Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 633
Nixon White House Tape 633 (December 9, 1971)
11 conversations · Oval Office · about 3 hr 58 min of released audio
Featuring Nixon, Woods, Sanchez, Haldeman, Ziegler
President Nixon and his personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, discuss the administrative details regarding the death of diplomat Ralph J. Bunche, including coordinating a presidential statement and a personal call to Ruth H. Bunche. Additionally, the pair reviews correspondence from Elmer H. Bobst and plans for the placement and display of a bust of Winston Churchill in the Oval Office. The meeting concludes with a brief logistical exchange involving a White House operator.
President Nixon met with Ruth Bunche to express his personal condolences and profound respect following the recent passing of her husband, the distinguished diplomat Ralph Bunche. The President recalled their shared connection through UCLA and lauded Ralph Bunche’s character and global contributions to peace. Nixon concluded the brief meeting by assuring Ruth Bunche that the administration would appropriately honor her husband’s legacy in official statements.
President Nixon met with his personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, and personal aide, Manolo Sanchez, to discuss the decor and arrangement of the Oval Office. The group specifically focused on the placement and aesthetic style of an Abraham Lincoln bust within the room. No significant policy decisions were recorded during this informal administrative discussion.
President Nixon met with H.R. Haldeman, Ronald Ziegler, and Henry Kissinger to address administrative personnel matters, media relations, and pressing foreign policy crises. Ziegler and the President discussed managing network media expectations regarding interviews and the promotion of Christmas-themed specials featuring Julie Nixon Eisenhower. Concurrently, Kissinger briefed the President on the escalating India-Pakistan conflict, urging a hard-line stance against Indian aggression and recommending a diplomatic meeting with the Soviet Minister of Agriculture to signal U.S. dissatisfaction with Soviet conduct.
President Nixon consulted with the White House operator to facilitate a telephone connection with an unidentified individual. The brief interaction served as a logistical step to initiate an outgoing call from the Oval Office. No further details regarding the substance of the intended conversation were recorded.
President Nixon met with Brazilian President Emilio Garrastuzu Medici and Lt. Gen. Vernon A. Walters to discuss regional stability and intelligence cooperation in Latin America. The discussion focused on coordinating US-Brazil policies regarding the Organization of American States, managing potential threats from Cuba and Chile, and reviewing infrastructure projects like the Pan American Highway. The participants also established private communication channels and addressed the transition of Vernon Walters to the Central Intelligence Agency.
President Nixon met with Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler and Deputy Director of the CIA Vernon Walters to discuss sensitive intelligence matters. The conversation, which was almost entirely redacted for national security, focused on confidential briefing details and operational secrecy. Walters departed the Oval Office shortly after the discussion concluded.
President Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met to discuss the staffing transition of Christine Wilde, the secretary to Jon M. Huntsman. The conversation focused on her departure and the assessment of her professional qualifications for future placement. The President evaluated the timing for a potential meeting with Wilde as part of these personnel considerations.
President Nixon met with Christine Wilde, Jon M. Huntsman, and Alexander P. Butterfield for a brief logistical discussion regarding Wilde’s departure from the administration. The group addressed the timing of her exit and her transition to a new professional role. The meeting concluded with the President presenting Wilde with a parting gift, for which she expressed her gratitude.
President Nixon interacts briefly with the White House operator to facilitate communication. The exchange consists of the President abruptly refusing to speak to an unidentified individual. No substantive policy discussions or administrative actions occur during this brief interaction.
President Nixon met with his senior advisors, including H. R. Haldeman and Henry Kissinger, to address the escalating conflict between India and Pakistan and the internal friction regarding his administration's foreign policy bureaucracy. Concerned that Indian success could destabilize the region and undermine U.S. credibility, Nixon decided to take a firm stance by demanding that the State Department warn the Indian government against attacking West Pakistan. As a show of force, he directed the deployment of a naval task force to the Bay of Bengal under the guise of an evacuation mission. The President expressed deep frustration with the hesitation of his bureaucracy and explicitly ordered his team to carry out these directives with purpose and urgency.