Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 536
Nixon White House Tape 536 (July 3, 1971)
18 conversations · Oval Office · about 4 hr 27 min of released audio
Featuring Nixon, Haldeman, Woods, Bull, Colson
President Nixon held a brief morning meeting with an unidentified individual in the Oval Office. The participants engaged in an inconclusive exchange regarding the presence of security or safety personnel at the location. No significant policy decisions or further actions were recorded during this brief interaction.
President Nixon initiated a brief communication with the White House operator to facilitate an outgoing call. This interaction served as a logistical step to connect the President with another party, though the specific recipient of the call remains unrecorded. No substantive policy discussions or major decisions occurred during this brief exchange.
President Nixon consulted with the White House operator to facilitate an outgoing call. This brief interaction served as a standard administrative precursor to the President's telephonic communications. No policy matters or significant political developments were addressed during this exchange.
President Nixon met with Charles Colson, George Shultz, and James Hodgson to discuss concerns over recent unemployment statistics released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Nixon expressed frustration with the BLS leadership, specifically targeting Assistant Commissioner Harold Goldstein and Commissioner Geoffrey Moore for their perceived lack of loyalty to the administration and their mishandling of reports. The group discussed plans to force a reorganization of the BLS to gain greater control over the reporting process, as well as the eventual replacement of Moore with a more reliable figure.
President Nixon instructed the White House operator to facilitate a telephone connection with Carroll Donahue, who was located at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The brief exchange was conducted solely to establish this specific communication link. No further substantive policy matters or political discussions were recorded during this interaction.
President Nixon instructed the White House operator to place several outgoing calls to specific individuals, including New York Giants president Wellington Mara, Frank Carlucci, and John W. Mulcahy. The primary purpose of this interaction was to facilitate communication with these figures by verifying contact information. No further policy or administrative decisions were reached during this brief exchange.
President Nixon contacted the nurse in charge of the Intensive Care Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital to inquire about the medical status of an old friend and former congressional colleague. The President reminisced briefly about their shared history serving in the Navy during World War II and their time in Congress together. He concluded the brief call by requesting that the nurse pass along his best wishes for the patient's recovery.
President Nixon and his personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, briefly coordinated the administrative handling and routing of incoming materials or personnel. The discussion centered on ensuring that specific arrivals were properly directed to the Coastal office for processing. This short exchange served to align their schedules and communication regarding ongoing logistical matters.
President Nixon held a brief, informal session with an unidentified individual to coordinate future communication arrangements. The conversation focused on the logistics of placing a personal telephone call at a later time. No significant policy developments or substantive political matters were addressed during this brief exchange.
President Nixon and Charles Colson discuss methods to exert tighter control over executive branch messaging, specifically regarding unemployment figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the public narrative surrounding the Pentagon Papers. The President emphasizes his constitutional obligation to enforce the law and protect national security, proposing a forceful public statement that prioritizes the lives of American servicemen and POWs over the sensationalism of the press. Additionally, they evaluate the political landscape for the 1972 election, focusing on building a coalition of labor union support and successfully managing negative press portrayals.
President Nixon held a brief, one-minute meeting with an unidentified individual, during which they discussed the scheduling of Charles W. Colson. Due to the extremely short duration and the lack of a substantial transcript, no further policy developments or complex topics were recorded. The conversation concluded with the departure of the visitor before the minute ended.
President Nixon placed a brief congratulatory call to Susan Mara regarding the recent birth of her family's tenth child. During the conversation, the President inquired about the gender balance of the children and jokingly encouraged the parents to have an eleventh child to complete a full football team. The exchange concluded with lighthearted banter regarding the President's preference for the Washington Redskins over the New York Giants.
President Nixon met with his aide Stephen B. Bull to coordinate upcoming appointments and manage the executive schedule. The discussion focused on finalizing the briefing sequence for General Alexander M. Haig, Jr. prior to the President’s scheduled speech. The meeting concluded quickly, ensuring the President remained on schedule for his high-level diplomatic and administrative obligations.
President Nixon met with General Alexander Haig to discuss the status of diplomatic initiatives, including the upcoming Middle East policy and potential summit meetings with Soviet and Chinese leaders. They addressed the necessity of coordinating foreign policy messages to manage congressional and public perceptions while avoiding premature escalations in the Middle East. Following Haig's departure, Nixon worked with John K. Andrews, Jr. to revise an upcoming speech for the National Archives, focusing on refining themes of American national identity, the value of patriotism, and the importance of emphasizing the country's virtues.
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman convened in the Oval Office to coordinate the President's upcoming schedule. The discussion focused on managing the President's availability for requested meetings. No specific substantive policy decisions were reached during this brief administrative exchange.
President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman met to discuss various personnel matters, the President's upcoming National Archives speech, and the ongoing controversy surrounding the Pentagon Papers. During their conversation, Nixon expressed strong bias regarding the loyalty of Jewish employees in the federal bureaucracy and questioned their placement in sensitive roles. The President and Haldeman further analyzed the political risks of the Pentagon Papers case, considering whether to make a public statement or allow the situation to cool, while debating the efficacy of conducting public opinion polling over the holiday weekend.
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman coordinate the staging and visual presentation of an upcoming public event, specifically focusing on the President’s demeanor during the playing of the national anthem. They determine that the President and others should stand at attention and salute without singing to maintain appropriate decorum. Additionally, Nixon briefly tasks Haldeman with drafting a letter to address a personal administrative matter.
President Nixon and his advisors, including H. R. Haldeman and Alexander Haig, met to refine the President's upcoming speech for the Bicentennial celebrations. They focused on trimming the text to fit a 12-minute delivery, adjusting the tone to emphasize American idealism, and finalizing strategies for the presentation, including the decision to withhold the written text from the press. Additionally, the group discussed potential public relations benefits from the speech, such as the future renaming of Air Force One to the "Spirit of '76."