Conversation 504-006

On May 27, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, R. C. ("Hugh") Robinson, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Jack T. ("Tom") Cole, Frederic V. Malek, Robert Martin, Frank P. Rocco, Carson M. Howell, Mrs. Carson M. Howell, Alexander P. Butterfield, Peter G. Peterson, and Catherine May Bedell met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:52 am and 12:05 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 504-006 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 504-6

Date: May 27, 1971
Time: Unknown between 11:52 am and 12:05 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull.

     President's schedule
          -Open Door Hour

Admiral R. C. ("Hugh") Robinson and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. entered at 11:54 am.

     President's appreciation of Robinson
          -National Security Council [NSC]
          -Henry A. Kissinger
          -Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS]
          -Robinson’s previous service with the President

     Presentation of gifts
          -Golf balls

Robinson and Haig left and Jack T. ("Tom") Cole and Frederic V. Malek entered at 11:56 am.
     President's appreciation of Cole's work

     Presentation of gifts
          -Cuff links

     Photo session

     President's appreciation of Martin's and Rocco's work

     Marijuana
          -President’s view on legalization

     Presentation of gifts
          -Cuff links
          -Golf balls

Martin, Rocco and Malek left and Bull conferred with the President at 11:59 am.

     Photographs of President and Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon

Mr. and Mrs. Carson M. Howell and Alexander P. Butterfield entered at 11:59 am.

     Carson Howell's career in government
          -Duration
          -Mrs. Howell
          -Indiana

     Photograph with the President

     Presidential ashtray

     Appreciation of the Howells

     President's appreciation of Carson Howell

Mr. and Mrs. Howell left and Butterfield conferred with the President at 12:02 pm.

     Press photograph of Catherine May Bedell

Bedell, Malek and Peter G. Peterson entered at 12:02 pm.

      Preparations for photo session

      Bedell's nomination [Chairperson -designate of US Tariff Commission]
           -Announcement by President
                 -Senate

      Photo session

      [General conversation]

      State Department

      Bedell's forthcoming responsibilities
           -Peterson

      Presentation of gifts for Bedell and her husband
           -Paper weight

      Bedell
           -Peterson's relations with Bedell
                 -Briefings
           -Staff
           -Bedell's access to the President
           -Peterson
           -Kissinger
                 -Foreign policy
           -John D. Ehrlichman
                 -Domestic policy
           -Bedell's appreciation of President

      Open Door session
          -Evaluation

Bedell, et al., left at 12:05 pm.

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.

