Conversation: 684-001
Prev: 683-021 Next: 684-002Start Date: Monday, March 13, 1972 8:48 PM
End Date: Monday, March 13, 1972 11:03 PM
Participants:
Nixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.; Clawson, Kenneth W.; White House operator; Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Nixon, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan); Bull, Stephen B.; Sanchez, ManoloRecording Device: Oval Office
Full Tape Conversation Start Time: 00:00:19
Full Tape Conversation End Time: 01:46:26
NARA Description:
On March 13, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, Kenneth W. Clawson, White House operator, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:48 pm and 6:03 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 684-001 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid:
Conversation No. 683-20/684-1
Date: March 13, 1972
Time: Unknown after 3:48 pm until 6:03 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Charles W. Colson and Kenneth W. Clawson; the conversation was in
progress when the recording began. This conversation continues from Oval 683.
International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT]
-Robert C. Griffin
-Talk with Colson
-Vice PresidentSpiro T. Agnew
-Contributions
-Richard W. McLaren
-Settlement
-Possible television appearance
-Need for cohesive response
-Robert C. Wilson
-John N. Mitchell
-Meeting with Colson
-People involved
-Anti-trust policy study
-John B. Connally
-Richard G. Kleindienst confirmation
-Wallace H. Johnson
-Kleindienst confirmation
-Louie B. Nunn
-Relationship with Dita D. Beard
-Party
-Beard's meeting with Mitchell
-Kleindienst
-Confirmation hearings
-Testimony
-The President's schedule
-Press coverage
-Beard's secretary
-Memorandum
-Jack N. Anderson's secretary
-Possible testimony
-Anderson
-Relationship with Beard
-Beard's habits
2
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 684-1 (cont.)
-Beard memorandum
-Conflicting stories
-William R. Merriam
-Beard’s secretary
-Typewriter
-Testimony
-Typing
-Compared to Alger Hiss case
-Different people's typing style
-Investigation
-Secretary
-Beard
-Howard Hughes fraud
-Clifford Irving
-Typewriters
-Letters
-Priscilla Hiss
-Son
-Misspellings
-Merriam
-Staff of ITT
-Offices
-Beard
-Press coverage
-Hearings
-Kleindienst
-Robert J. Dole
-Democrats
-Campaign funds
-Kleindienst
-Hearings
-Reactions
-Sherman Adams comparison
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-President’s views
Clawson left at 4:37 pm.
3
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 684-1 (cont.)
ITT
-Anderson
-Typewriters
-Investigation
-Beard memorandum
-Kleindienst
-The President
-Press coverage
-Anderson
-Brit Hume
-Clawson
-Mitchell
-Role
-Knowledge of contribution
-Kleindienst
-Peter M. Flanigan
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Harold S. Geneen
-Mitchell’s testimony
-Anti-trust case
-Discussion
-McLaren
-Policy issue
-Geneen
-Edwin Reinecke
-Conversation with Mitchell
-Contribution
-Administration
-Geneen
-Conversations with Flanigan, Mitchell, Ehrlichman and Colson
-Ehrlichman’s conversation with the President
-Jack Brooks
-Vance Hartke
-Philip A. Hart
-Emmanuel Celler
-Peter W. Rodino, Jr.
-Democrats
-Files
-Flanigan, Colson, Ehrlichman
-Justice Department relations
-Policy
-Connally
4
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 684-1 (cont.)
-Dates
-Edward J. Gerrity, Jr. meeting with Agnew
-Meeting with Geneen
-Edward M. Kennedy
-Federal Communications Commission [FCC]
-Contribution
-Wilson
-Conversation with Haldeman
-Memorandum to Mitchell
-Herbert G. Klein and Robert H. Finch
-San Diego
-Hearings
-Advice
-Beard
-Anderson's secretaries
-Administration
-Kleindienst
-Possible resignation
-Congressional reaction
-Press
-Greg Yearning
-Gerald R. Ford
-Mitchell
-Memoranda
-Flanigan
-Business dinners
-Blair House
-National Association of Manufacturers [NAM]
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Dishonesty within administration
1972 campaign
-Finances
-Edmund S. Muskie
-President
-New campaign finance law
-Muskie
-Reporting contributions
-Press
-Unknown man's reports to Colson
5
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 684-1 (cont.)
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 7m 8s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
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Press stories
-New Hampshire primary
-Bombings
-Paris negotiations between the US and the People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-ITT
-Sherman Adams case comparison
-The President’s role
-Eisenhower
-Adams
-Styles Bridges
-Adams
-Role in government
-Bernard Goldfine
-Norris Cotton [?]
-Bridges
-Compared to Kleindienst
ITT hearings
-Kleindienst
-Strategy
-Joseph McCarthy
-Hiss case
-Harry S. Truman
-Washington Post
-New York Times
-Typewriter
-Whitaker Chambers
-Views on communism
-The press
-James B. (“Scotty”) Reston
6
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 684-1 (cont.)
-Marquis W. Childs
-Jewish people
-Silberberg [Nathan G. Silvermaster]
-Elizabeth T. Bentley
-Lee Pressman
-Chambers
-Experiences in World War II
-Soviet Union
-Adolf Hitler
-Communism
-Schedule
The PRC trip
-Effect of ITT case
-Clayton Fritchey
-Compared to ITT case
-Public confidence in the President
-Louis P. Harris
-Polls
-Minnesota
-Robert P. Griffin
-Harris
-Muskie
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 56s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************
ITT
-Kennedy, Birch E. Bayh, Jr. and Anderson
-Beard memorandum
-Typewriter
7
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 684-1 (cont.)
