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Conversation 524-019

TapeTape 524StartThursday, June 17, 1971 at 12:12 PMEndThursday, June 17, 1971 at 12:17 PMTape start time02:30:11Tape end time02:35:10ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  McClellan, John L.;  MacGregor, Clark;  Bull, Stephen B.;  White House photographerRecording deviceOval Office
AI Summary

President Nixon met with Senator John L. McClellan and Clark MacGregor to accept a ceremonial Bowie knife and exchange gifts before shifting the discussion to the recent leak of the Pentagon Papers. Nixon and his guests analyzed the implications of the unauthorized disclosure, comparing the publication of the classified documents by the press to the illegal sale of stolen property. They expressed frustration over the media's defense of the act as protected speech, framing the situation instead as a dangerous institutional threat that necessitated government censorship.

Pentagon PapersCensorshipLeaked DocumentsFreedom of the PressNational SecurityGift Exchange
AudioNARA Description

On June 17, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, John L. McClellan, Clark MacGregor, Stephen B. Bull, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:12 pm to 12:17 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 524-019 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 524-19

Date: June 17, 1971
Time: 12:12 pm - 12:17 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with John L. McClellan, Clark MacGregor and Stephen B. Bull; the White
House photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.

      Greetings

      Presentation of gifts to President (Bowie knife)
           -Origin
           -Engraving
           -Use

     Presentation of gifts to McClellan

     Pentagon Papers
          -Lyndon B. Johnson
          -Robert S. McNamara
          -Declassification
          -Use of stolen material
          -Censorship
               -Necessity
          -Impact on country

McClellan and MacGregor left at 12:17 pm.
Transcript (AI-Generated)

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 Do not cite this transcript as authoritative.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.

This friend of mine down in Arkansas has made this armor.
There's a letter there that he wrote me.
He wanted to present it out at the, uh, let's send it around so you can get the picture of it.
Do you want, do you want it open?
So he would have preferred to have it open at a different time.
So it's there on the dash.
It comes right out of the box.
I'll put it over there.
This is what you call one of those buoy nuts, buoy nuts, buoy nuts.
And he made it, and you can look on the side of it, and that shows you something about the river then.
These nights were used for, they were buoy nuts.
We had to buy some big, pretty do-overs.
This is Henry.
Look at this engraving here on it.
The name is on it.
Look at that.
The steamboat, the steamer there.
I've met him.
I'm not a real ghost.
We don't see anybody.
Don't worry.
I thought this was worthy of your acceptance.
I always liked this stuff.
I didn't think it was.
I want to put it over there.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Now this is the, this is the new, the paper that's with the signature.
That's for you.
Now, the smallest one.
This is for your right.
This is the, that's the seal.
That's all you've got to do.
You've got everything out.
All right.
Thank you very much.
I didn't write it on there, so it's fine.
Well, they can't do it.
This guy stood up.
He doesn't.
Well, it's hard.
What do you mean?
You know something?
I heard you.
I had this person, you know, somebody who came in and said, you know, you know, let's get over here.
And he said, after all that, you know, Johnson, you know, you need to come back from there.
And Johnson said, you know,
But the government is not going to declassify some of the World War II stuff.
It hasn't declassified any of the very ancient little Korean stuff.
And this is an attack on the whole institution of government.
If somebody can walk out with top secret documents,
and give them to a paper we will and we cannot have nothing happen.
Do you realize that people will take auctions on some of the papers and rent them?
That's right.
We will.
I was actually reading some feedback here now.
You may have seen a headline by one of the colleagues.
Access to over 300 million dollars worth of...
securities in the last four years.
We've made over a hundred.
That hundred million dollars is accounted for.
What difference is there in the New York Times or any other paper taking stolen documents and publishing them?
And a thief that takes stolen merchandise and sells it.
The same principle in any book.
Except only they squeal censorship.
Well, my God.
They have to have something.
That's something.
That's exactly right.
A thief.
A thief takes... That's what occurred to me.
Whoever, whoever, not knowingly, knowingly sells stolen goods.
You know those, you see those, isn't it?
Whoever, knowingly, takes stolen goods.
And they know this is counter-intentional.
It wasn't given out by a party.
It wasn't given out by a party.
So there was the tape.
And you knew that it hurt something.
The president knew the tape.
All right, thank you.
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