Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 558 › Conversation 558-001

Nixon, Ziegler & Woods on Political strategy and Busing

Monday, August 9, 1971 · 2:58 PM–3:36 PM ET · Oval Office

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Ziegler, Ronald L.;  Woods, Rose Mary;  Evans, Thomas B.;  Nofziger, Franklyn C. ("Lyn");  DeBolt, Edward S.;  Mountain, Barry F.;  Dent, Harry S.;  Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob");  White House photographerConversation558-001 onTape 558 (tape position 00:01:02–00:39:21)StartMonday, August 9, 1971 at 2:58 PMEndMonday, August 9, 1971 at 3:36 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 558-001 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with his staff and political advisors to discuss his upcoming schedule, including preparations for a press conference and strategies regarding upcoming Republican National Committee meetings. The discussion focused heavily on political optics, specifically planning disruptive tactics to target Democratic rivals Edmund Muskie, Hubert Humphrey, and Edward Kennedy at an AFL-CIO convention in Dallas. Nixon and his team strategized using public protests, such as anti-busing demonstrations, to manipulate press coverage and create political friction for his opponents.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 167.8 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 133.4 MB

This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 00:01:02 into the tape and ends around 00:39:21.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) ·JSON data · Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.

2:42Okay, good.
2:42That's a good way to do it.
2:44Because we're not going to...
2:45It's why I said in all of this, we will not expect anything.
2:49That's why I just stood in front of him.
2:53We're not going to say anything to anybody.
2:55So that's no problem at all.
2:57I just don't want him to ask.
2:58Well, I mean, how the hell can we get his information?
3:09You can.
3:10We can do that without...
3:12I just want to see Rose, but...
3:15Okay, I'll call her later.
3:17We keep it down without indicating the time of the day.
3:24Or even without indicating that there's something on the media.
3:28Yeah, I just take it away.
3:31Why don't you just say it's going to be with a group of businessmen?
3:38That's it.
3:39For him to use his death, you can't be on the direct girl.
3:42He used to use it for upgrading.
3:44He used to come meet the group of businessmen on Friday, and he would like to have answers to three questions.
4:24Thank you, sir.
4:25Thank you, sir.
4:59Nå.
12:36For Christ's sakes, do we have any money in the press to do it for us?
12:41No money.
12:43Well, there you are.
12:45Let's try.
12:46Good project.
12:46We'd like to have Mosky, Humphrey, and Caffey.
12:49I don't care about the others.
12:51I'd like to have Dante.
12:54Buster.
12:55Buster, period.
12:55Yes, I will.
12:57Do you agree with me?
12:58I believe so.
13:01And here, they are behind this.
13:03Particularly observable with the money.
13:06Because he's the guy that's got it in the southern deltas.
13:10If you didn't get my name on that, that's a project that you did not do.
13:13How did you do that?
13:14I used intentions to sweep you around.
13:17I pulled in the time.
13:23We've been placing an advantage against the main CIA commission in Texas.
13:28He's done a half, he's done a season of press in Dallas.
13:32Now look, where is he?
13:33He's in Dallas, getting ahead of us.
13:35He's a direct follow-up.
13:36Getting two or three reporters coming over to get up there and banging on him.
13:42Ask him about it.
13:43Another thing you can do is to get people with placards about bussing at the airport and get them up there.
13:49Say, no bussing, or something like that.
13:51And he has to go over and shake hands, and then somebody has to go over and shake hands.
13:58There's several ways to do it.
35:55Well, let's give you a little cheer.
35:58Let's give you a little cheer.
36:06Koffer, who do you have?
36:07Oh, my God.
36:07I've got something here.
36:08Golfers and savers.
36:09Who's the golfer?
36:09I used to have a two-handicap until I got this business.
36:12Koffer, why?
36:12I'll show you a cute thing we have here.
36:14Otherwise...
36:44That is great.
36:45Now, that's for your wife.
36:46She's a little cranky.
36:47I've got you, sir.
36:48I'm part of your secretary here.
36:50Thank you, sir.
36:51You don't have a secretary, do you?
36:52Yes, sir.
36:53I couldn't find one.
36:53Gary, you better take the golf ball.
36:55You've got to take it.
36:56He's got the golf break.
37:12Thank you.
39:35You hold it for just one minute.
39:35No, he's coming up with a mean situation.
39:36Just hold it for one minute.
39:37I've got a zero, so I'll give you double.

NARA Description

On August 9, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Rose Mary Woods, Thomas B. Evans, Franklyn C. ("Lyn") Nofziger, Edward S. DeBolt, Barry F. Mountain, Harry S. Dent, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:58 pm to 3:36 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 558-001 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 558-1

Date: August 9, 1971
Time: 2:58 pm - 3:36 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

     President's schedule
          -Cyclemates II
          -Ziegler’s recent press conference
                 -Ellsworth F. Bunker
                       -Forthcoming meeting
                             -Timing
          -Cyclemates II
          -Republican National Committee leaders
          -Press conference
                 -Timing
                       -International monetary developments
                 -Possible announcement
                       -Dwight L. Chapin
                       -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
                 -Patrick J. Buchanan

Rose Mary Woods entered at an unknown time after 2:58 pm.

     Call from an unknown woman

Woods left at an unknown time before 3:02 pm.

     President's schedule
          -Press conference
                 -Possible announcement
                 -Businessmen's group
                      -Buchanan

The President met with Thomas B. Evans, Franklin C. (“Lyn”) Nofziger, Edward S. DeBolt,
Barry F. Mountain, Harry S. Dent, and Haldeman at 3:02 pm; the White House photographer
was present at the beginning of the meeting.

     Introduction
           -DeBolt
           -Mountain

[Unintelligible]

**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 7m 19s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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

     Busing
          -Press coverage
               -Edmund S. Muskie, Hubert H. Humphrey, Edward M. Kennedy
               -Muskie
                     -Southern delegates
                     -Dallas, Texas
                          -American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations
                                [AFL-CIO] convention
                                -Reporters
                                -Demonstrators
                                     -Placards

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 21m 52s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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

      Presentation of gifts
           -Golf balls
           -Music box

      President’s schedule
           -John N. Mitchell

Ziegler, et al. left at 3:36 pm.

Also recorded on August 9, 1971

  • 272-004 1:48 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon, George P. Shultz, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:48 pm to 1:58 pm.
  • 272-005 1:58 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:58 pm and 2:01 pm.
  • 272-006 2:01 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:01 pm to 2:02 pm.
  • 272-007 2:02 PM · 40 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:02 pm and 2:15 pm.
  • 272-008 2:02 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:02 pm and 2:15 pm.
  • 272-009 2:15 PM · 44 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, John B. Connally, Manolo Sanchez, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:15 pm to 2:55 pm.
  • 558-002 3:36 PM · 30 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:36 pm and 3:38 pm.
  • 558-003 3:38 PM · 52 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, John N. Mitchell, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:38 pm to 4:29 pm.

All 38 conversations from August 9, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 558-001, August 9, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/558-001 (accessed September 18, 2026).