Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 746 › Conversation 746-004

Nixon & Haldeman on Bicentennial and Speechwriting

Saturday, July 1, 1972 · 9:45 AM–10:04 AM ET · Oval Office · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation746-004 on Tape 746StartSaturday, July 1, 1972 at 9:45 AMEndSaturday, July 1, 1972 at 10:04 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 746-004 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met to refine the text and strategic rollout of the President's upcoming July 4, 1972, Bicentennial address. They discussed stylistic edits to the speech, specifically rejecting an overly demanding tone and ordering a reduction in length to approximately 1,500 words. Furthermore, they finalized logistics for the broadcast, including timing arrangements for radio and television coverage and the inclusion of a 90-second film clip for evening news programs.

Audio

Download MP3 · 5.6 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
I don't have the greatest confidence in the idea.
I just don't know what the idea is.
One that we can really, you know what I mean?
I don't have to pop off on something.
It's sort of an asshole idea.
We don't have to think it is.
It's running through all the departments.
Well, I will do it.
I hope you have to do it.
The one thing I would take out
at least that I would change, telling them, I urge, I urge, I urge, I urge, I urge, I urge, I urge, I need it.
I think you should just put it in.
In order to do this or something like that, I call upon all Americans to join together in this program.
Let us, let us, or let business, you see what I mean?
It's a little bit too, when you say I urge, it puts a sense of urgency.
Did you get that feeling when you read it?
Yeah.
I thought it was a little bit too...
It was actually, it was worse than that.
He challenged it.
Yeah, yeah.
Or bring it down something so that it isn't quite as demanding.
The other thing that he can do is cut up.
I cut it to 1,500 words.
Take out 200 words, okay?
So it's 1,500 words.
It didn't fit me in that section.
I don't care what he takes off.
I don't want to bother him.
It doesn't work my time.
You get it?
Why don't you come out?
We just have a challenge.
You don't need to work with me.
It's important.
It's good that I can.
It doesn't have to work.
Make a change.
It's important.
It's not important.
The idea is fine.
So you come in to make those cuts and then send it off to me.
And when are we going to make it?
Well,
Uh, the strong view of all of, uh, the other, uh, four people to do it, uh, Tuesday morning.
Four people.
Uh, for the time, because I don't carry my radio all day that day.
I make the TV that night.
Ah.
And it brought us to do a 90-second film clip of the evening television.
I go the whole way.
I go the whole way.
It's not like I carry it.
Uh.
All right.
Good morning.
Morning.
What do you think?
What the hell?
In this case, I wouldn't care because I'm gonna read it.
I'll just sit there

NARA Description

On July 1, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:45 am to 10:04 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 746-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 746-4

Date: July 1, 1972
Time: 9:45 am - 10:04 am
Location: Oval Office

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

     The President's July 4, 1972 speech
          -William L. Safire
          -John K. Andrews, Jr.
          -Bicentennial
                -State Department, US Information Agency [USIA]
                      -Timing of statement
          -Phrase "I urge"
          -Length
          -Timing
                -Radio, television
          -Television coverage
                -Arrangements
                      -Pool cameras
                      -Metromedia, networks
                          -90 second excerpt
          -Richard A. Moore
                -Legislative packet
                      -Parren J. Mitchell [?], John Sherman Cooper [?]

Haldeman left at an unknown time before 10:04 am.

Also recorded on July 1, 1972

  • 746-003 8:50 AM · 36 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, Stephen B. Bull, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:50 am and 9:45 am.
  • 746-005 9:45 AM · 8 min — 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 9:45 am and 10:04 am.
  • 746-006 10:04 AM · 43 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:04 am and 10:53 am.
  • 746-007 10:04 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:04 am and 10:53 am.
  • 746-008 10:04 AM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Tim Burke, Larry Allen, James Hester, Tillie Barela, Jo Ann Cullen, Marsha Bowen, James H. Falk, William F. Rhatican, Neal Ball, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:04 am and 11:05 am.
  • 103-011 10:05 AM · 30 min — President Richard M. Nixon and representatives of the maritime industry and labor unions, including Jesse M. Calhoon, Leo V. Berger, Edwin A. Johnson, Joseph Kahn, Chung C. Wei, John R. Gilbride, James F. Goodrich, Samuel D. Timmons, Walter F. William, Charles W. Colson, Peter G. Peterson, Helen B. Bentley, Walter Oates, James T. Lynn, Andrew E. Gibson, and Robert J. Blackwell, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 10:05 am and 10:40 am.
  • 104-001 10:40 AM · 2 min — Unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 10:40 am on July 1, 1972 and 10:16 am on July 21, 1972.
  • 104-002 10:40 AM · 1 min — a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 10:40 am on July 1, 1972 and 10:16 am on July 21, 1972.

All 43 conversations from July 1, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 746-004, July 1, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/746-004 (accessed September 30, 2026).