Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 628 › Conversation 628-005

Nixon, Woods & Bull on Robert L. King and Canadian relations

Thursday, December 2, 1971 · 12:17 PM–12:21 PM ET · Oval Office · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Woods, Rose Mary; Bull, Stephen B.Conversation628-005 on Tape 628 (tape position 00:46:28–00:50:55)StartThursday, December 2, 1971 at 12:17 PMEndThursday, December 2, 1971 at 12:21 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 628-005 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and Stephen B. Bull met to coordinate the President's upcoming travel schedule and discuss various administrative logistics. The conversation included planning for a dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, reviewing Rose Mary Woods' personal schedule, and evaluating potential staff roles for Robert L. King. Additionally, the President briefly addressed a tax-related inquiry from Clark MacGregor during the session.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
One thing, again, I don't think about you.
I know that when they're small, I don't like to put someone in a row because it would, you know, balance it very well.
We had a registered call over our next visit.
Yeah, he's a Canadian man.
Okay, I thought you would, but I... As I say, when it's that few, I can take it and put anybody in who wouldn't be good.
Okay, good.
Yeah, it becomes fair.
And then Mrs. Bacon wrote to me and said, she understood from you that an award was going to be given to Mr. Archimedes, didn't she?
And I wondered...
I mean, she says he's been decorated by all men and all the government, right?
I think we've been to the...
I don't know.
I'll see if he still plays.
Yes, he still does.
I've done a couple of lists.
She said that he told Kendall.
I haven't seen him.
I haven't seen him.
I haven't seen him.
And then, so I know I asked the other day, and I'm not pushing, I just thought so I can know, you know, when I say yes and no to a hearing, whether you will, whether I will be going on the, you know, these early trips or not, you know, whether that is it.
Or whether you even have time to discuss it.
Well, I don't need a question at this time, yeah.
Yeah, you've got to rule this time.
I don't know.
I've got to find out whether these financial indicators and so forth and so on.
Some statements...
Yeah, I will let you know.
Well, I came with him.
I said, I'm going to take him to lunch.
I told him to come tomorrow instead of today, because tomorrow he would definitely be gone.
Yeah.
How's he doing?
Oh, he's still outside the park.
He's still talking about some water project from Mexico that he talked to me on a year ago.
His other name went busted, didn't it?
He's basically on it.
Did he go bankrupt?
Oh, bankrupt.
No, that's...
He did, especially.
Jack Downs.
Jack Downs, yeah.
Quite a few people I've met.
We often just tried to help him then, you know, but he said he had to pay Ed and make more money than government.
Poor guy, he said he just dreamed and fiddled his life away because he had good money.
Or else he nagged his life away.
He probably needed to nag.
Very good.
So he said, but I was wondering, I was going to have him in today, but I told him that today was busy.
Well, I didn't ask to see, but I wanted you to be out of town, so I could see yesterday when she comes.
And that was great.
But after that, I didn't need to be there for her.
Well, Bob, I talked to Bob about it, and we, um, I wrote him, and someone called him at that point.
We could put him on some pay to come check something.
Excuse me, Mr. President, uh, Clark McRaven needs to speak to you for one moment on the tax matter.
He's right on the sideline.

NARA Description

On December 2, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:17 pm and 12:21 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 628-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 628-5

Date: December 2, 1971
Time: Unknown between 12:17 pm and 12:21 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Rose Mary Woods.

     President’s schedule
           -Upcoming trip to Florida
           -Call from Pierre Rinfret
                 -Unknown location
                 -Upcoming dinner for Pierre E. Trudeau, December 6, 1971
                      -Canada

     Woods’ conversation with an unknown woman
         -Award
                  -Unknown musician

     The President’s schedule
          -Bermuda
               -Woods' schedule
          -Woods’ schedule
               -Robert L. King

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

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 04/20/2022.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[628-005-w001]
[Duration: 1m 6s]

     The President’s schedule
          -Rose Mary Woods’ schedule
               -Robert L. King
                      -Lunch
                           -December 3, 1971
                      -Water project in Mexico
                           -Bankrupt
                           -Jack Drown
                      -Rose Mary Woods’ opinion
                           -Unknown woman

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

     The President’s schedule
          -King
               -Possible position on staff
                      -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 12:17 pm.

     Clark MacGregor
          -Meeting with the President
               -Taxes

Bull left at an unknown time before 12:21 pm.

     Suggestion

Woods left at 12:21 pm.

Also recorded on December 2, 1971

  • 015-197 11:31 AM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:31 am and 12:15 pm.
  • 628-002 11:35 AM · 37 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Henry A. Kissinger, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:35 am to 12:13 pm.
  • 628-003 12:13 PM · 25 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 12:13 pm.
  • 015-198 12:15 PM · 40 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Frances (Grant) Bennett talked on the telephone from 12:15 pm to 12:17 pm.
  • 628-004 12:15 PM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Frances (Grant) Bennett met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:15 pm to 12:17 pm.
  • 628-006 12:21 PM · 22 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Clark MacGregor met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:21 pm to 12:43 pm.
  • 628-007 12:43 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:43 pm and 12:45 pm.
  • 628-008 12:45 PM · 1 hr 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, Clark MacGregor, Rose Mary Woods, and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:45 pm to 2:03 pm.

All 40 conversations from December 2, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 628-005, December 2, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/628-005 (accessed October 12, 2026).