Are you ready to strike?
I appreciate you for working in the past few years.
I look forward to serving you for the rest of your life.
Thank you, we have a, yeah, well, I tell you, we do give you both questions in higher track, but we hope that you can read and recognize that.
So, I don't know if it would be worth it, I'm sure, I was thinking the same for the system.
When I was, I mean, back in Scottsdale, in the past, earlier, it was another 67 or so drive.
How do you picture the role in the president's system?
Did you have time for one?
Are you a golfer?
Uh, I may be a golfer.
Wait, you're a golfer?
Yes, I am a golfer.
Well, that matters.
Yes, I am a golfer.
Yes, I am a golfer.
I'm sure it's all right.
You might have got a big boat here.
A big boat.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, we got good
Get along.
Get your presidential cufflinks.
Do you want to be a golfer?
No, sir, I don't know.
No, they don't do that.
And we wish you the very best.
I'll give you golf ball anything you want.
Rather than be quiet about it, you'd say you've got to hold your line.
I think there are other things to be said about it.
Yes, yes.
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
He was having a career.
You're on the swamp or something.
I didn't know what that was.
I don't know.
He should have applied in the background.
Okay.
One.
I don't know.
I didn't know.
I didn't know.
I didn't know.
I didn't know.
I didn't know.
I need to give a call to the financial side of us.
He's got to be certain most of the time.
Well, I did vote that you didn't give us too many hundreds.
I don't know if you got rid of the people.
I don't know about that.
Did you do that?
Did you vote?
I don't know.
You were in that shirt and brown over there.
Why was there a meeting on that afternoon?
I don't know.
I mean, you can take what he wants about legalizing marijuana, but I'm not for it.
So you should leave your kid in there, huh?
I agree with you, sir.
Well, you hear your girl's an actual cop, I mean, so there's nothing for you to watch over your ears, but you've got to have something to prove your fear.
And also, you're all talkers, aren't you?
Yes, sir.
How's it going, Dad?
Oh, you can call them home.
I'm just buzzing.
Thanks, all.
That's all you have for all the next few times.
Not another thing.
It's been a pleasure, though.
We are appreciative.
Thank you so much for serving us.
We'll call them again.
Absolutely.
Perfect.
Now, where you are, you're definitely good.
Just out there raising the tension again one of these days.
Thanks a lot.
Nice.
Mark, right?
Yeah.
Thank God.
Thank you.
But I was here, sir.
I was here.
I was here.
I was here.
I was here.
Yes, we agree.
Mr. Harrison, hello, Mr. President.
Yes.
How old are you?
I'm thirty-five.
Thirty-seven and a half years.
Well, it's hard to realize you could have been here that long.
Oh, thank you.
Good to see you.
Yeah, it's good to be here.
Thirty-seven and a half years.
Thirty-seven and a half years.
I was talking to Marcel this morning on the building across the street.
He says, now you speak of the State War Navy, the Cure Corps, Hunter River, January 4, 1933.
And I said, well, I think we must have a president.
It's a lot of worries, isn't it?
I took a message to your dad.
How many days?
Five.
Yeah, I got a lot of days.
Excellent.
What about our dad, son?
He's right over in the house.
Yeah, he's right over in the house.
Let's get a formal picture for you.
I'm going to have to write you an extra message.
Let me see where you're going to write it to your father.
Get this, boy.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
The office will be impressed, Lord Ransom.
President?
Well, there's no turning back.
Amen.
That's almost as good as being mad at God.
Because you know it's not.
That's the point.
It does show that we...
You want to be sitting?
I wonder if we should.
I wonder if we should.
Is it in the house, Jack?
No, you're not.
This is the day.
You're not going to do that.
Oh, yeah, no.
Pardon me.
You're going to do something.
There, amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
.
.
.
.
No.
They go out?
No, no.
I live at home.
They go out.
I live at home.
I live at home.
I live at home.
I live at home.
The second thing is that they will trust you.
And I would like you to work very closely with me.
We're going to have a new attitude on all these things.
He is looking after America's interests, understand?
So, when he tells you, it's from me, right?
Well, you are this.
All right.
You do the right thing.
Thank you.
And he's good at the station.
All I want to say is, I'm sure you're on the right side.
Oh, I think so.
I think he has all these trinkets.
We want to give you that as a paperweight.
That means, that means that's just a split of seconds from now.
Very small, as you see.
Thank you, Mr. Perry.
You don't know what I'm talking about.
No, I don't.
I don't think so.
I'll give you that.
Can I have one of those crickets?
No, I don't have one.
I just have one of these.
Thank you.
You'll see.
They're strong.
So we got a friend.
Oh, we got a friend.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Sir, it's my envy, Mayor, that this town is, first of all, a shrewd country.
And second, she knows what those, excuse me, some of those clowns up there, that are not our friends, what they'll be up to.
On this whole business here, you're talking to her very candidly, and it will be done in nice little confidence.
And I would think that at a very early time, when you do have a briefing, like that international stuff, she and all the members of the committee, and top members of the commission, span lots of that here,
If you can't hear him, he hasn't touched yet.
He has an hour and a half reading on the United States.
But it's an attitude of mine that we have to change in this country.
All of your people will see you over there.
What they can do, and this is one where even, you know, as big as 100, if you want to pick a half a dozen of your top stackers, talk to me, this is who they ought to be, right?
This has to be an attitude that I'm told that I don't have.
Yeah, yeah, except one secretary, but can we make a change in that?
I think we do, don't you think?
We need some, uh, well, everybody talk it out.
Yeah, I'm going to turn it into a money man.
Everybody rolls over.
Everybody rolls over, but there's plenty of rockers in there.
He's a real tough author.
I asked her two questions, and he told me this is what she wanted to say.
One,
I need some guidance.
Am I supposed to sit there and go to sleep in my gavel and let the cobwebs escape?
And two, if I keep my nose clean, do my work hard, and then come up with some constructive ideas, can I get to see you and Pete at some time and see you and her?
Well, he and Patrice are in exactly the same relationship to me on these matters as Henry Kissinger is.
On the, uh, National Security Matters, as Ann has said, of course, John Rosen is on the domestic media.
So, can you talk to him?
That's it.
All right.
He has my total confidence.
So, we have Tom Curtis.
Yes, I understand.
Tom Curtis.
Now, if we discover he's a mutual friend of ours, or if we lose the media, they'll become friends.
Right.
And I have to go out and talk to him.
Do my natural.
I like your white and blue.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Very well done.