Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 748 › Conversation 748-002

Nixon & Butterfield on 1972 Election and White House Staffing

Thursday, July 20, 1972 · 9:33 AM–9:45 AM ET · Oval Office · 7 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation748-002 on Tape 748StartThursday, July 20, 1972 at 9:33 AMEndThursday, July 20, 1972 at 9:45 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 748-002 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met to coordinate the agenda for upcoming strategic meetings with Republican Congressional leaders and Cabinet members regarding the 1972 election. They discussed the structure of breakfast briefings, emphasizing the need for clear communication with key participants like Clark MacGregor and John D. Ehrlichman. The President also reviewed budget planning recommendations from Caspar Weinberger and directed Butterfield to ensure tighter control over public relations and press interactions concerning agency heads.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I have some questions about tomorrow morning.
Yeah, I'm busy.
The proposed agenda for the breakfast.
Yeah.
Pardon the barrier.
About 15 minutes.
And then, uh, both Dominic and Wilson.
No, no, no.
Shit, no, shit.
No, no, no.
God, no, no.
You haven't told them yet.
No, we haven't told them yet.
Neither one.
They're not to be lost.
No.
We don't want that.
Right.
Could only fill up 15 minutes.
That's fine.
That's fine.
But what I want, I don't think they got that.
They must not have got the message, John.
What I want is an understanding.
Would you discuss the conflict?
they don't have.
than they zero in about the Congress.
I'll get it.
I'll get it.
I'll get it.
I'll get it.
I'll get it.
I'll get it.
I'll get it.
I'll get it.
Senator, I thought you might want to ask before we talk two minutes on pending legislation and then just talk to the press as though much of the meeting concerned that.
Well, it is not pending legislation.
The legislation that will be in front of the Congress between now and the election and what the strategy will be, I think Scott and Board should be on it.
I think they are supposed to be called on, for example.
But once you talk to Earl, I'm sure he understands.
I thought that he did, because I went over to him and asked him to do something in the field.
Then they had Jaron come over to the cabinet and ask him to talk on the budget.
And that should be free.
Now, Weinberg there thinks that you're going to do much of the talking, and he'll back you up.
He can give us free space.
Yeah, of course.
But I want you to tell, I want you to tell Ehrlichman, Ehrlichman, if you'll have, you sit down with him and tell him, I've got to have a 15-minute meeting and get his opinions on how we get this wider.
Oh, all right.
Okay.
Okay, good.
Then, all right, then my other question concerns the group.
You know, if the major agency people are here, I should send financial aid for budget hearings, such as Weinberger recommends.
All right.
EPA, some will buy that.
All right.
All right.
All right.
One more thing.
On the press business, I think Wanker would like to go out there and make some points to the press, such as the fact that you and Dr. Hinden lay down behind a whole group of tenants.
Ask Erland what he thinks about that.
I've talked to Erland about that.
Maybe you want to speak to Erland.
I'm not sure that this is the time.
Erland has got to control Alex in the future and all the PR.
Well, I agree.
You know what I mean?
The person's got some other vision.

NARA Description

On July 20, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:33 am to 9:45 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 748-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 748-2

Date: July 20, 1972
Time: 9:33 am - 9:45 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.

      The President's schedule
           -Agenda
                -Clark MacGregor, Peter H. Dominick, Robert C. (“Bob”) Wilson
                -John J. Rhodes
                       -Platform
           -Breakfast meeting about strategy for Democratic Congress
                -1972 election
                -MacGregor
                -William E. Timmons
                -John D. Ehrlichman
                -Cabinet
                -Dominick, Wilson
                -Hugh Scott, Gerald R. Ford
                       -Possible meeting with press
                            -Pending legislation
                                  -Timmons
                -Ehrlichman
           -Cabinet meeting on budget
                -Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger

                      -Talking points
                -Duration
                -Funeral
                      -William T. Pecora
                 -Ehrlichman
                      -Instruction to Butterfield
                           -Weinberger
                -Weinberger’s recommendation
                      -Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], General Services
                           Administration [GSA], National Aeronautics and Space
                           Administration [NASA], Atomic Energy Commission [AEC]
           -Breakfast meeting
                -Agency heads
                      -Ehrlichman
                      -Republican appointees
                -Press relations
                      -Weinberger
                           -Ehrlichman
                           -Speech
                      -Ehrlichman
                           -Public relations
                                  -Domestic Council

Butterfield left at 9:45 am

Also recorded on July 20, 1972

  • 748-001 9:33 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 9:33 am.
  • 027-016 9:45 AM · 26 sec — the White House operator, Charles W. Colson, President Richard M. Nixon, and Marjorie P. Acker talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:45 am and 9:53 am.
  • 748-003 9:45 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, Marjorie P. Acker, Margaretta ("Happy") Rockefeller, and Jay Lovestone met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:45 am to 10:38 am.
  • 027-017 9:54 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:54 am.
  • 027-018 9:54 AM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Margaretta ("Happy") Rockefeller talked on the telephone from 9:54 am to 9:56 am.
  • 027-019 9:56 AM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:56 am and 10:38 am.
  • 027-020 9:56 AM · 17 sec — Charles W. Colson and Jay Lovestone talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:56 am and 10:38 am.
  • 748-004 10:38 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:38 am and 10:59 am.

All 50 conversations from July 20, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 748-002, July 20, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/748-002 (accessed October 2, 2026).