The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 4:37 pm and
5:11 pm.
[Conversation No. 683-20/684-1B]
[See Conversation No. 21-55]
[End of telephone conversation]
Clawson
-The President’s view
-Washington Post
-Clark R. Mollenhoff
Colson left and H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman entered at 5:11 pm.
The President talked with Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon between 5:11 pm and 5:12 pm.
[Conversation No. 683-20/684-1C]
[See Conversation No. 21-56]
[End of telephone conversation]
The President's schedule
-Key Biscayne
-John B. Connally’s possible trip
-Idanell B. (“Nellie”) Connally
-Mitchell’s possible trip
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:12 pm.
Washington Star
-Copy for the President
Bull left at an unknown time before 5:27 pm.
Washington Star
-Panda story
-Mating of pandas
8
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 684-1 (cont.)
Mitchell's schedule
-Key Biscayne
-Connally’s schedule
-Haldeman's schedule
The President's schedule
-Forthcoming event in Texas
ITT case
-The President's talk with Colson
-Mitchell
-Geneen
-Justice Department
PRC
-Exhibits
-The President’s memorandum
-Tourist interest
-Rex W. Scouten
-Pictures
-Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins
-Menus
-Chopsticks
-Place cards
-Pandas
-The President's call to Crosby S. Noyes
ITT case
-Memoranda
-Ehrlichman
-Flanigan
-Files
-Geneen
-The President's talk with Colson
-Kleindienst confirmation
-Ehrlichman
-White House strategy
-Beard
-Beard's and Anderson's secretaries
-Typewriters
-Investigators
-Misspelled words
9
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 684-1 (cont.)
-Hiss case
-Beard
-Testimony
-Anderson's secretary
-E. Kennedy's involvement
-Mitchell's testimony
-Press conference
-The President's schedule
-Beard's testimony
-Denver
-ITT offices
-Jack Gleason
The President's schedule
-Church service
-Rose Mary Woods
-Type of guests
-Sub-Cabinet level appointees
-Congressmen
-Handshaking
-Haldeman's talk with Henry A. Kissinger
-Kissinger's forthcoming vacation
-Haldeman's talk with William P. Rogers
Woods entered at 5:27 pm.
Woods's schedule
-Helene (Colesie) Drown
The President's schedule
-Church service
-Guest lists
-White House staff
-Secret Service
-Assistant secretaries
-Shaking hands
-Choir
-Photographs
-Shaking hands
-Closing speech by the President
-Personal friends
-Forthcoming dinner for Nihat Erim
10
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 684-1 (cont.)
-Forthcoming dinner for Hussein Ibn Talal [Hussein, King of Jordan]
-Forthcoming Organization of American States [OAS] dinner
-Possible for 12th Mexico-US Interparliamentary Conference
-Unknown dinner
-Maurice H. Stans
-Gridiron dinner
-Terry Thompson's [?] visit
-Church service
-Thompson's wife
-Trans World Airlines [TWA]
-Timing
-Church services
-1972 election
-Forthcoming dinner for Erim
-After dinner entertainment
-Dinners
-Plans for after dinner events
-Black tie compared to white tie
-Dinner for Erim
-Dinner for Hussein
-Acapulco
-Puerto Vallarta
-Former president of Mexico
-Lunches
-Amistad Dam
-Entertainment
-Dorothy Kirsten
-Gordon MacRae
-Kirsten
-Kirsten Flagstad
-Kirsten and John D. French
-Lainie Kazan
-Choirs for White House church services
-Compared to singers
-Novel read by Haldeman
-Fictional First Lady
-Party at the White House
-London rock group
-Church service
-Guest list
-Arthur F. Burns
-Cabinet members
11
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 684-1 (cont.)
-Tricia Nixon Cox's attendance at a dinner
-Compared to White House social events
-Rich people in attendance
-Young people
-Robert C. (“Bob”) Wilson
-Hugh Scott
-Robert J. Dole
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Woods’s attendance
-Stans
-John N. Mitchell
-Paul Garvey
-Martha (Beall) Mitchell
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
[Privacy]
[Duration: 28s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 8
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 42s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 8
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The President’s previous conversation with Nixon
-Busing issue
12
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 684-1 (cont.)
-Ehrlichman
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 7m 51s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
*****************************************************************
Church service
News stories
-British officer
-Soviet Union
-Pandas
-Mating
Woods left at 5:53 pm.
ITT
-Flanigan
-Analyst [Richard J. Ramsden]
-Investment firm
-Background
-Democrats
-Beard
-Testimony
-Witnesses
-Beard memorandum
Kissinger
-Possible resignation
-Talk with Haldeman
-Rogers
-The President’s view
-Forthcoming US-Soviet Union Summit
13
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. 10/06)
Conv. No. 684-1 (cont.)
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 4m 6s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
*****************************************************************
Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 5:53 pm.
The President's schedule
-Executive Office Building [EOB]
-California
Refreshment
Haldeman and Sanchez left at 6:03 pm.