Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 752 › Conversation 752-002

Nixon & Ehrlichman on 1972 Presidential Campaign and Revenue Sharing

Tuesday, July 25, 1972 · 8:40 AM–8:45 AM ET · Oval Office · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ehrlichman, John D.Conversation752-002 on Tape 752StartTuesday, July 25, 1972 at 8:40 AMEndTuesday, July 25, 1972 at 8:45 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 752-002 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and John Ehrlichman met to coordinate the President's upcoming schedule, focusing on meetings with local government officials and legislative strategy. They discussed political intelligence regarding George McGovern's campaign, specifically examining the potential to influence Joseph Alioto and analyzing the Democratic Convention dynamics. Additionally, they strategized on how the President should advocate for revenue sharing while publicly resisting legislative attempts by Senator Russell Long to impose restrictive conditions on the funding.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Mayor Welch and Ms. John Connolly.

I'll speak very briefly.

This should be quite brief.

Yes, sir.

Yes, I think so.

Thank you so much for having me.

I'm going to go.

There's one.

I've just had a table.

Allie Oberman is a part of our people over at EDA.

And he expressed himself very freely about McGovern.

He indicated that he was, for political reasons,

California, he would have to make a sort of a daily time statement.

But the two guys over there, Podesta and Sennett, had the estimate that Alioto can be had in a several of the way.

I don't know how good this information is.

We can check it out through Rizzo.

He's a friend of Rizzo's.

And I don't know that either.

Well, he's been acquitted.

Yes.

And he's filed a lawsuit against Mitchell for pursuing alleged prosecution.

But I think that's largely showboating.

But anyway, he will be here at this time.

And I want you to know about it for whatever it's worth.

But it's basically the same color.

One thing, Long is moving around.

He wants to put strings on the revenue sharing line.

Yeah.

And you can't refer to Long directly in that connection, but you could say that we think it's important that the mayors and city councils have freedom

latitude and incentives and that they want to be alert as they move around the halls of Congress.

The efforts on the part of the Congress to tie this money up with restrictions and that kind of a failed reference I think would be all that would be necessary.

Thank you.

There are a few of you who have not met.

There would be a chance to.

Now, Gibson of Newark was the head of the Democratic Rules Committee, the Democratic Convention.

He was one of the seconders.

But he has been aced out by a pawn truck in terms of the inertia.

What was the...

I call these people to speak.

Well, you can just say that you understand that there are several that have prepared remarks and yield to Mrs. Mellon.

So if you promise me, I'm going to tell you that you promise me.

All right.

Yes.

NARA Description

On July 25, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:40 am to 8:45 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 752-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 752-2

Date: July 25, 1972
Time: 8:40 am - 8:45 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with John D. Ehrlichman.

     The President's schedule
          -John H. Conolly
                -National Legislative Conference
          -[Sam Massell], Gladys Spellman, Louie Welch, Conolly
          -Duration

     1972 campaign
         -Joseph Alioto
               -Conversation with people at the Economic Development Administration
                    [EDA]
                    -George S. McGovern
                         -California
                         -Richard J. Daley
               -Views of Robert A. Podesta and Richard L. Sinnott
               -Frank L. Rizzo
               -Importance
                    -San Francisco
                         -Compared to Chicago
               -Legal actions

                     -Acquittals
                     -John N. Mitchell

     The President’s schedule
          -Forthcoming meeting
                -Revenue sharing
                     -Russell B. Long's views
                         -Conditions
                     -The President's possible comments
                         -Need for latitude
                         -Introductions

     McGovern organization
        -Kenneth A. Gibson
              -Democratic National Convention
                  -Rules Committee
                  -Role
        -Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy

     The President's schedule
          -Forthcoming meeting
                -Protocol
                      -Prepared remarks
                      -Spellman
                          -National Association of Counties
          -Meeting about federal law enforcement against drug abuse, July 24, 1972
                -Television coverage

The President and Ehrlichman left at 8:45 am.

Also recorded on July 25, 1972

198-002 8:30 AM · 25 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 8:30 am and 9:54 am.
198-003 8:30 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 8:30 am and 9:54 am.
752-001 8:38 AM · 30 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:38 am and 8:40 am.
104-010 8:45 AM · 33 min — President Richard M. Nixon and mayors and county officials, including Maurice E. ("Moon") Landrieu, Sam Massell, Louie Welch, Roman S. Gribbs, Frank W. Burke, Harry G. Haskell, Henry W. Maier, John W. Diggs, Joseph Alioto, Wesley C. Uhlman, Lee Alexander, Roy Martin, William D. Schaefer, Norman Y. Mineta, E. J. ("Jake") Garn, Kenneth A. Gibson, Richard Hatcher, Gladys N. Spellman, William J. Connor, Bernard Hillenbrand, Allen Pritchard, John J. Gunther, John D. Ehrlichman, Edwin L. Harper, Charls E. Walker, Thomas C. Korologos, Clarence D. Ward, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Earl Macke, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 8:45 am and 3:39 pm.
752-003 8:45 AM · 13 sec — Manolo Sanchez and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:45 am and 9:30 am.
752-004 9:30 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:30 am to 9:33 am.
752-005 9:33 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:33 am and 9:55 am.
198-004 9:54 AM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 9:54 am to 10:07 am.

All 50 conversations from July 25, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 752-002, July 25, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/752-002 (accessed October 12, 2026).