Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 763 › Conversation 763-018

Nixon & Butterfield on Camp David and Public Relations

Monday, August 7, 1972 · 2:48 PM–3:01 PM ET · Oval Office · 10 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation763-018 on Tape 763StartMonday, August 7, 1972 at 2:48 PMEndMonday, August 7, 1972 at 3:01 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 763-018 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Butterfield met to curate the attendee list for an upcoming dinner at Camp David, emphasizing a desire to keep the group small and focused by excluding staff who had already heard recent presentations. The President expressed a preference for maintaining exclusive, hard-working meetings rather than large social gatherings that might dilute the impact of discussions. They also reviewed logistics for a forthcoming meeting with Virginia legislators, including plans for individual photographs, a White House tour, and the selection of appropriate, cost-effective gifts for the guests.

Audio

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NARA Description

On August 7, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:48 pm and 3:01 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 763-018 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No.763-18

Date: August 7, 1972
Time: Unknown between 2:48 pm and 3:01 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.

       The President’s schedule
            -Dinner at Camp David, August 8, 1972
                  -Maurice Stans, Clark MacGregor
                  -H.R. “(Bob”) Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman
                  -Peter M. Flanigan, William E. Timmons
                  -Herbert G. Klein, Ronald L. Ziegler
                  -Raymond K. Price, JR.
                  -Robert J. Brown
                  -Charles W. Colson
                  -Harry S. Dent
                  -Brown
                  -Price
                  -Cabinet meeting
                  -Robert J. Dole
                  -Robert H. Finch
                  -Melvin R. Laird
                  -Ehrlichman, Flanigan, Henry A. Kissinger
                  -Haldeman
                  -Frederic V. Malek, Jeb Stuart Magruder, Kenneth S.
                  -Rietz
                  -Cabinet
                  -MacGregor, Stans, John N. Mitchell
                  -Dent
                  -Colson
                  -Brown
                  -Butterfield
                  -Price
                         -Minutes of the meeting
                               -Butterfield
                  -Klein

            -Cabinet
      -Ziegler
      -Ehrlichman, Klein, Price
      -Malek, Magruder, Rietz
      -Butterfield
      -Brown
Show the rest of the log (48 more lines)
      -Colson
      -Dole
      -Keneth R. Cole, Jr.
            -Ehrlichman
                   -Cabinet meetings
                   -Nature of dinner
      -Cabinet
      -Butterfield's role
      -Finch
      -Donald H. Rumsfeld
      -Elliot L. Richardson
            -Possible meeting with [Boris V. Petrovsky]
      -Bryce N. Harlow
      -Cole
            -Ehrlichman
            -Alternate dining facilities
-Forthcoming meetings
      -Butterfield’s review of possible attendees
            -Klein
            -Ziegler
            -Moore
            -John A. Scali
            -Klein
      -Virginia legislators
      -Colson
      -Flanigan
            -Butterfield's conversation with Haldeman
            -Colson
            -Flanigan
                   -Ambassadorships
                   -International trade policy
                   -Kissinger's staff

Stephen B. Bull entered and Butterfield left at an unknown time before 3:01 pm.

The President’s schedule
       -Forthcoming meeting with Virginia legislators
             -Number of attendees
             -Photographs
             -Mills E. Godwin
                    -Introductions
             -Tour of White House
                    -Charles [Last name unknown]
             -Gifts
                    -Cufflinks
                    -Bow pins
                    -Watches
                          -Cost

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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Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

