Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 582 › Conversation 582-010

United States Secret Service agents on John Connally and Diplomacy

Thursday, September 30, 1971 · 5:31 PM–5:33 PM ET · Oval Office

ParticipantsUnited States Secret Service agentsConversation582-010 on Tape 582 (tape position 02:05:43–02:07:23)StartThursday, September 30, 1971 at 5:31 PMEndThursday, September 30, 1971 at 5:33 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 582-010 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417179063 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon consults with Secret Service personnel regarding the diplomatic temperament and effectiveness of Treasury Secretary John Connally. The discussion centers on the perception of Connally’s confrontational approach versus the administration’s desire to project both toughness and a cooperative spirit in international negotiations. They evaluate how these conflicting signals affect foreign perception of U.S. economic and political policy.

Audio

part B, 2:57

Download MP3 (part 1) · 168.6 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 33.1 MB

This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the players above hold the full tape, shared with neighbouring conversations. By the archivists' log it runs from 02:05:43 to 02:07:23 into the tape; their log often drifts a minute or two from the audio, so listen for the subjects in the finding aid.

NARA Description

On September 30, 1971, United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:31 pm and 5:33 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 582-010 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 582-010

Conversation No. 582-010

Date: September 30, 1971
Time: Unknown between 5:31 pm and 5:33 pm
Location: Oval Office

Unknown men [Secret Service agents] entered.

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

[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 10/31/2017.]
[Unintelligible]
[582-010-w001]
[Duration: 52s]

     The President’s location

     [Whistling]

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

     The President's location
          -Dining Room

     Unknown person's schedule

This conversation was cut off at an unknown time before 5:33 pm.

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; click one to play the tape from there.

The Texans really don't have the diplomatic touch.
I think he's by far the best man in your cabinet, and he is loyal, and you can count on him.
But the subtleties, the way you phrase certain things, even when it is tasteful, he just doesn't have, so...
Did you hear a good promise about my property in Athens?
Very good.
I didn't promise you said we're not going to be isolated, but we're going to be tough.
Well, but that's what they want to hear, Mr. President.
They like to feel that this is a tough pill for them because it means that they all have to pay a domestic price.
They're taking a free ride on us, but people have gotten used to it.
And whoever stops taking the free ride will have it.
What did you hear from people before the day about the hackers who were working the isolation source?
Well, and also apparently you said we're willing to do it in a cooperative spirit or something like that.
So that they thought, apparently they get the impression from Connolly that he says you knuckle under or out.
And they said, what you didn't say, what I heard was you didn't say anything specific, but the spirit with which you approached it
was one that they, and I heard that, yes, I didn't know you had intended to say anything.
I said, where'd you hear it from?
Well, I, if you,

Also recorded on September 30, 1971

  • 582-003 2:25 PM · 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:25 pm to 2:50 pm.
  • 582-004 2:50 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:50 pm and 2:54 pm.
  • 582-005 2:50 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:50 pm and 2:54 pm.
  • 078-003 2:54 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Democratic Congressmen from the South, including Tom Bevill, Omar Burleson, William M. Colmer, David N. Henderson, Alton A. Lennon, George H. Mahon, Olin E. ("Tiger") Teague, Joe D. Waggonner, Jr., John D. Ehrlichman, George P. Shultz, Clark MacGregor, and Richard K. Cook, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 2:54 pm to 3:35 pm.
  • 582-006 3:38 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Souvanna Phouma, Prince Khammao, Alex Toumayan, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:38 pm to 4:10 pm.
  • 582-007 4:10 PM · 1 min — Stephen B. Bull and United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at 4:10 pm.
  • 582-008 4:10 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 4:10 pm.
  • 582-009 4:10 PM · 1 hr 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Sir Alexander F. Douglas-Home, George R. S. Baring, Henry A. Kissinger, Ronald L. Ziegler, White House photographer, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:10 pm to 5:31 pm.

All 28 conversations from September 30, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 582-010, September 30, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417179063). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/582-010 (accessed November 12, 2026).