Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 546 › Conversation 546-001

Nixon, Haldeman & Bull on Bebe Rebozo and Pentagon Papers

Monday, July 26, 1971 · 4:20 PM–4:32 PM ET · Oval Office ·8 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob");  Bull, Stephen B.Conversation546-001 onTape 546 (tape position 00:00:41–00:09:01)StartMonday, July 26, 1971 at 4:20 PMEndMonday, July 26, 1971 at 4:32 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 546-001 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met to coordinate upcoming appointments and resolve personal logistics for Charles G. “Bebe” Rebozo. The discussion included scheduling meetings with John Mitchell and Peter G. Peterson, as well as managing the details of Rebozo's hotel accommodations through discreet channels. The participants also touched upon the Pentagon Papers case and the expected return of Henry Kissinger.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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And it was really a continuation of the dialogue.
And I had to be over in the house by six o'clock.
Okay.
So Mitchell's Jewish is five.
Do you want to see John now?
Well, he's got Peterson here now.
Did he talk to you about that part?
I think it can be worked out very easily, but what I suggested to him is that we ought to have Kambach talk to Marion and work it out, because Kambach has been working with Marion, and because I don't think the White House should call Marion.
I think that one problem, I don't think that he would like to be with somebody else and stay in the building or something like that.
But I think, I see no reason why you can't be complimented as a matter of fact.
Are you?
No.
And or do you?
No.
And you've had trouble with most of her, I think, well, they've got a lot of business and you can't do something about it.
I think that...
I said that they had already worked it out.
I didn't know anything about it.
I didn't know who he was talking to.
Somebody was talking to him.
I didn't know anything about it until he erased it with me today.
And he was going to make arrangements to have it built.
You know, whatever it was even covered in.
Well, I tell you, maybe...
I didn't even know they were going to Essex.
I knew that was tomorrow.
Would you see where Bozo is if he's over here?
If he's here, yes.
When I walked out of there,
Well, Michelle, you better get a hold of him.
Perhaps you can catch him on the scene as St. Peterson.
Well, you don't have to see him.
There was only the... Well, really it was because he's... Why don't we say that you and the faculty mentioned that he is...
I'll just give Peterson a half hour.
And let's see Mitchell...
We'd like to get him in the car.
He's just back from London anyway.
We'll have him come in the car.
And have him scan it on me on that.
Fair enough.
Yeah.
And then we'll get Peterson early on in the way.
Okay.
Early.
Early.
The marriage.
I'd like to have you, our common operation, either you or her, at any point, find someone to ask you some advice on each day, you know, just to be sure that it doesn't feel like a little scientific problem.
You know, he doesn't have his hand held, but he's doing a number of things.
You know, just say, well, what's going on?
And it asks, it asks about something else.
I think that's good.
Are you fine?
Yeah.
I'll talk to him and say that in a couple of months.
I've got several points to add to that.
Yeah.
But one thing, for example, is...
And the car scene.
However it is going on, we'll have to express it in the case of the West Bay.
But don't do anything on this thing.
It's not about me.
He was going to talk to her.
So nothing can be done except by me in this way.
It's very possible that Rose had talked to her because somebody did talk to her.
They've gone to her.
This is just for a few weeks anyway.
First of all, it's all right.
It's a great thing for the hotel.
Yes, it's awesome.
I think they can put it at a presidential rate.
Presidential rate.
Presidential rate.
Just down to anyone competent.
What's the rate?
I pressed my buzzer and put the hell out and said, they really don't have any right to get into things too much that way.
Do we have any exact word yet on this return?
10.32 is the last class.
I don't know if they're reading on that.

NARA Description

On July 26, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:20 pm to 4:32 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 546-001 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 546-1

Date: July 26, 1971
Time: 4:20 pm - 4:32 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

     The Pentagon Papers case

     The President's schedule
          -John N. Mitchell, John D. Ehrlichman
          -Peter G. Peterson

**********************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 01/28/2020.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[546-001-w001]
[Duration: 1m 25s]

     Apartment accommodations
          -Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo
               -Conversation with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
          -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman’s suggestion
               -Herbert W. Kalmbach contact J. Willard (“Bill”) Marriott
          -Herbert W. Kalmbach
               -Edward R.F. Cox
          -Charge of bill [?]
          -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman’s knowledge
          -Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo [?]
               -Arrangements
                     -Edward R. F. Cox [?]
               -Rose Mary Woods

**********************************************************************

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 4:20 pm.

     Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo's schedule

Bull left at an unknown time before 4:32 pm.

     The President's schedule
          -John B. Connally
                -Peterson
          -Ehrlichman
          -Mitchell, Peterson
          -Peterson
          -Mitchell
                -John G. Tower
          -Peterson, Ehrlichman

     [Pause]

     Connally
         -Contact with Haldeman, Ehrlichman
         -Role
         -Meeting with the President

     [Unintelligible]

          -Barry M. Goldwater

Bull entered at an unknown time after 4:20 pm.

     Rebozo's schedule

Bull left at an unknown time before 4:32 pm.

**********************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 01/28/2020.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[546-001-w002]
[Duration: 1m 45s]

     Accommodations
         -Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo

                 -Forthcoming conversation with Rose Mary Woods
           -Timing and length of stay
           -Hotel accommodations
                 -Possibility of Presidential rate
           -Press [?]

**********************************************************************

     The President's schedule
          -Peterson

     Henry A. Kissinger's return from Paris

Haldeman left at 4:32 pm.

Also recorded on July 26, 1971

  • 007-001 3:07 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:07 pm and 7:37 pm.
  • 546-002 4:32 PM · 49 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Peter G. Peterson met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:32 pm to 5:19 pm.
  • 546-003 5:19 PM · 11 sec — Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 5:19 pm.
  • 546-004 5:20 PM · 52 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Clark MacGregor, and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:20 pm to 6:12 pm.
  • 546-005 6:12 PM · 1 min — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:12 pm and 6:40 pm.
  • 007-002 7:37 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 7:37 pm to 7:41 pm.
  • 007-003 7:41 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:41 pm and 7:49 pm.
  • 007-004 7:49 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 7:49 pm to 8:01 pm.

Cite this conversation

Conversation 546-001, July 26, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/546-001 (accessed September 18, 2026).