Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 659 › Conversation 659-005

Nixon, Ambrose & Mitchell on Drug enforcement policy and Heroin trafficking

Friday, January 28, 1972 · 12:21 PM–12:34 PM ET · Oval Office

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ambrose, Myles J.; Mitchell, John N.; Volcker, Paul A.; Ehrlichman, John D.; Krogh, Egil ("Bud"), Jr.; Jaffe, Jerome H. (Dr.); Shepard, Geoffrey C.; Alger, Mark W.; Caulfield, John J.; Ziegler, Ronald L.; White House photographer; Bull, Stephen B.; Ambrose, Elaine (Miller); Ambrose, Myles J., Jr.; Ambrose, Kevin; Ambrose, Elise; Ambrose, Nora; Ambrose, Kathleen; Ambrose, ChristopherConversation659-005 on Tape 659 (tape position 01:48:49–02:01:52)StartFriday, January 28, 1972 at 12:21 PMEndFriday, January 28, 1972 at 12:34 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 659-005 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with administration officials, including Myles J. Ambrose, John N. Mitchell, and Dr. Jerome H. Jaffe, to formalize the launch of a comprehensive federal drug enforcement initiative. The discussion focused on a three-pronged strategy involving international supply control, treatment and prevention programs, and intensified law enforcement efforts against drug traffickers. Nixon formally appointed Ambrose to lead these consolidated enforcement activities, emphasizing the administration's commitment to aggressively pursuing drug pushers as a top priority.

  • Drug enforcement policy
  • Myles J. Ambrose
  • Heroin trafficking
  • Executive Order
  • Law enforcement
  • Drug abuse prevention

