Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 483
Nixon White House Tape 483 (April 20, 1971)
23 conversations · Oval Office · about 4 hr 59 min of released audio
Featuring Nixon, Haldeman, Bull, United States Secret Service agents, Kissinger
President Nixon met with his aide Stephen B. Bull in the Oval Office to coordinate his daily schedule. The brief discussion centered on the presence of H.R. Haldeman, who was waiting to see the President. The meeting concluded quickly as Bull facilitated the transition for Haldeman's upcoming appointment.
President Nixon met with H.R. Haldeman to discuss strategies for tightening executive control, specifically ordering a mass resignation of all government holdovers—excluding J. Edgar Hoover and Richard Helms—prior to the next school year. Nixon directed the administration to increase its public visibility regarding disaster relief and mandated that Secretary of State William P. Rogers publicly defend administration policies on Vietnam and Laos during his upcoming press conference. Furthermore, the President expressed intense frustration with staff performance and internal dissent, ordering the immediate dismissal of specific personnel in the Bureau of Indian Affairs and urging a purge of disloyal staffers at the United Nations.
Secret Service agents met with President Nixon in the Oval Office for a brief, routine exchange. The interaction consisted primarily of formal greetings and initial pleasantries. No substantive policy discussions or significant operational decisions were recorded before the conversation ended.
President Nixon met with H. R. Haldeman, Henry Kissinger, Stephen Bull, and Ronald Ziegler to manage various administrative priorities, focusing heavily on controlling the narrative surrounding Vice President Spiro Agnew’s recent unauthorized remarks regarding the administration's China policy. The group also discussed the logistics of upcoming public appearances, including a strategic approach to a recent Supreme Court ruling on school busing and the management of high-level personnel changes. Furthermore, they coordinated foreign policy messaging, specifically addressing Secretary of State William Rogers’s upcoming Middle East trip and the need to establish a discreet, direct communications channel with the People's Republic of China.
President Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met to finalize logistical details regarding an upcoming Rose Garden event for a group of agricultural editors. They discussed the coordination of the visit, including tour arrangements and the presentation of gifts for the attendees and their spouses. The conversation also touched upon press relations and the role of Gerald R. Warren and Ronald L. Ziegler in managing media communications for the event.
Secret Service agents gathered in the Oval Office to coordinate the President's movements and security logistics. The brief discussion focused on confirming President Nixon’s location near the Rose Garden. Due to the high level of unintelligible audio, no further substantive decisions or developments were documented before the recording concluded.
President Nixon met with H.R. Haldeman and Stephen Bull to discuss administrative personnel changes, media strategy, and his upcoming public schedule. The group focused on replacing a Small Business Administration official, navigating negative press coverage, and coordinating potential televised appearances and radio addresses to maximize public support. Additionally, they reviewed logistical plans for hosting the Jaycees at the White House and engaged in a broader discussion regarding the deteriorating quality of life in New York City.
Secret Service agents met with the President in the Oval Office to discuss security-related matters. The brief, twenty-two-second exchange remains largely unintelligible, providing no substantive record of specific directives or developments. Due to the lack of audible information, no definitive action items or policy decisions can be derived from the audio.
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman coordinated the President's upcoming address to the U.S. Jaycees, emphasizing the need for an optimistic tone to inspire the audience rather than focusing on technical policy details like revenue sharing. They discussed using the event as a strategic opportunity to subtly promote the Supersonic Transport (SST) program. The President stressed that the speech should aim for a "ripple effect" through media coverage rather than a direct, intense confrontation, prioritizing an uplifting message about the country.
President Nixon met with Henry Kissinger and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) representatives Marcel Naville and Melchior Borsinger to discuss humanitarian concerns, particularly the treatment of prisoners of war (POWs) and civilian populations in the Vietnam conflict. The participants addressed the difficulties the ICRC faces in gaining access to North Vietnamese facilities and discussed U.S. efforts to enforce rules of engagement and investigate alleged military atrocities. Nixon emphasized his commitment to humane conduct while the ICRC representatives advocated for universal standards and the establishment of new international protocols for internal conflicts.
President Nixon held a brief, unscheduled meeting with an unidentified individual in the Oval Office. Although the conversation lasted only a moment, it immediately preceded a scheduled meeting with National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger. No record of the discussion exists, leaving the nature and purpose of this brief encounter undocumented.
