Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 725 › Conversation 725-035
Nixon, MacGregor & Hoopes on Vietnam War and Congressional relations
Tuesday, May 16, 1972 · 4:58 PM–5:05 PM ET · Oval Office
AI Summary
President Nixon met with Clark MacGregor to discuss congressional reactions to the Vietnam War, specifically focusing on opposition to the blockade of Haiphong harbor and concerns regarding Senate negotiations with the National Liberation Front. They reviewed recent Harris Poll data indicating public support for the President’s policies despite negative media coverage and critical Senate maneuvers. The conversation also touched upon the assassination attempt on George Wallace, the management of the Black Lung bill, and upcoming changes in the Treasury Department.
Audio
Download MP3 (part 1) · 167.3 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 168.1 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 100.2 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 04:17:57 into the tape and ends around 04:23:56.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
Download transcript (.txt) ·JSON data · Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.
NARA Description
On May 16, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Clark MacGregor, David C. Hoopes, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:58 pm and 5:05 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 725-035 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 725-35
Date: May 16, 1972
Time: Unknown between 4:58 pm and 5:05 pm.
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Clark MacGregor; this recording began at an
unknown time while the meeting was in progress.
Congress
-Pressures on delegations
-Polls
-Louis P. Harris poll
-Copy from MacGregor to Senators
-Results on Haiphong harbor mining
-Robert A. Taft, Jr.
(rev. Jan-02)
-Meeting with MacGregor
-Final vote
-Lowell P. Weicker
-Meeting with Henry A. Kissinger
-Press reports
-White House news summary
-Tone
-Foreign policy
-Ability
-Specter of Senate negotiations with Madame Nguyen Thi
Binh
-Michael J. Mansfield
-Proposed U.S. agreement with National Liberation
Front [NLF]
-North Vietnam takeover of Cambodia, Laos, and
South Vietnam
-Today's vote
-Lack of understanding
-Weicker
-Frank F. Church amendment vote
-Today's vote
-Breakdown
-Action by President
David Hoopes entered at 5:03 pm.
President's schedule
-Meeting with unknown person(s)
-Invitation
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Possible meeting with Senator Robert C. Byrd
-Black lung bill
-Recommendations on possible veto
-MacGregor’s view
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:03 pm.
-Ray C. Bliss
-Boat trip with John Cardinal Krol
-Other
-Time
Bull left at an unknown time before 5:05 pm.
(rev. Jan-02)
John B. Connally
-Resignation as Secretary of Treasury
-George P. Shultz
George C. Wallace
-Shooting
-President's actions
-Contrasted with Hubert H. Humphrey's actions
-Call to Cornelia Wallace
-Increased Secret Service protection
-Edward M. Kennedy
-Shirley Chisholm
-Others
-Offer of Presidential suite at Bethesda Naval
Hospital
-Call to Mrs. Wallace
-Evaluated
-Contrasted with Humphrey
-Meeting with doctor
Vietnam
-President's decision to blockade
-The President’s view
-Support
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:03 pm.
Material for President's signature
-Hoopes
Vietnam
-North Vietnam
-Reason for cease-fire proposal
MacGregor, Hoopes, and Bull left at 5:05 pm.Also recorded on May 16, 1972
- 024-152 1:22 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:22 pm and 3:50 pm.
- 024-153 3:50 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 3:50 pm to 3:58 pm.
- 024-154 3:58 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:58 pm and 3:59 pm.
- 024-155 3:59 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 3:59 pm to 4:10 pm.
- 725-036 5:05 PM · 32 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John N. Mitchell, Ray C. Bliss, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:05 pm to 5:40 pm.
- 725-037 5:40 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, unknown person(s), and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:40 pm and 5:43 pm.
- 725-038 5:43 PM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John Cardinal Krol, Stephen B. Bull, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:43 pm to 5:54 pm.
- 725-043 5:54 PM · 12 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:54 pm and 11:59 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 725-035, May 16, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/725-035 (accessed September 18, 2026).