbers\n                -Television broadcast\n           -Questions\n                -Calley\n                -Vietnam\n                -PRC\n                -Cuba\n                -Hoover\n                       -Surveillance\n                -Youth\n                       -Otis Chandler\n                       -Al Capp\n\n       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542\n\n                -Surveillance\n                       -Police state\n                       -John F. Kennedy administration\n                             -Robert F. (“Bobby”) Kennedy\n                -Hoover\n                -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew\n                -Frank Cormier\n                -\"Making news\"\n                -Unknown quip\n                -Economic indicators\n                       -Retail sales\n                -Television\n           -Rostrum\n                -Use\n                -Naked microphone\n                -J. F. Kennedy\n                -President's style\n                -J. F. Kennedy's style\n                       -Use of notes\n           -Naked microphone\n                -Use\n           -Questions\n                -Number\n                -Length\n                -President's answers\n                -[Dwight] David, II and Julie Nixon Eisenhower\n                       -Easter discussion\n                       -Possible visit to the PRC\n                       -Personalizing answers\n                -PRC\n                       -Ping-pong\n                       -Henry A. Kissinger\n\n     Haldeman's forthcoming meeting with Kissinger and John A. Scali\n          -President's possible presence\n          -Kissinger and Scali\n                -Relationship\n                      -Frequency of meetings\n                -PRC\n\n       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542\n\n           -Scali\n                 -Access to President\n                 -Ronald L. Ziegler\n                 -Briefing\n                 -Role\n\nBull entered at 9:10 am\n\n     The President's schedule\n          -Meeting with George P. Shultz\n\n     Peter G. Peterson's memorandum to the President\n           -Approval\n\nBull left at 9:12 am\n\n     Vietnam\n          -Withdrawal\n               -Kissinger's views\n               -Scali\n\n     The President's schedule\n          -Forthcoming welcome to First Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, California, April\n                30, 1971\n\n     Vietnam\n          -Possible statement by President\n               -Withdrawal\n               -Ping-pong team\n\n     Haldeman's forthcoming conversation with Kissinger and Scali\n     President's schedule\n           -Meetings\n           -President, Haldeman, Kissinger and Scali\n\nHaldeman left at 9:13 am\n\n       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542","filename":["481-003.mp3"],"tapeStart":"00:03:08","tapeEnd":"00:16:59","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Butterfield, Alexander P.","Haldeman, H. R. (\"Bob\")"],"prevCode":"481-002","nextCode":"481-004","transcript":[{"start":47.33,"end":50.07,"text":"I'm going to score another regular last night, I think."},{"start":168.8,"end":170.19,"text":"Take your positions."},{"start":303.38,"end":323.46,"text":"And the key to the question is this, is to put the China question, to give you a chance to put the China question in perspective."},{"start":323.48,"end":325.92,"text":"You sure as hell got Uber cleared up and surveillance and all that?"},{"start":325.94,"end":326.5,"text":"Well, people didn't have to."},{"start":326.52,"end":327.16,"text":"I was able to put in a contract."},{"start":327.18,"end":328.42,"text":"I thought that was stupid of this channel to do this question."},{"start":328.44,"end":328.85,"text":"Well, they all have."},{"start":328.87,"end":329.53,"text":"But you think that's independent?"},{"start":329.55,"end":330.77,"text":"But then you got to be able to say, if you look here, I want,"},{"start":385.57,"end":387.96,"text":"Well, you said another people picked that up."},{"start":389.05,"end":389.41,"text":"I hope."},{"start":390.42,"end":392.55,"text":"I haven't done any work on it or anything else."},{"start":430.76,"end":437.54,"text":"I'm glad to use the roster."},{"start":437.56,"end":450.77,"text":"Let's just start with a bit more about what they had to do."},{"start":450.84,"end":454.46,"text":"The type of reason is that"},{"start":458.31,"end":462.14,"text":"I don't think anybody's gonna say that."},{"start":491.06,"end":494.5,"text":"Sunshine, please, die."},{"start":659.46,"end":660.67,"text":"And then,"},{"start":769.57,"end":771.02,"text":"by the end of November."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman debriefed the President's appearance before the American Society of Newspaper Editors, focusing on the effectiveness of his responses regarding Vietnam, J. Edgar Hoover, and foreign relations with the People's Republic of China. The discussion also addressed the technical presentation of the event, including the use of a rostrum and the impact of the President's speaking style. Additionally, the participants coordinated preparations for an upcoming meeting involving Henry Kissinger and John A. Scali to further discuss diplomatic outreach to China.","topics":["Vietnam War","People's Republic of China","J. Edgar Hoover","Public Relations","Media Strategy","Henry Kissinger"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T21:44:10.553Z"},"topicSlugs":["vietnam-war","peoples-republic-of-china","j-edgar-hoover","public-relations","media-strategy","henry-kissinger"],"audioDurationSec":809,"audioFiles":[{"file":"481-003.mp3","bytes":19412531,"durationSec":808.78,"bitrate":192018,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:48.989Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:43:48.210Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/481-003.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/481-003","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/481/conversation-481-003","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}