Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 725 › Conversation 725-038
Nixon, Krol & Bull on George Wallace and Assassination attempt
Tuesday, May 16, 1972 · 5:43 PM–5:54 PM ET · Oval Office
AI Summary
President Nixon met with John Cardinal Krol to discuss the political climate following the attempted assassination of George Wallace, as well as the President’s upcoming summit in the Soviet Union. Nixon explained his decision to maintain public appearances despite the violence, emphasizing his refusal to govern under a climate of fear. The two also addressed the strategic necessity of the U.S. naval blockade in Vietnam and the positive signals regarding the stability of the Soviet summit.
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 04:57:04 into the tape and ends around 05:12:07.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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, 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. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 725-038 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 725-38
Date: May 16, 1972
Time: 5:43 - 5:54 p.m.
Location: Oval Office
The President met with John Cardinal Krol and Stephen B. Bull; the White
House photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.
President's schedule
-Described
-Krol's wait
[Photograph session]
-Location
Sequoia cruise
-Attendees
-William P. Rogers
-Gen. Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
Photograph session
-Location
-Other famous visitors
George C. Wallace
-Assassination attempt
-Condition
-Press reports
-President's doctor's reports
Bull left at an unknown time before 5:54 pm.
-Bullet's location
-Possible operation
-Consequences
-Arthur H. Bremer
-The President’s view
-Political affiliation
-Wallace
-Hubert H. Humphrey
-Young Democrats
-Motives
(rev. Jan-02)
-Shooting ability
-Shooting scene
-Aim
-Call to Wallace
-Bullet locations
-Secret Service agent's wounding
Other shootings
-James Francis [Cardinal] McIntyre
-Krol's lunch with unidentified psychiatrist
-Office shooting
-Murder of new secretary
-Motive
-An unknown woman in Philadelphia
-Motive
-Letter to Krol's office
-Psychiatrist's comments
-Comparison with McIntyre shooting
President's walk to Treasury
-Occasion
-John B. Connally's resignation
-George P. Shultz
-Handshaking with White House tourists
-Reason
-New York Times editorial
-Violent society
-Television campaigns
-President's opinion
-Setting example
-Description of scene
-Presidential activities
-Climate of fear
-Balance
Protection
-President's Secret Service detail
-Wallace's detail
-Number of Secret Servicemen
-Supplements
-Alabama State Police
-Possibility of stopping killers
-Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand
-Number of guards
(rev. Jan-02)
-Sarajevo
Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:43 pm.
President's schedule
-Presidential car
-Availability
-Camp David trip
-Briefing books, notes, and briefcases
-Locations
-Oval Office
-Executive Office Building [EOB] office
-Lincoln Sitting Room
-Number
-President's preparation for Soviet trip
Bull left at an unknown time before 5:54 pm.
-Departure
-Time
-Soviet trip
-Importance
-Dinner discussion
-A memorandum prepared by Krol
-Bull
Krol story
-National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
-An unknown person
-Six Crises
Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:43 pm.
President's schedule
-Camp David trip
-Briefcase
Bull left at an unknown time before 5:54 pm.
Soviet Union
-President's decision to blockade
-Effect on Vietnam war
-Effect on summit
-Motivating factors
(rev. Jan-02)
-Prisoners of War [POWs]
-US forces
-North Vietnam offensive
-Overrunning South Vietnam
-Tanks in Hue
-Possible cancellation of summit
-Letter to President from Polish government
-Day received
-Content
-Meaning
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Haig
-Communist mindset
-Slavs
-Assumptions
-Outlook on wars
-Goals
-Response to President's actions
-President's decision to blockade
-Difficulty
-Public support
-Support observed by Krol
-Philadelphia peace groups
-Bishop John Joseph Dougherty
-Identified
-Newark, New Jersey
-Seton College
-Pressure to sign peace statement
-Krol's advice
Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:43 am.
President's schedule
-Time
-Soviet trip
-Discussions
-Vietnam
The President, Cardinal Krol, and Bull left at 5:54 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.
- 725-035 4:58 PM · 6 min — 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.
- 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.
- 725-043 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 725-038, 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/725-038 (accessed September 18, 2026).