Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 520
Nixon White House Tape 520 (June 15, 1971)
13 conversations · Oval Office · about 2 hr 34 min of released audio
Featuring Nixon, Bull, Butterfield, Haldeman, Kissinger
President Nixon met with Alexander P. Butterfield and Stephen B. Bull in the Oval Office to coordinate his daily schedule. The primary focus of the discussion involved administrative planning for upcoming meetings with Kenneth B. Keating and Arthur K. Watson. The brief interaction served as a routine logistical briefing to manage the President’s agenda for the day.
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met to coordinate the President's upcoming schedule and prioritize preparation time for an important meeting with West German Chancellor Willy Brandt. They evaluated the necessity of a meeting with Arthur K. Watson and discussed timing adjustments for an event involving the Association of Real Estate Boards. Ultimately, the two agreed to postpone the Watson meeting to ensure Nixon had sufficient time to review briefing materials for his diplomatic engagements.
President Nixon met with H. R. Haldeman and various officials to discuss urgent administration challenges, specifically the unauthorized publication of the Pentagon Papers and strategies to combat press leaks and political criticism. The conversation transitioned into a broader policy meeting with representatives from the National Association of Real Estate Boards regarding the President's revenue sharing initiatives, housing market stabilization, and rising construction costs. Nixon emphasized the importance of aligning administration rhetoric on taxes and housing to bolster support among key stakeholders.
President Nixon, Henry Kissinger, and Ron Ziegler met to coordinate the administration's public relations and legal strategy regarding the leaking of the Pentagon Papers and pending Vietnam legislation. The President emphasized a firm stance against the New York Times' publication of classified documents, framing the administration's legal injunction as a necessary defense of government integrity rather than a partisan effort to shield previous administrations. They also discussed managing congressional support for Vietnam policy and the importance of maintaining strict secrecy around sensitive diplomatic negotiations, including ongoing back-channel communications with China and the Soviet Union.
President Nixon met with his aide Stephen B. Bull to coordinate logistical preparations for the upcoming arrival of West German Chancellor Willy Brandt. The brief discussion centered on necessary arrangements for the diplomatic visit. No further substantive policy decisions were recorded during this short administrative interaction.
President Nixon and West German Chancellor Willy Brandt met in the Oval Office to coordinate their respective diplomatic strategies regarding the Soviet Union, Berlin, and European security. The two leaders emphasized the importance of maintaining a unified stance on Berlin negotiations and the potential ratification of treaties, while navigating the delicate balance of maintaining U.S. troop presence and European defense burden-sharing. They also discussed broader geopolitical challenges, including the rise of Japan, relations with the People’s Republic of China, and the ongoing crisis between India and Pakistan, reaffirming their commitment to close cooperation and open channels of communication.
President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler met to prepare for an upcoming press conference by reviewing potential inquiries regarding the President's meeting with West German Chancellor Willy Brandt. The discussion centered on foreign policy and economic issues, including Berlin negotiations, Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction (MBFR), NATO relations, and international monetary policy. Nixon commended Secretary of State William P. Rogers for his briefing work, and Ziegler concluded the session to prepare for his own press briefing.
President Nixon and Henry Kissinger met to coordinate strategy regarding sensitive international negotiations, including Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT), relations with the People's Republic of China, and the ongoing war in Vietnam. They discussed managing diplomatic obstacles, such as the potential for an undesirable five-power conference, while Kissinger prepared for upcoming meetings with Soviet ambassador Anatoliy Dobrynin. Furthermore, the two prioritized maintaining strict control over sensitive records to circumvent potential leaks from the State and Defense Department bureaucracies, which Nixon explicitly stated he no longer trusted.
President Nixon met with his personal valet, Manolo Sanchez, in the Oval Office to coordinate logistics for the President's daily schedule. The primary focus of the brief interaction was to confirm arrangements regarding the timing and details of the President's lunch. No significant policy decisions were recorded during this brief administrative check-in.
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman discussed a wide range of administrative and public relations strategies, including managing press coverage for upcoming presidential trips and dealing with the political fallout of the Pentagon Papers. The President emphasized his desire to treat the Pentagon Papers leak as a breach of national security and directed his staff to maintain a policy of refusing to comment on the previous administration's actions. Additionally, they reviewed personnel matters, such as the resignation of Robert C. Hill and a request from Donald L. Jackson, and finalized plans to improve media outreach regarding Vietnam troop withdrawals.
This recording captures a brief, 41-second exchange between President Nixon and unidentified individuals in the Oval Office. Due to the poor audio quality and lack of discernible content, the discussion remains unintelligible. No substantive policy matters, decisions, or action items can be extracted from this fragment.
President Nixon met with his aide Stephen B. Bull to coordinate the scheduling of upcoming meetings with congressional leadership. The discussion focused on logistical planning to ensure the President could consult with these key figures in the immediate future. No major policy decisions were made during this brief session, which served primarily to facilitate the President's administrative calendar.
President Nixon met with Alexander P. Butterfield for a brief one-minute session in the Oval Office. Given the extremely limited duration and lack of available documentation, the meeting likely served as a routine administrative check-in or the delivery of immediate correspondence. No substantive policy discussions were recorded during this brief interaction.