Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 742 › Conversation 742-008
Nixon, Haldeman & Woods on Watergate and Martha Mitchell
Monday, June 26, 1972 · 9:50 AM–10:45 AM ET · Oval Office
AI Summary
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met to discuss the administration's response to escalating political scandals, including the Watergate break-in, ITT allegations, and criticism from the liberal press. They addressed the erratic behavior of Martha Mitchell and reviewed internal management strategies, such as drafting responses to critical media stories and coordinating staff appointments. Additionally, the conversation covered upcoming legislative priorities, specifically the debt limit and budget planning, alongside public relations efforts regarding presidential statements on meat prices and sports-related press releases.
- Watergate
- Martha Mitchell
- Press relations
- Legislative agenda
- Political scandals
- White House staffing
Audio
Audio for this conversation has not been released by the National Archives.
Transcript (AI-generated)
No transcript is available because the audio has not been released.
NARA Description
On June 26, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:50 am to 10:45 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 742-008 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 742-8
Date: June 26, 1972
Time: 9:50 am - 10:45 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Rose Mary Woods.
Presidential cuff links
-Possible purchase
-Tie tac
H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman entered at an unknown time after 9:50 am.
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 5m 9s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
*****************************************************************
Woods left at 10:00 am.
Martha (Beall) Mitchell
-Call to Helen A. Thomas
-Removal of telephones
-John N. Mitchell
-International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT]
-Richard G. Kleindienst
-Bugging
-Haldeman’s view
-Possible trip abroad
-Mexico
-Health
-Thomas
-Possible conversation with the President
-John Mitchell
-Health
-Telephoning
The President's opponents' charges
-Bugging
-ITT
-Harrold G. Carswell
-Gen. John D. Lavelle
-Effect of scandals
-Joseph C. Kraft’s columns
-The President
-Carswell, Lavelle, ITT
-Administration's credibility
Lavelle
-Harry S. Truman and Gen. Douglas MacArthur
-Situation
Carswell
Watergate break-in
-Kraft's opinion
-John Mitchell's and Nixon's morality
The President's conversation with Henry A. Kissinger
-Kissinger's conversation with Stewart J.O. Alsop
-Katharine L. Graham
-The President’s policy
-The President
Liberal press
-Opposition to the President
-Graham
-Kraft
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Reasons
-Alsop
Opposition to Franklin D. Roosevelt
-Haldeman’s grandfather
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 58s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************
The President's memorandum to Charles W. Colson
-Response to Dwight D. Eisenhower story in Washington Post
-Victor Lasky
-Letters to editor
-Gen. Alfred Gruenther
-Gen. Omar N. Bradley
-Arthur W. Radford
-John S. D. Eisenhower
-Letter to the Washington Post
-Patrick J. Buchanan
Speechwriting
-Presidential statements
-Restriction of meat imports
-Style
-William L. Safire, Raymond K. Price, Jr.
-Buchanan
-The President's rhythm
Julie Nixon Eisenhower
-Press coverage
-Event
Harvard University
-Event
-Ralph Nader
-Adolf Hitler
Message from George H. Mahon
-Possible response from the President
Beef prices
-News summaries
-Earl L. Butz
-The President's statement
-Price
-Safire
-George P. Shultz, Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger, Colson, John D.
Ehrlichman, and John C. Whitaker
-Clearance by the President
-John K. Andrews, Jr.
Vera Hirshberg
-The President’s instructions
-Possible reassignment
-Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
-Dr. Sidney P. Marland, Jr.
Staff appointments
Watergate break-in
-Ziegler
-Lawrence F. O'Brien, Jr.'s letter to the President
-Special Prosecutor
-Burglars
-Ehrlichman
-John W. Dean III, John Mitchell, Robert C. Mardian
-Pleas
-Investigation's progress
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 57s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
*****************************************************************
The President's conversation with [Dwight] David Eisenhower, II
-Story on baseball greats written by the President
-Teams picked by the President
-Players
-News value
-Radio
-Wire services
-Press release
-Sports Illustrated
-Timing of release
-Associated Press [AP]
-Ziegler
-Sports Illustrated
-John R. (“Jackie”) Robinson's accomplishments
-Lawrence M. Higby [?]
-Track and field
-Basketball
-Football
Pending legislation
-Debt limit
-Schedule
-Frank F. Church's Social Security amendment
-Clark MacGregor's conversation with Robert C. Byrd
-House of Representatives rules
-Expiration of debt limit
-Weinberger
-Ehrlichman
-Wilbur D. Mills's position
-John W. Byrnes
-1973 budget meeting
-Ehrlichman
-Weinberger, Shultz, Herbert Stein
-Colson, Mitchell, MacGregor, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., Edwin L. Harper
-MacGregor
The President's schedule
-Filming of announcement
-Location
Rally for George S. McGovern
-Stars
-Telephone calls
-Agents
-Herbert J. (“Jackie”) Gleason
-Contract for Daughters of the American Revolution [DAR] hall
-George D. Aiken
John Mitchell
-Martha Mitchell
Haldeman left at 10:45 am.Also recorded on June 26, 1972
- 742-006 8:57 AM — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:57 am to 9:40 am.
- 742-007 9:40 AM — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:40 am and 9:50 am.
- 742-009 10:45 AM — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:45 am and 10:59 am.
- 742-010 10:59 AM — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:59 am to 11:06 am.
- 026-005 11:00 AM · 26 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:00 am and 11:45 am.
- 026-006 11:00 AM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:00 am and 11:45 am.
- 026-007 11:00 AM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:00 am and 11:45 am.
- 742-011 11:07 AM — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry Cabot Lodge, Charles W. Colson, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:07 am to 11:30 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 742-008, June 26, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/742-008 (accessed October 14, 2026).