That's McGregor for sure.
That's correct.
Alderman.
You want Alderman and Ehrlichman.
Now the other senior people are Feinig and Timmons.
Timmons, yes.
Kline and Ziegler.
Kline, yes.
Ziegler, yes.
Price, Ray Price, Bob Brown, Colson, yes.
Bob Brown, another Colson, yes.
Dent, yes.
We'd have to have Bob Brown.
Yeah.
I'd have him, but I wouldn't bother with the price this time.
We don't need it.
Okay, the rest of us, though, we can camp at me.
I'll be up there.
We can just meet up at the other place and go on back.
Bob Dole, you'll want him.
Yeah.
I just want him.
Yeah.
As a matter of fact, we don't have him.
It's very tight.
It's very tight.
I don't want it to be.
We've really got too many.
I don't see if we can't make some of those up.
Listen.
No, I understand.
Sure.
No, there's going to be a party.
Yeah, we can make it.
You see, you can justify this in cases like this.
But you've got no problem with that.
I don't want people there that are not really directly involved in it.
I don't really think you need early planning there.
I think this is an issue.
And they aren't going to participate in the presentation, are they?
They're not going to participate in the presentation.
Is he?
No, he's not.
He's not?
No.
Just the committee people.
People that are not.
Well, then, fine.
All of them should be there.
The early ones should not.
Plenty of them should not.
It's good sometimes to have all those, just didn't say it earlier, but I don't want them there.
If I don't want this, I don't want them to be there for a certain political meeting.
And they've all heard that presentation.
They've already given it.
They gave the White House that presentation.
Yes, we did that Friday morning.
That's right.
Everybody did.
I don't think that you ought to have a ballot in rights or rights.
None of that should be there.
You're talking about the dinner.
Okay, because they are a percentage, they're going to be on the other place.
So that the captain feels that they're getting special, special attention.
Okay.
My great understanding is that you are all captain.
Okay.
And.
What was it?
I mean, absolutely.
I'll be there.
Right.
In fact, is he going to be up there to listen anyway?
He was, but I can do that.
He takes the minutes, but I don't do it.
He takes the minutes.
Price should not be asked.
We price all of it.
So that's right.
He doesn't need to be asked.
And I don't know about mine, because he deals with the chapter a lot.
Ziegler has to be corrupted.
That's right.
So in other words, you can leave off.
I don't know if you can leave off currently.
I want to get all these meetings down to more of the hard things so that they are greater, there's a greater complement of those that are there.
And for the people that are not there, one of the feelings are we walk out of the career at least and they can participate in the reading, but should not be benefited in their career at least.
I think Brown, yes, he's politics.
Brown posted that, Brian.
Well, Irvin insists he can be there to take notes, but he cannot attend.
Oh, this is the reception.
He really should not be there because he sat in on the second Friday morning.
Everyone must have heard this.
Since they've heard this, I don't think any need for repetition.
On the point of going to the camp, more of the people can be there, not being watched by everyone in the center.
You'll be the notary for this one.
You'll be the notary for Irvin.
Mitch won't be there on stuff.
Oh, they're coming.
Richardson thinks he'll have to leave just before the dinner.
He's going to have to sit in for his semester of health.
He's actually going to have a smaller room in there.
I mean, he shouldn't have to prepare for anybody else.
We got Arnold?
No, we don't have Arnold.
He should be there.
Yeah, that's a good addition.
I'm not told.
I just explained that I don't consider this a capital gain.
I don't know.
You know, that's just a good thing.
I'm not bombing Southern America.
It's a good thing.
I don't keep it down to a size.
It's sort of a nice table and everything.
No, because your call is going to have an adjunct question at the end of the order.
Oh, sure.
You know, they still have to wait to serve the end of the order.
Oh, that's it?
Yes, sir.
So let me get you over there.
Some people are going back early, which is going to take a shot going back early.
And so I think my question is, how can this head go back?
Now, I'm going to monitor the frequency.
No, you don't.
But you see, my mind is that if it were all these in the future, you could just look over those lists.
And when you see that, particularly that old battery that's gone in, Ziegler and Moore and
Scott is in.
I guess the line has to be there earlier since he's got a half week having a crank too.
But that's all right.
That's all right.
I think it's good for his morale.
He goes out and makes speeches a lot.
How do you see these legislators?
You're going to see Colson and Flanagan too.
We'd like to get in for about five minutes.
I just talked to Bob in California.
I guess Flanagan's got a couple of questions.
Oh, here, Colson's not hurt.
I just got some...
stuff he's digging up for me that he hasn't had ready in a little bit.
I don't even have a plan to get it done yet.
But he believes that this is relevant.
He wants it.
You think so?
I have a couple questions to ask you about it.
Ambassador or something.
International trade policy.
All right.
Fine.
Alex?
Yes, sir?
If he wants anybody else present, if he wants anybody from Henry Shaw first, if he wants.
All right, if there's 31 individual photographs, I'll stand in front of the desk.
We'll just announce the name and he's going to stand in the way so each can have a good photograph of just you and the individual.
And then we'll just put them over there if you want to say anything to them.
They'll be given a tour of the White House afterwards.
We don't have to give them the older couple.
That's right.
We don't need to give them the fat two of them.
To keep us kind of exclusive.
I don't understand.
I don't understand.
I don't understand.
I don't understand.
I don't understand.
I'm really not quite sure how much a watch costs.
I know there's a terrific market in jewelry.
You know, I haven't purchased a tie-dye store at a PX, but it's $7 or $8.
Okay, $10 a job.
It doesn't look like it's overpriced.
It's a good deal.
Really good.
Okay.

Also recorded on August 7, 1972

  • 362-010 1:22 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:22 pm and 3:01 pm.
  • 362-011 1:22 PM · 46 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:22 pm and 3:01 pm.
  • 763-019 3:01 PM · 23 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Virginia Democratic leaders, including Leslie D. Campbell, Jr., Warren Davis, William M. Dudley, Walther B. Fidler, Calvin W. Fowler, Elmon T. Gray, Frederick T. Gray, Charles W. Gunn, Jr., Edward E. Lane, Paul W. Manns, George N. McMath, B.R. Middleton, William F. Parkerson, Jr., Lacy E. Putney, Randall O. Reynolds, Eleanor P. Sheppard, D. French Slaughter, Jr., W. Roy Smith, Edward E. Willey, J. D. Stetson Coleman, John O. Marsh, Jr., J. Smith Ferebee, Richard T. Short, James F. Olmsted, Richard D. Obenshain, Thomas R. Glass, Fitzgerald Bemiss, Mills E. Godwin, Russell M. Carneal, Robert B. Ball, Sr., and Herbert Bateman, as well as Stephen B. Bull, Herbert Bateman, as well as the White House photographer, met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:01 pm to 3:45 pm.
  • 763-020 3:45 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:45 pm and 3:46 pm.
  • 763-021 3:46 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Otto E. Passman, and William E. Timmons met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:46 pm to 3:51 pm.
  • 763-023 3:51 PM · 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Peter M. Flanigan, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:51 pm to 4:12 pm.
  • 763-024 4:12 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:12 pm and 4:13 pm.
  • 763-025 4:13 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:13 pm to 4:25 pm.

All 38 conversations from August 7, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 763-018, August 7, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/763-018 (accessed November 2, 2026).