Conversation 483-002

TapeTape 483StartTuesday, April 20, 1971 at 7:55 AMEndTuesday, April 20, 1971 at 8:06 AMTape start time00:00:56Tape end time00:10:13ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Bull, Stephen B.;  Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Recording deviceOval Office

On April 20, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:55 am and 8:06 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 483-002 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 483-2

Date: April 20, 1971
Time: Unknown between 7:55 am and 8:06 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull.

     Henry A. Kissinger
          -Location

Bull left and H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman entered at 7:57 am.

     Economists
         -Stock market predictions
         -[Paul A. Samuelson and Walter W. Heller]

     Editorial opinion
          -Possible administration study
                -Lyndon K. (“Mort”) Allin
          -Stock market
                -Figures
          -Letter
                -Retraction

     William P. Rogers

          -Call to the President, April 19, 1971
          -Meeting with the President

Bull entered at an unknown time after 7:57 pm

     Kissinger
          -Location
          -Rogers’ possible visit to Eastern Europe

Bull left at an unknown time before 8:06 am.

          -Itinerary
                -Israel
                -Egypt
          -Possible press conference
          -Schedule
          -William H. Sullivan
                Hearing, April 21, 1971
          -Vietnam
                -Press Conference
                -Laos
          -Administration initiatives

     Reorganization
          -Gen. George A. Lincoln
                -George P. Shultz and John D. Ehrlichman
          -Need for politician
          -Publicity regarding disasters
          -Peter M. Flanigan
          -Office of Emergency Preparedness [OEP]
                -Deputy director Darrell M. Trent
          -Trent
                -National Security Council [NSC]
                -John B. Connally

     Appointments/resignations
         -Holdovers within government
         -President's options regarding appointments
         -Schedule C
         -Possible resignations
               -Timing
         -Exemptions

                -J. Edgar Hoover
                -Richard M. Helms
          -Stanley R. Resor
          -Barry J. Shillito
          -Holdover list
          -Evaluation
          -Criteria
                -Support for the President

     Support for the President
         -White House staff
                -Maj. Gen. James D. (“Don”) Hughes
         -Connally
         -Daniel P. (“Pat”) Moynihan
         -Connally
         -John L. McClellan
         -Lack of support among Republicans
         -Charles W. Yost

Bull entered at an unknown time after 7:57 am.

     The President's schedule
          -Republican Congressional leadership meeting
          -Charles W. Colson

Bull left at an unknown time before 8:06 am.

     United Nations [UN] staff
          -George H.W. Bush
          -Loyalty to the President
          -Yost's colleagues
          -Need for reorganization

     Kissinger's relations with John A. Scali
          -President's forthcoming meeting with Kissinger
          -Scali's role

     President's schedule, April 22, 1971
           -Meeting with Connally

     Texas disaster
          -Instruction for Connally

          -Clifford M. Hardin and Lincoln
     Personnel
          -Possible removal
          -Bureau of Indian affairs
                -Bonnie Greene (sp?)
                -Ehrlichman
                -President’s instructions
                -Possible removal
                      -Timing
                -Ehrlichman
          -California earthquake
                -[Donald E. McLarnan]

     The President's schedule
          -Republican Congressional leadership meeting

     Personnel
          -Possible removals
               -Official
                      -Congress
                      -Party affiliation
                      -Removal
               -John R. Price, Jr.

The President and Haldeman left at 8:06 am.

This 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.

