Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 712
Nixon White House Tape 712 (April 18, 1972)
9 conversations · Oval Office
Featuring Nixon, Sanchez, Butterfield, Bull, MacGregor
President Nixon and John Ehrlichman met to coordinate political messaging and administration strategies regarding several contentious domestic issues, specifically busing, crime, and the economy. They discussed leveraging public opposition to school busing to challenge congressional inaction, while also planning a public relations campaign to highlight the administration’s successes in crime reduction and drug enforcement. Furthermore, they reviewed political tactics for managing upcoming tax debates, including using Treasury statements to frame the administration as populist against congressional special interest loopholes.
President Nixon met with Manolo Sanchez and Alexander P. Butterfield in the Oval Office to discuss administrative logistics and presidential scheduling. The brief interaction included a discussion regarding John B. Connally and the location of H.R. Haldeman. The session concluded with the President signing an official document related to a housing issue.
President Nixon uses this brief interaction with the White House operator to place an outgoing telephone call. He provides specific instructions to connect him with Mark Greger. No substantive policy matters or further developments are discussed during this brief administrative exchange.
President Nixon coordinated with staff members Stephen Bull, Clark MacGregor, and Alexander Butterfield to arrange a private trip aboard the presidential yacht, the Sequoia. The participants finalized the logistics for a late afternoon departure and dinner, while also briefly discussing the timing of an urgent telephone call to be placed by the President. These arrangements were intended to facilitate an informal meeting away from the office.
President Nixon met with an unknown individual in the Oval Office to discuss administrative logistics. The primary subject of the conversation was the cancellation of a specific buzzer request signal within the White House communications system. This brief interaction resulted in the immediate adjustment of these internal signaling procedures.
President Nixon met with Clark MacGregor to coordinate the administration's legal and political defense regarding the Senate investigation into the ITT antitrust settlement. They strategized on managing witness testimony and committee dynamics, specifically aiming to mitigate aggressive questioning from Democratic senators Edward Kennedy and John Tunney by utilizing Republican committee allies. Furthermore, Nixon urged MacGregor to maintain an offensive political posture, particularly by contrasting the administration's actions with previous Democratic inaction on conglomerates and by framing the administration's stance on the Vietnam War as a necessary defense against communist aggression.
President Nixon consulted with a White House operator to facilitate an outgoing telephone connection. This brief interaction served administrative purposes to establish a line for the President's immediate communication needs. No substantive policy matters or further developments were recorded during this brief exchange.
President Nixon held a brief meeting with his daughter, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, in the Oval Office. The discussion served as a personal engagement between the two, though the specific substance remains restricted due to the withdrawal of material from the official record. No substantive policy decisions or political developments were documented during this short interaction.
President Nixon met with Secret Service agents in the Oval Office to coordinate logistics and security details regarding his upcoming schedule. The discussion focused on travel arrangements and the specific locations required for the President's planned itinerary. The exchange concluded without a definitive record of final decisions, as the recording was terminated abruptly.