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 168.3 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 168.5 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 84.7 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 01:48:49 into the tape and ends around 02:01:52.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.
1:49:07How are you?
1:49:08I'm very well.
1:49:10I'm sure you know my name.
1:49:12Yes, yes.
1:49:12How are you?
1:49:14Paul Filcher.
1:49:14Oh, it's great to be here.
1:49:17We're going to investigate one of your factories.
1:49:27Yeah.
1:49:27When do you think that is?
1:49:33Nobody's got it.
1:49:36He takes care of the tape and stuff.
1:50:00And, uh, you take care of the people.
1:50:03You take care of them.
1:50:04I'll put them in his insert.
1:50:06Sure.
1:50:07And they take care of you.
1:50:11But you're more what he's doing.
1:50:14Tractors.
1:50:15You need both.
1:50:25You've got it all down pat.
1:50:34Oh, yeah.
1:51:05Thank you very much.
1:51:29I don't know.
1:52:13The significance of this standpoint of those who are reporting it is that it shows the comprehensive approach of the administration to the problem of dangerous drugs.
1:52:43In so many fields, everybody comes up with the simple answer, and there is, of course, no simple answer.
1:52:53I was once told that we could only stop the supply of heroin from Turkey, that that would take care of half the problem.
1:52:59Well, we have moved on that subject, you know, very effectively.
1:53:04And we have moved on the supply front not only with foreign governments.
1:53:08We've moved the Turkish government, the French government, and others.
1:53:11We still haven't solved it.
1:53:14But our customs people particularly have done a splendid job.
1:53:28The second area, which we can move on, is at the other end of the funnel, and that's after the drugs come in, after the drugs are used, how do you take care of addicts?
1:53:38And also, how do you prevent it?
1:53:40Dr. Chaffee, of course, is generally recognized as being the top expert in the country in that area, and has studied himself with the President in the past seven months.
1:53:57set up a program that is making great progress in the prevention and in the treatment of drug users.
1:54:05But then the third part of the problem is the law enforcement part.
1:54:11After the drugs come in, before they are used, and
1:54:18What we have here, unfortunately, we have had to rob the Treasury Department and the commissioners of their commission of customs.
1:54:29The reason we have taken Miles Ambrose is that in the whole area of law enforcement, Attorney General agrees with this, he is the man who demonstrated as commissioner of customs that he knew how to handle this problem.
1:54:42He has a magnificent record there.
1:54:45And we felt that he was the man to move over now to the special office of the attorney general, of course, and assistant attorney general, the field of drug abuse law enforcement, and also a special consultant for the president for the purpose of bringing all of these activities under one tent.
1:55:09Just to summarize it in a word,
1:55:12In my view, there are many terrible crimes.
1:55:14I speak as one who, of course, studied this in law school.
1:55:21As I look at what happens to people, particularly to young people, and me,
1:55:37Because, particularly where hard drugs are concerned, heroin, and that's where Stranbrook's office will concentrate, particularly with these nine regional offices, especially Grand Jersey, the life of an individual is destroyed.
1:55:57And that is why I believe that
1:56:04Now, the penalties must be adequate.
1:56:05The Congress has provided for adequate penalties for the national laws of service.
1:56:12But also, we have to have, at the federal level, a more effective law enforcement body, recognizing that, of course, nothing is going to work unless the state governments, the local governments cooperate.
1:56:27But all of them well up in this initiative, isn't that true?
1:56:30It's true.
1:56:31They want this kind of leadership in the federal world.
1:56:33The attorney general has spoken to the state's attorney generals.
1:56:36We've spoken to also to the top.
1:56:38I was on the phone yesterday with Sheriff Vicious of Los Angeles County, and I talked to Mayor Rizzo about this subject.
1:56:45He, of course, was a partner of the police chief.
1:56:48And they all agreed that this initiative could well be the greatest step forward that we have had in getting the drug pushers and drug traffickers off the streets and into jail.
1:57:04And that's what your job is, and we trust you do as well as that, as you did in keeping drugs from coming into this country through the Commission of Questions Office.
1:57:15And Dr. Jaffe, who, as you know, deals with prevention, and also with handling people after they become addicts, totally supports the hard line with regard to the pusher and the tractor.
1:57:29Is that correct, Dr.?
1:57:32Because we need both.
1:57:34We must have compassion, understanding of those who become addicts and try to find cures for them, which we're doing.
1:57:44But on the other hand, you've got to stop it if you can.
1:57:48You've got to remove that temptation from them.
1:57:52And the way to do that is to go after the pushers and traffickers.
1:58:00And Mr. Amos, he now has his orders
1:58:04My colleague stated it, but I knew she'd already said it.
1:58:12My practice, I want you to hear it straight from me.
1:58:15I see, I hear it.
1:58:16The new proxy that the other day, I told her, yeah, just to remind her, told her, I have a heart.
1:58:29I see it.
1:58:31Yeah.
1:58:31Yeah.
1:58:34Well, so, I hate these travelers, you know.
1:58:46You know what?
1:58:52I hate them.
1:58:53I really do.
1:58:57Welcome to my desk.
1:58:57It's very nice to see you.
1:58:59I'm Christopher Steele.
1:59:00Hi, Chris.
1:59:01I'm glad to meet you.
1:59:02This is number one.
1:59:03This is number two.
1:59:06Oh, yes.
1:59:07This is Laura.
1:59:08I believe you have this.
1:59:10Are you number one?
1:59:12Number one girl or number one man?
1:59:15And here's number one.
1:59:18That's all.
1:59:19There's one more.
1:59:20This is the yard that put me down here.
1:59:23He's number one.
1:59:25Thank you.
1:59:32Right?
1:59:32Well, we'll get a pan of pictures so you can commemorate this.
1:59:36You sit on the right, your husband should be on the left.
1:59:43And now each of the young people would sort of, you know, equalize themselves.
1:59:49Yeah, that's right.
1:59:51That's how your moms were there.
1:59:55All of them.
1:59:59All right, now we've got an internship for Mrs. Ambrose.
2:00:09Mrs. Ambrose?
2:00:11Any girls?
2:00:16This is the presidential seat.
2:00:21This is the presidential seat.
2:00:24This is the presidential seat.
2:00:30This is the presidential seat.
2:00:33This is the presidential seat.
2:00:45Well, we wish you well.
2:00:52Arrest some of them.
2:00:57As far as I'm concerned, the death penalty.
2:01:14Hey, what was that, son?
2:01:15Listen, nothing's too bad, but, you know, the cops, the press guys, the Marcos, they're the cops.
2:01:18Yeah, they took us out, but we're free.
2:01:19That's not what I'm talking about.
2:01:20Our, our control is, uh, is, uh, we're gonna, uh, uh, we were there the other day, but we're trying to find a way to work this out.
2:01:33I must say that I know that we've come out there to give the owls the bureaucracy that we have.
2:01:38It's a much fine work of staff that we appreciate.
2:01:42We appreciate your organization.
2:01:49These are the top three.
2:01:50Thank you very much.
2:01:51Thank you.
2:02:06Thank you.

