Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 638 › Conversation 638-008
Nixon & Haldeman on Washington Redskins and China diplomacy
Wednesday, December 15, 1971 · 11:55 AM–12:02 PM ET · Oval Office
AI Summary
President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman discussed press strategy regarding the Washington Redskins, specifically focusing on the team's turnaround and potential media coverage. They also coordinated the President's upcoming trip to the People’s Republic of China, evaluating various stopover options to minimize fatigue. Ultimately, they decided to prioritize a stay in Hawaii—potentially Maui—over California or Guam to allow for better relaxation and climate, while shifting the formal departure ceremony to Washington, D.C.
Audio
Download MP3 (part 1) · 167.9 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 151.5 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 03:04:05 into the tape and ends around 03:14:34.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On December 15, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:55 am to 12:02 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 638-008 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 638-008
Date: December 15, 1971
Time: 11:55 am - 12:02 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
Press
-Sports
-George E. Allen
-John A. Scali
-George W. Romney
-Washington Redskins
-Turning point in season
-President’s visit to Redskins Park, November 23, 1971
-Richard A. Moore
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Scali
-[Forename unknown] Bethe [?]
-Forthcoming article
-Allen
-Praise
-Los Angeles Rams
President's schedule
-Meeting with Congress
-William P. Rogers
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
-Georges J.R. Pompidou
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Money
-Nathaniel Samuels
-Upcoming trip to the People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-California
-Press
-Hawaii
-Guam
-California
-Hawaii
-Nelson A. Rockefeller house
-Length of visit
-California
-Send off
-Hawaii
-Guam
-Nimitz house
-Guam Doctrine
-California
-Hawaii
-Guam
-Wake Island
-Formal departure from the White House
-Los Angeles Times
-Hawaii
-Weather
-Accommodations
-Maui
-Rockefeller house
-Guam
-Oahu
-Commander in Chief, Pacific [CINCPAC]
Haldeman left at 12:02 pm.Also recorded on December 15, 1971
- 638-006 11:45 AM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:45 am to 11:46 am.
- 638-007 11:51 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:51 am to 11:52 am.
- 638-009 12:02 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:06 pm.
- 638-010 12:02 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:06 pm.
- 638-011 12:02 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:06 pm.
- 638-012 12:06 PM · 53 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Paul A. Volcker, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:06 pm to 12:07 pm.
- 638-014 12:07 PM · 20 sec — United States Secret Service agents and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:07 pm and 1:22 pm.
- 086-003 12:08 PM · 1 hr 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and bipartisan Congressional leaders, including Michael J. ("Mike") Mansfield, Hugh Scott, John G. Tower, Carl B. Albert, [Thomas] Hale Boggs, John W. Byrnes, Gerald R. Ford, Wright Patman, William B. Widnall, Wilbur D. Mills, John B. Connally, Paul W. McCracken, Herbert Stein, Peter G. Peterson, George P. Shultz, Paul A. Volcker, Henry A. Kissinger, John A. Scali, Clark MacGregor, William E. Timmons, William L. Safire, Nathanial Samuels, Ezra Solomon, White House photographer, and members of the press, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:08 pm and 1:22 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 638-008, December 15, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/638-008 (accessed October 11, 2026).