Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 495
Nixon White House Tape 495 (May 7, 1971)
27 conversations · Oval Office · about 4 hr 51 min of released audio
Featuring Nixon, Bull, Butterfield, Haldeman, Woods
President Richard Nixon met with his personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, in the Oval Office to discuss administrative or personal matters. Due to the lack of a transcript for this brief encounter, the specific dialogue remains undocumented. The meeting serves as a record of their routine office interactions during this period of the Nixon administration.
President Nixon consulted with the White House operator to facilitate communication with specific legislators. The discussion centered on arranging outreach or coordination involving Congresswoman Edith Green of Oregon and Senator Barry Goldwater. The interaction served as a brief administrative step to connect the President with these key political figures.
President Nixon consulted with a White House operator to facilitate an outgoing communication. The interaction focused on the mechanical process of connecting a telephone call. No substantive policy discussions or significant political developments occurred during this brief logistical exchange.
President Nixon met with Representative Edith Green to express his gratitude for her courageous public defense of the administration's policies. The conversation focused on the necessity of maintaining order in Washington, D.C., with Nixon specifically praising the restraint and firmness displayed by police during recent civil unrest. Nixon acknowledged that his agenda relied on bipartisan support and commended Green for her willingness to break with her party on these contentious issues.
President Nixon initiates a brief administrative interaction with the White House operator to place an outgoing call. The discussion serves as a routine procedural step to facilitate communication through the White House switchboard. No substantive policy matters or historical developments were recorded during this brief exchange.
President Nixon interacts with the White House operator to facilitate a personal arrangement regarding a scheduled event. The brief dialogue focuses on the logistics of obtaining a photograph for an upcoming engagement. No major policy decisions or significant administrative actions are addressed during this exchange.
President Nixon and Betty Garcia held a brief, informal exchange regarding a recent interaction with a senator and his supportive stance on administration associates. Nixon expressed personal frustration regarding the senator's physical conduct during a meeting while simultaneously acknowledging his reliable political loyalty. The conversation concluded with Nixon offering well wishes for Garcia's upcoming rest and recovery from a shoulder injury.
President Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met to finalize logistical arrangements for a dinner event involving agricultural representatives. Nixon expressed a strong desire to streamline the reception process by minimizing physical contact and restricting time spent in formal conversation with attendees. Consequently, the President decided on a truncated greeting strategy where he and the First Lady would greet guests briefly upon entry before promptly departing.
President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman review a wide-ranging agenda of administrative tasks, public relations strategies, and pending legislative goals. They discuss the potential for a presidential proclamation regarding a Prisoner of War event, the status of the Supersonic Transport (SST) funding, and managing the White House press and public opinion in the face of ongoing demonstrations. Additionally, Nixon expresses dissatisfaction with certain Cabinet members' performance and emphasizes the need for stronger, more loyal advocacy for his policies, specifically praising John Connally's aggressive support.
President Nixon and Stephen B. Bull prepared for an upcoming bill signing ceremony in the Cabinet Room regarding the establishment of a telephone bank. The discussion centered on coordinating logistics for the event, including the anticipated participation of various congressional members and representatives from the National Telephone Cooperative Association, such as Eldon M. Snowden. The participants concluded their brief meeting by transitioning to the event location.
Unknown participants met in the Oval Office to coordinate logistics for manual labor involving the excavation of trenches near a wall. The conversation focused on specific spatial measurements for digging and ensuring the work area was adequately prepared. The participants concluded the brief discussion by confirming their instructions and coordinating follow-up communication.
Alexander P. Butterfield met with unidentified individuals in the Oval Office to discuss administrative or logistical matters. The brief encounter, lasting less than eight minutes, includes a segment that remains restricted under federal statute. Due to the absence of a transcript and the existence of a withdrawn segment, no further details regarding specific decisions or directives are available.
President Nixon met with his aide Stephen B. Bull in the Oval Office to coordinate the President's upcoming schedule. The primary focus of the brief discussion was arranging a meeting between the President and Herbert G. Klein. The conversation concluded with Bull departing the office two minutes after the meeting began.
President Nixon met with Rose Mary Woods and others to coordinate his upcoming travel schedule and discuss the performance of his cabinet members. He praised John Connally for his strong, decisive leadership while criticizing Secretary of State William P. Rogers for his perceived lack of assertiveness and political fortitude. Later, the President met with political cartoonist Bob Murphy to discuss campaign memorabilia and the role of political expression in America versus restricted regimes.
