Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 520 › Conversation 520-003
Nixon, Haldeman & Brown on Pentagon Papers and Revenue sharing
Tuesday, June 15, 1971 · 9:56 AM–10:37 AM ET · Oval Office
AI Summary
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.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
No transcript is available yet for this conversation. The recording may contain no audible speech, or it may not have been processed.
NARA Description
On June 15, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander P. Butterfield, Stephen B. Bull, William N. Brown, H. Jackson Pontius, Fred C. Tucker, Jr., Donald I. Hovde, John C. Williamson, George W. Romney, John D. Ehrlichman, Henry C. Cashen, II, and Oliver F. ("Ollie") Atkins met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:56 am to 10:37 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 520-003 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 520-003
Date: June 15, 1971
Time: 9:56 am - 10:37 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
Charles W. Colson
“Dick Cavett Show”
-Audience
-Youth and idealism
Pentagon Papers
-Memorandum from the President
-Staff contact with the New York Times
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Max Frankel
-George P. Shultz
-Robert H. Finch
-Donald H. Rumsfeld
-William L. Safire
-John A. Scali
-Administration tactics
-Handling of New York Times’ questions
-Arguments against tactics
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
Personnel
-Unnamed person [John M. O’Neill]
-Colson handling
-Idealism
President’s schedule
-Arthur K. Watson meeting
-Meetings
-Policy
-Watson effort
Pentagon Papers
-Leaks
-Need to prevent leaks
-Congressional reaction
-Department of the Army
-Administration’s handling of the story
-John N. Mitchell
-Daniel Ellsberg
-Leslie H. Gelb
-Prosecution
-Mitchell
-New York Times role
******************************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 10/18/2017.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[520-003-w001]
[Duration: 1m 29s]
H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman's family
-Grandmother’s murder
-Mother’s arrival on scene
-Police investigation
-Housekeeper’s involvement
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
-Chance of conviction
-Fingerprints
-Details of investigation
-Possible pleas
-Judge’s treatment of cases involving alcohol abuse
******************************************************************************
President’s schedule
-Willy Brandt State Dinner
-Invitation for Watson
Congressional situation
-Hugh Scott’s view of George S. McGovern-Mark O. Hatfield amendment
-Criticism of President
-Role of New York Times publication of Pentagon Papers
-Kissinger
-Neil Sheehan
-Counterattack
-Tom C. Huston
-Goal
President’s schedule
-Minot Island
-Notification of press
Alexander P. Butterfield and Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 9:56 am
-Preparation for visitors
-Watson
Butterfield and Bull left at an unknown time before 10:13 am
-Rochester trip
-Nelson A. Rockefeller [?] schedule
Wedding
-Guest list
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
-Rockefeller [?]
-Lyndon B. Johnson handling
-Press release
-Johnson Library release
-President’s handling
-Constance M. (Cornell) (“Connie”) Stuart
-Ronald L. Ziegler
Midway Island trip
-Preparations
Vietnam
-Troop announcements
-Melvin R. Laird
-Text of announcements
-Meeting with General Nguyen Van Thieu on Midway Island
-Election impact
-Ellsworth F. Bunker role
-Television play
-Role of speeches
-Counter to critics
Drugs
-Role of speeches
-American Medical Association [AMA] role
-Robert P. Griffin
-Radio speeches
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.’s efforts
-Perception of problem
-President’s supporters
-Drugs and crime
-Marijuana users
-Support for President
-Vietnam demonstrators
-Eastern colleges
-University of Southern California group
Haldeman left at 10:13 am
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
William N. Brown, H. Jackson Pontius, Fred C. Tucker, Jr., Donald I. Hovde, John C.
Williamson, George W. Romney, John D. Ehrlichman, and Henry C. Cashen, II entered at 10:14
am; Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins was present at the beginning of the meeting
Greetings
Introductions
Seating
Wedding
-Television coverage
-Viewing by population
Housing
-Revenue sharing
-National Association of Real Estate Boards [NAREB]
-Support for President
-Plight of cities
-Effect on property taxes
-Use in speeches
-Perception of people
-History of property taxes
-Correlation of taxes and revenue sharing
-Rationale
-John B. Connally role
-Effect on home buying and education
-Effects on individual taxes
-Newark, New Jersey
-High income versus low income effects
-Political issue
-Revenue sharing
-Taxation
-Basis for taxation
-Nature of tax burden
-Lack of planning
-Federal Housing Administration [FHA]
-Project defaults in Newark
-Effect on education
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
-School costs
-San Jose, California project
-Natural beauty
-Los Angeles
-Knott’s Berry Farm
-Taxes
-Appreciation of President’s stance on revenue sharing
-NAREB conference, San Diego
-Romney speech
-Quality
-Endorsement of President’s program
-Construction costs and interest
-Effect on home ownership
-President’s programs
-Davis-Bacon Act
-Construction cost stabilization
-Reduction of interest rates
-Effect of taxes and costs on ownership
-Role of labor costs
-Quadriad meeting
-Industry agreements
-Long-term nature of program
-Interest rates
-Priority of problem
-Romney efforts
-Action of Philadelphia bank
-History
-Effect on housing levels
-Relation to money supply
-Inflation possibilities
-FHA role
-Snowball effect of rate rise
-Discrimination
-Jackson Kearns of Civil Rights Commission
-Romney efforts
-Pressures on administration
-Economic and racial discrimination
-Pacific Northwest project
-Objections
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
-Reasons
-Use of public funds
-Weapon against discrimination
-”Black Jack” case
-Separation of economy and racial discrimination
-Romney efforts
-Nature of man
-Supreme Court decision
-Lackawanna case
-Rationale
-Referendum intent
-Problems
-Need to sustain housing boom
-Revenue sharing support
-Relation to property taxes
General discussion
Gift presentation
State of the nation
Brown, et al. left at 10:37 amAlso recorded on June 15, 1971
- 061-004 7:55 AM — President Richard M. Nixon and Republican Congressional leaders, including Hugh Scott, Norris Cotton, Peter H. Dominick, Milton R. Young, Gerald R. Ford, Leslie C. Arends, John B. Anderson, Berber B. Conable, Jr., Richard H. Poff, Robert C. ("Bob") Wilson, John J. Rhodes, Robert T. Stafford, H. Allen Smith, Frank T. Bow, Robert J. Dole, Egil ("Bud") Krogh, Jr., Henry A. Kissinger, John D. Ehrlichman, George P. Shultz, Clark MacGregor, Herbert G. Klein, William E. Timmons, Harry S. Dent, Kenneth E. BeLieu, Richard K. Cook, Patrick J. Buchanan, and Ronald L. Ziegler, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 7:55 am and 11:59 pm.
- 520-001 7:56 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 7:56 am to 7:59 am.
- 520-011 7:59 AM · 40 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:59 am and 9:48 am.
- 520-002 9:48 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:48 am and 9:56 am.
- 520-012 9:48 AM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:48 am and 9:56 am.
- 520-004 10:39 AM · 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:39 am to 10:59 am.
- 520-005 10:59 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:59 am and 11:02 am.
- 520-006 11:02 AM · 1 hr 34 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Willy Brandt, Stephen B. Bull, Manolo Sanchez, Henry A. Kissinger, Egon Bahr, Rolf Pauls, Conrad Ahlers, Hermann Kusterer, Wolf-Dietrich Schilling, and Harry Obst met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:02 am to 12:34 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 520-003, June 15, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/520-003 (accessed October 12, 2026).