NARA Description

On January 28, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Myles J. Ambrose, John N. Mitchell, Paul A. Volcker, John D. Ehrlichman, Egil ("Bud") Krogh, Jr., Dr. Jerome H. Jaffe, Geoffrey C. Shepard, Mark W. Alger, John J. Caulfield, Ronald L. Ziegler, White House photographer, Stephen B. Bull, Elaine (Miller) Ambrose, Myles J. Ambrose, Jr., Kevin Ambrose, Elise Ambrose, Nora Ambrose, Kathleen Ambrose, and Christopher Ambrose met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:21 pm to 12:34 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 659-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 659-5

Date: January 28, 1972
Time: 12:21 pm - 12:34 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Myles J. Ambrose, John N. Mitchell, Paul A. Volcker, John D.
Ehrlichman, Egil G. (“Bud”) Krogh, Jr., Dr. Jerome H. Jaffe, Geoffrey C. Shepard, Mark W.
Alger and John J. Caulfield; Ronald L. Ziegler; the White House photographer, and members of
the press were present at the beginning of the meeting.

     Introductions

     [Photograph session]
          -Seating arrangements
          -Signing of Executive Order [EO]

     Drug enforcement program
          -Significance of EO
               -Approach of administration
                     -Comprehensiveness
                     -Previous approaches
                           -Turkey
                                 -Heroin
                           -International effort toward supply control
                                 -Turkey and France

                     -Customs effort
                           -Border stoppage
                     -Help for addicts, prevention
                           -Jaffe
                     -Law enforcement
                           -Treasury Department
                           -Mitchell’s view
                           -Ambrose’s responsibilities
                                 -New office
                     -Drug traffic
                           -Seriousness of crime
                                 -The President’s view
                                       -Law school experience
                                       -Heroin
                                             -Regional offices, grand juries
                                             -Effect on lives
                     -Need for enforcement
                           -Congress
                           -State and local cooperation
                                 -Peter J. Pitchess
                                       -Talk with the President, January 27, 1972
                                 -Frank L. Rizzo
                                       -Talk with the President
                           -Desired effect
                     -Prospects for program
                     -Jaffe’s support for policy towards drug pushers
                -The President’s recent public statements

Stephen B. Bull, Elaine (Miller) Ambrose, Myles J. Ambrose, Jr., Kevin Ambrose, Elise
Ambrose, Nora Ambrose, Kathleen Ambrose, and Christopher Ambrose entered at 12:30 pm.

     Introductions

     [Photograph session]
          -Seating arrangement

     Presentation of gifts
          -Tie pins
                -Presidential seal

     Need for tough drug enforcement

           -The President’s appreciation
           -Death penalty

     Alger
          -Introduction
          -Office of Management and Budget [OMB]
          -Budget signing
          -Bureaucracy
          -Gift
                -Cufflinks

Myles J. Ambrose, et al. left at 12:34 pm.

Also recorded on January 28, 1972

  • 659-002 11:17 AM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:17 am to 11:27 am.
  • 659-003 11:32 AM · 45 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Stephen B. Bull, Rainer Barzel, Heinz Weber, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:32 am to 12:16 pm.
  • 659-004 12:17 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:17 pm to 12:20 pm.
  • 659-006 12:34 PM · 48 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, Stephen B. Bull, Max M. Fisher, Yitzhak Rabin, Jeremiah Kaplan, Herbert Stein, Lawrence Y. Goldberg, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:34 pm to 1:21 pm.
  • 659-007 1:21 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:21 pm and 1:35 pm.
  • 019-146 1:24 PM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:24 pm and 1:35 pm.
  • 019-147 1:35 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 1:35 pm.
  • 659-008 1:35 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 1:35 pm.

All 37 conversations from January 28, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 659-005, January 28, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/659-005 (accessed October 12, 2026).