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Conversation 717-015

TapeTape 717StartTuesday, May 2, 1972 at 11:51 AMEndTuesday, May 2, 1972 at 11:57 AMTape start time00:57:30Tape end time01:00:42ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob");  Bull, Stephen B.Recording deviceOval Office
AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman discuss the urgent need to install loyalist oversight at the FBI following J. Edgar Hoover’s death to secure sensitive government files. They weigh the appointment of L. Patrick Gray as an interim presence against the alternative of promoting internal administrators like John Moore. Stephen B. Bull briefly joins to coordinate the logistics for a scheduled meeting with the Rebild National Park Society of Denmark.

FBIJ. Edgar HooverL. Patrick GrayExecutive oversightIntelligence filesWhite House appointments
AudioNARA Description

On May 2, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:51 am and 11:57 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 717-015 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 717-15

Date: May 2, 1972
Time: Unknown after 11:51-11:57 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

      President's meeting with Lt. Gen. Vernon A. Walters
           -New job at Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]

      Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
           -Richard A. Moore

                                           (rev. Dec-01)

           -L. Patrick Gray, III
                 -Appointment
           -Clyde A. Tolson
                 -Position at FBI
           -Administration
                 -Appointments
                 -Control of files
                       -Reasons
           -J. Edgar Hoover
                 -The President’s view
                 -Successor
           -Gray
                 -Tolson’s approval
                 -Moore’s idea
                 -Interim period

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 11:51 am.

     President's meeting with Rebild National Park Society of Denmark
          -Arrival
          -President of Society
                 -Erik Emborg
                 -Introductions
                 -Photographs
          -White House tour
          -Number
                 -Ancher Nelsen

Bull left at an unknown time before 11:57 am.

     FBI
           -Directorship
                -John Moore
                      -Background
                      -Loyaltly
                      -Acting directorship
                           -Richard G. Kleindienst
                      -Work with Tolson

Haldeman left at 11:57 am.

                                        (rev. Dec-01)
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

I'm going to dig more over there.
They have moved Pat Gray over to the Bureau, just so we got a presence in the bureaucracy over there until we figure out who to put on top of it.
Tolson, just by rank, is acting in absence of any affirmative action otherwise.
So he's there, but Gray
The exercise we call making thereafter is to just make sure we don't get somebody to decide to start moving the files on.
There have been enough revolutionary activities in the Bureau over the last year that, I mean, our files are files on what?
All the files are files on public people, files on our people, files on our enemies.
I'm sure there's files there that we don't want.
We don't want to destroy it, as well as files that we don't want to publicize.
Poor, poor man.
He should have thought of all this, you know.
I don't know, and we tried.
He'd never face up to death.
God damn it.
Well, Colson was your second praise, and sort of a... Morris' idea was kind of interesting, which made it work, which was to simply
say that during this interim period, the acting director, that the directorship of the Bureau will be supervised by the Deputy Attorney General.
And just let Gray ride it from there.
So it clearly makes it a part of their office for the time being.
That seems good to see, if you like it that way.
It's a spy.
Council member, he's the president of the organization.
We'll introduce him to you.
We'll put him right over here.
Let him do his very fast presentation in the press and take a program out.
That's it.
They had a tour of the White House this morning.
Sorry.
How many?
It's a total of 10.
All right.
We don't have hours for anything else.
Yeah.
Well, that'll work.
I don't want for anything to go to rock.
Clinton's inclination is to move.
There's a guy named John Moore, who's the number three guy.
He was sent into the Senate.
No, no, no, no, no.
This is a 63-year-old man.
He's an internal administrator type.
And Clinging's things are trustworthy.
And his thought would be just make him acting director.
He is capable of running the bureau.
Yes, but we'll close them except that.
Probably.
They're talking to us now.
His recommendation will have great weight with me.
He is not a friend.
Tulsa is not.
We might have to go.
Tell them they're concerned about that.
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