President Nixon, H. R. Haldeman, and Charles Colson met to evaluate the President’s recent press conference performance and discuss broader strategies for countering perceived media bias. The participants scrutinized press hostility toward the administration, specifically analyzing how to manage factual errors in reporting and mobilize an organized response to unfavorable coverage. They also assessed the political implications of George McGovern's campaign statements and debated the effectiveness of past communication styles compared to those of previous administrations.
Audio for this conversation has not yet been released by the National Archives.
NARA DescriptionOn June 30, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Charles W. Colson met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:17 pm to 12:44 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 744-020 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 744-20
Date: June 30, 1972
Time: 12:17-12:44 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
The President's schedule
-Meeting with candidates
The President's previous press conference
-James D. Hodgson's opinion
-The President's style
-Hodgson's opinion
Charles W. Colson entered at 12:21 pm.
White House relations with the press
-The President's style
-Cost of Living Council [COLC]
-Donald H. Rumsfeld
-Factual errors
-Press bias
-Spiro T. Agnew
-Ronald W. Reagan
-White House staff
-John D. Ehrlichman, Haldeman, Colson
-1952 campaign
-Antagonism to the President
-Cambodia and Laos
-1962 campaign
-Factual errors
(rev. Feb-02)
-Need for response
-Ehrlichman
-Press questions
-Anthony Lewis
-Mailing of articles
-Attribution
-James Keogh
-New York Times article
-Organization to send letters
-Media bias
-Financing
-John A. Scali's memorandum
The President's previous press conference
-Questions
-The President’s preparation
-Number of questions
-Topics
-The President's style
-1960 debates
-John F. Kennedy's press conferences
-Colson’s view
-Television pool camera
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 2m 16s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
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New York Times
-Editorial conference with the President
-Spitting incident before 1968 election
-Jewish reporter
-Compared to incident at Jewish temple in 1960
(rev. Feb-02)
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 24s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
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-Max Frankel
-Incumbent's advantage
-Date for Vietnam negotiations
-George Sherman of the Washington Star
-George S. McGovern's interview on Associated Press [AP]
-Bombing in Indochina
-Adolf Hitler
-Administration's response
-Frank Borman
-Press coverage on McGovern’s "begging" statement
-Kennedy’s comments in Oregon
-Labor vote
-Wire services
-United Press International [UPI]
-National Broadcasting Company [NBC]
-Delegates
-New York Daily News
-Washington Star
Personnel
-Anecdote
-Abraham Lincoln
The President's previous press conference
-Robert Pierpoint's statement
The President, Haldeman, and Colson left at 12:44 pm.
(rev. Feb-02)No transcript is available for this conversation.