Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 684
Nixon White House Tape 684 (March 13, 1972)
3 conversations · Oval Office
Featuring Nixon, Haldeman, Colson, Clawson, Nixon
President Nixon met with his senior advisors, including H.R. Haldeman and Charles Colson, to coordinate a strategy for neutralizing the ongoing ITT controversy and the accompanying negative press coverage. The discussion focused on discrediting the 'Beard memorandum' through forensic typewriting analysis and managing the potential damage from Senate hearings regarding Attorney General Richard Kleindienst’s confirmation. Nixon emphasized a policy of aggressive pushback against smear campaigns, referencing his past experience with the Alger Hiss case, while also firming up his administration's position to avoid any personnel resignations under political pressure.
President Nixon dictates a series of directives to H.R. Haldeman concerning administrative scheduling, press strategy, and political messaging. The President outlines plans for an upcoming White House church service featuring the Army Chorus and suggests using Henry Kissinger's meetings with political groups to manage his schedule. Furthermore, Nixon orders research into the growth of ITT during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations to bolster the administration’s defense against antitrust criticism and requests historical precedents of media bias regarding the House Un-American Activities Committee to support his public relations efforts.
President Nixon consulted with an unidentified individual regarding the handling of specific administrative tasks and sensitive documentation. The discussion centered on the transcription process involving H.R. Haldeman, Rose Mary Woods, and Marjorie P. Acker. This brief interaction served to coordinate the secretarial responsibilities and internal processing of official memoranda.