President Nixon met with his aide Stephen B. Bull to discuss personal administrative matters, specifically regarding the President's office in the Executive Office Building and the display of political cartoons. The two also reviewed the President's upcoming schedule, focusing on an appointment with W. Richard Howard. This brief exchange served to coordinate logistics concerning Howard's background, including his family connections and his professional association with Charles W. Colson.
President Nixon met with Stephen Bull, W. Richard Howard, Marcia Howard, and Mr. Northrup for a brief courtesy call, during which White House photographer Northrup utilized an experimental camera to document the meeting. The participants exchanged pleasantries and discussed the distribution of presidential gifts, including cufflinks and the presidential seal. The conversation also briefly touched upon the personality and White House performances of entertainer Pearl Bailey.
President Nixon held a brief, six-minute meeting in the Oval Office to return an unspecified phone call. The identity of the other participant remains unrecorded, and the lack of a surviving transcript precludes any determination of the substantive topics discussed. Consequently, no specific policy decisions or action items can be identified from this interaction.
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met to discuss a wide-ranging agenda, including the restructuring of the cancer research program, current unemployment statistics, and upcoming presidential scheduling. They reviewed foreign policy, specifically focusing on the administration’s China initiative and strategic arms negotiations, while agreeing to ignore pressure from public anti-war demonstrations. Nixon emphasized the need for administrative control over federal bureaucracies and finalized plans for his upcoming travel and press conference strategy.
President Nixon met with his personal aide, Manolo Sanchez, to briefly discuss logistical arrangements regarding the President’s transition to his office in the Executive Office Building (EOB). The conversation focused on operational details concerning the workspace, leading to the immediate departure of both individuals to relocate. This brief interaction served as a logistical coordination point for the President's daily work movements.
President Nixon met with AFL-CIO President George Meany and Assistant Secretary of Labor Willie J. Usery, Jr. to secure labor support for critical economic and legislative initiatives, specifically the continuation of the Supersonic Transport (SST) program and financial support for Lockheed. The President emphasized that these projects were vital for job creation and national industrial prestige, urging Meany to lobby key legislators for the necessary votes. They also discussed the status of the building trades unions, the administration's stance on apprenticeship programs, and the leadership transition within the Teamsters union, while touching upon the broader domestic economy and international trade challenges.
President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler briefly discussed the handling of a press release originating from the Secretary of Commerce. Ziegler sought the President's review of the document after consulting with H.R. Haldeman regarding potential modifications. The meeting concluded with a brief mention of a prospective conversation between the President and Treasury Secretary John Connally.
President Nixon met with Ambassador Ernest V. Siracusa and Alexander Haig to discuss the political and economic instability in Bolivia under President Juan José Torres. The participants analyzed Bolivia's internal challenges, including a lack of institutional support, social unrest, and the flight of skilled professionals, while comparing these conditions to the relative economic growth seen in Brazil. Nixon emphasized that the U.S. should maintain a patient, positive, and supportive diplomatic stance toward the region, despite the persistent political volatility and the perceived anti-American rhetoric from local intellectuals and media figures.
President Nixon initiates a brief administrative request to the White House operator to facilitate a connection to another party. This interaction serves as a routine logistical step to connect the President to a specific individual or location. No substantial policy discussions or significant political developments occur during this brief communication.
President Nixon met with his aide Stephen B. Bull to conduct a brief review of the President's upcoming schedule. The primary focus of the discussion concerned arrangements for an impending meeting with Attorney General John N. Mitchell. No major policy decisions were recorded during this short administrative interaction.
President Nixon met with John Mitchell, John Connally, and Alexander Butterfield to discuss the political landscape ahead of the 1972 election, including campaign organization, potential fundraising strategies, and the roles of key figures like Spiro Agnew, Wilbur Mills, and Maurice Stans. The participants reviewed recent civil unrest and the positive public response to the administration's firm handling of demonstrators in Washington, D.C. Additionally, they evaluated various foreign policy challenges, specifically the Middle East peace negotiations led by William Rogers and strategies for winding down the war in Vietnam, while expressing significant frustration regarding the loyalty and effectiveness of the State Department.
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met to discuss various personnel matters, upcoming scheduling, and economic policy strategies. The conversation focused on the administration's support for Lockheed despite internal cabinet dissent and general economic stabilization efforts. Additionally, they reviewed logistical plans for upcoming public relations events, including meetings with local officials and Business Council members.
President Richard M. Nixon met with Andrey Pontier in the Oval Office to discuss management and control concerns within the administration. The conversation centered on the necessity of re-establishing authority and improving operational oversight. No specific policy decisions were finalized, but the discussion emphasized the President's frustration regarding current administrative discipline.