Thank you.
I already asked for this, and I need so many things to make it complete again.
As long as this is going to be studied by all those in the editorial department.
And, uh, you remember Bob, there were out of these 30 or 40 in the dead.
And, uh, they go through, and every one of those people is killed.
I want you to listen today to the verses on the rockers that you follow through.
Now, if you call me my name,
about the possibility, you asked the federal head to come in.
About the possibility of this going to, they've sent an invitation from Eastern Europe to go on over to Israel, possibly to Egypt.
So I sent an invitation, I said fine.
Now, the thing is, Bob, before he goes on this trip, he has got to step up personally to this issue.
You've got to be watching Bill carefully to be sure that he doesn't get off the hook.
Is he having a press conference this week or is he not?
Because he's leaving in the end of the week.
You could say he would.
He must.
And Sullivan must make money.
Sullivan's going to do the hearing.
When is that?
That's this week.
What about Rogers?
Get Rogers up.
I want him out this week on Vietnam.
He's got to be out this week on Vietnam.
I have preferred a press conference, right?
Laos the whole night.
Yeah, you know what I mean?
Yeah.
Just depending.
It's Vietnam, Laos, the whole bit.
Because I want him in the bed with us as we go forward on some of these other things, you see.
I don't want to mention the way Shultz and Ervin have been recommended talking about some good, solid, fine, kind man, or a politician.
I mean,
These things are one of the few things that we get a little play on.
But the people down the line, somebody that will exploit every goddamn one of these disaster things when they're made.
Got it?
So would you follow up and go, plan to get the things that we want?
I want somebody who's not a businessman.
I don't give a shit how it's run.
We'll run.
We've got a good deputy.
We've got a good deputy.
Who is also a good politician.
Is that right?
Yeah.
Is that right?
Yeah.
Is that right?
Yeah.
Is that right?
Yeah.
Is that right?
Yeah.
Is that right?
Yeah.
Is that right?
Yeah.
The other thing I'd like to buy, I want a list of all those who were homeowners that I have any possibility with regard to appointing everybody in the government that is homeowners, whether it's schedule C's, et cetera, et cetera, homeowners who are still in the government.
Now, I'm going to have to ask all of them to resign before the school year, September the 1st.
Of course, we've got...
Two exceptions, you've got Hoover and Helms.
Understand?
You have to research among those that will go, Philatel is among those that will go.
But I've got to have this, and I want it done before the school year.
I want the holdover, let's get Mellon to work on it immediately.
I don't care whether they're good or bad.
You want an evaluation on these two or you don't?
I'm not interested.
I'm not interested.
If the holdover, unless the holdover happens to be a man that was for us before, I'm not interested in what their help he's done since.
We've got to clean the house.
The curious thing is that I get this, you know, I mean, I've been, our own staff, except for you, has not said anything about it, but goddammit, when people like Kyle,
John McLaughlin, a message lesson.
They're killing you.
They're trying to kill you.
And you guys are acting like a bunch of goddamn nineties.
And you see what I mean?
We've just got to get at this thing.
Don't you agree?
Sure.
Because you know what?
The Yost thing.
Remember Yost.
Remember Yost.
Remember.
Yeah.
Let's get ready.
And I'll get busy.
I'll just catch up with you.
Get busy immediately.
I've got to get to George.
George.
George.
Tell him that, now play a little game here, Tom, that I hear that the whole office is infested with people, and he must not be taking in the people that were with Yost, playing Yost and screwing us.
I'm on a list, and I think he should clean house anyway, and he should ask for his own team.
Is that clear?
Yeah.
Find out those that are there.
When you do that, we have these things that we can follow up on.
You can all open and get your scallion in, because I'm gonna see Henry today.
It's just very crazy.
That's not how I work scallion in my script today.
And, uh, I mean, what about cotton?
You've got to have got in on this one.
There's, uh, he is on good.
Here's to you, Freddie.
I want him to be sure, I want him to be sure to find out whether he's satisfied that Hardin and Lennon are doing enough in Texas.
I want to know, personally, what you're trying to do.
See, he's a party inventor, you know what I'm saying?
What's that?
Why don't you sit crazy on something?
There's a girl over here that works on Indian Affairs that's been cutting us up for a long time.
Her name's Bobby.
That's right.
She's standing there.
I've been trying that for years now.
No, no.
I'm firing her today.
She used to go before the school year.
She's one of those.
She'd go, I don't like it.
We've got her out with us.
Yeah.
But it's, boy, I'll tell you, that's really been a tough one.
Well, why?
I haven't any idea.
She's any of the most sensitive in your area.
I'll give you that.
She's, and she's done this.
Now, I've got, I got some information on yesterday.
I'm not going to tell you where I got it.
But I know, I know.
She'll cut us, get her the hell out of there.
And I mean, I mean before June, you understand?
She is to go, come John, come John, look, I've got a right to do some good things around here.
And here we are, you know, we're screwing around and just like that kid, that man out there in San Francisco, I tried to raise help out of the earthquake.
It's two months since I raised help out of the earthquake and nobody did a goddamn thing.
Now, there's something wrong with this office spot.
I don't know what it is, but there's something wrong.
I'm not looking to clean it up.
Let's go.
Okay.
I'm sure of it.
Did you accomplish any of that work?
No.
Have you heard of that?
Concerned about it ever since?
Okay.
Okay.