President Nixon met with his valet, Manolo Sanchez, in the Oval Office to discuss the President's daily schedule. The brief interaction focused primarily on coordinating logistics for the President's lunch. No significant policy decisions were recorded during this brief encounter.
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discussed a recent meeting between the President and Marcel Naville of the International Red Cross, during which Naville attempted to lecture the administration on the conduct of American soldiers in Vietnam. Nixon expressed strong indignation at this perceived lack of neutrality and instructed Kissinger to maintain a firm stance against international officials who criticize U.S. policy. The two also addressed broader geopolitical strategy, focusing on leveraging relations with the USSR and the PRC to protect American interests and prevent domestic political opposition from weakening the nation's global military posture.
Secret Service personnel met within the Oval Office to conduct logistical or security-related business. While the specific transcript is unavailable, the presence of agents in the President's primary workspace indicates coordination regarding executive protection or administrative security protocols. No concrete policy decisions or specific operational details are documented due to the lack of an available transcript.
President Nixon met with unidentified Secret Service agents in the Oval Office to conduct a brief check-in regarding his current well-being. This interaction functioned as a routine status inquiry between the President and his security detail. No significant policy decisions or substantive agenda items were recorded during the exchange.
President Nixon met with George Shultz to discuss personnel changes within the administration and determine the government's stance on Social Security tax adjustments. They evaluated the fiscal impact of alternative wage base increases, ultimately opting for a strategy that prioritizes long-term revenue over short-term political expediency. Additionally, the President reviewed Shultz’s upcoming economic address, emphasizing the need for rhetoric that highlights steel industry productivity and improves the quality of U.S. economic representation abroad.
President Nixon met with Secretary of Agriculture Clifford Hardin, General George A. Lincoln, and Peter Flanigan to coordinate a strategic response to a severe drought in Texas and Oklahoma. The President emphasized that the administration must appear highly responsive and concerned to mitigate political fallout, even if a full disaster declaration was not yet legally or fiscally advisable. Nixon directed the team to facilitate a high-profile visit to the region, including securing appropriate aircraft and media presence, to reassure farmers and political allies like John Connally and John Tower that the administration was proactively exhausting all available relief channels.
President Nixon met with Rose Mary Woods, Ronald Ziegler, and others to discuss administrative matters, personal gifts, and the President's public image. The conversation touched upon the positive public reception of the President's recent remarks on welfare and foreign policy, as well as the need to monitor political rivals like Ted Kennedy through informal channels. Additionally, the group coordinated scheduling details and reviewed logistics regarding upcoming travel and correspondence.
President Nixon met with H.R. Haldeman, John Mitchell, and John Dean to discuss the administration's strategic response to a recent unanimous Supreme Court ruling on school busing. The group focused on distancing the White House from the controversial decision, emphasizing that enforcement should remain the responsibility of local school authorities and district courts rather than federal agencies like HEW. Nixon firmly instructed his staff to avoid taking credit for the ruling, express no personal endorsement of it, and ensure that HEW officials do not overstep their authority in implementing desegregation plans.
Alexander P. Butterfield met with a Secret Service agent in the Oval Office to coordinate logistics regarding the President’s location and daily schedule. The discussion centered on the President's movements and the duration of his absence from the Cabinet Room. The brief exchange functioned primarily as a routine administrative coordination between White House staff and security personnel.
President Nixon met with Alexander P. Butterfield, John N. Mitchell, and H. R. Haldeman to briefly review matters following a photo session. The discussion focused on logistical details regarding a planned trip by Butterfield to Puerto Rico, specifically concerning the duration and base of operations for the visit. The brief exchange concluded before any further administrative or political business could be addressed.
President Nixon, Henry Kissinger, and H.R. Haldeman discuss strategies for managing political support and public opinion regarding the Vietnam War, particularly in light of recent legislative concerns. They emphasize the necessity of conveying a sense of progress to Congress to maintain support for the administration's broader policy agenda. The group also reviews the strategic distribution of favorable poll results to Republican lawmakers and touches upon ongoing surveillance regarding Congressman Hale Boggs.
Secret Service agents gathered in the Oval Office to confirm the President's current location and movements. This routine operational briefing served to ensure the physical security and tracking of Richard Nixon. Due to the limited nature of the recording, no further substantive discussions or policy decisions were documented.