Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 772 › Conversation 772-009

Nixon, Kiernan & Gordon on Law Enforcement and Police Review Boards

Thursday, September 7, 1972 · 12:23 PM–12:35 PM ET · Oval Office ·11 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Kiernan, Edward J.;  Gordon, Robert D.;  Harrington, John;  Bobbitt, Charles;  Krogh, Egil ("Bud"), Jr.;  White House photographerConversation772-009 onTape 772StartThursday, September 7, 1972 at 12:23 PMEndThursday, September 7, 1972 at 12:35 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 772-009 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with representatives of the International Conference of Police Associations, including Edward J. Kiernan and Egil Krogh, to discuss the administration's support for law enforcement. The conversation focused on the need for greater public respect for police officers, the impact of police review boards, and concerns regarding legal protections for officers in the line of duty. The meeting concluded with an exchange of presidential gifts as a gesture of goodwill toward the organization.

Audio

Download MP3 · 15.4 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).

Hi, Mr. President, Mr. Chairman.
How are you?
Sorry to keep you waiting.
I had to upload two events.
Hi, how are you?
Good to see you.
Good to see you, Mr. Brown.
Good to see you.
Good to see you.
Oh, yes.
Thank you.
Yeah, I guess we can smash up and break it down.
I got the back straight.
What's right?
Isn't that right?
Isn't that right?
I've got to have...
Okay, if you can help me, yeah.
Okay.
Thank you.
um
Oh.
Oh, yeah.
Well, I must say that as a human being,
All of your organizations have been hard on you to support.
I agree.
I'm sorry to speak.
I am in a place where I'm ready.
I don't support any of this conversation.
We're going to watch it all go.
It's going to continue to do.
If they don't mind, if they don't mind, I'm going to ask you a question.
I'm going to ask you what it feels like, the distraction, the resources.
It's not for you to come here and do it.
That's part of the crop.
The man's got to be much better.
Or say good-bye, I can't help you.
There are a lot of stainers there.
There are a lot of stainers.
We're going to get heated about two more.
We're going to get heated about two more.
We're going to get heated about two more.
Okay.
We're going to get heated about two more.
Okay.
What are you doing?
You're driving a man.
You're driving him.
Yeah. .
Well, that was Jeopardy, absolutely.
And a police officer ought to have the same rights as a citizen, I think.
Or as a criminal.
Of course, as you know, it's sort of become a thing.
We've changed that quite a bit.
What do you mean?
We've changed that quite a bit.
We've changed that quite a bit.
I realize they're out there and we all
There are very few examples of heroism and that people can recognize and so forth.
But the real tough thing is on that week, in that office, day after day after day, but always subject to the possibility.
And you know, that can be very tiring, very boring, and the rest, but in our state of the park, you're the guys, your guys are the ones that are out there in that line.
So I got to say to our serviceman, Eric Robb, I said,
And I was talking to the people who were changing hats around the Army, and they're always fighting with that Army and Air Force.
And I said, look, the people that serve in our peace forces are growing.
They're just like the people that serve in our peace forces in all of our cities.
We hate you.
I mean, we hate you.
You make it possible for us to be free.
We're aware of that.
Even though we do, you may sometimes fear a little bit more than the rest of us.
We're not actually on the fire tonight.
But, of course, it won't happen.
But here goes.
The people, I think the people of this country, the people of this country, we've just got to, you know, the other thing is respect.
You've got to respect the man that you are.
This business is bad and all that.
Well, what this, this, uh, this, uh, oh, whatever it said about Chicago police after that, Dallas, let's forget it, that apparently, uh, I could give you a cat police, you know, pigs, all that sort of thing.
It affects the whole attitude of the kids.
The kids say, you know what?
And you've got to think that policeman there, even when he arrested you, he's protected you.
And we've got to have respect for his respect, which is best for us.
Yeah, what was it, from Albert?
At least Mr. President got it a few years back on that police committee.
Well, as a matter of fact, they put one in New York.
The fact is, absolutely, that police review board is here.
And what it was, it's a citizen's law.
They're going to review the conduct of the police.
.
.
.
.
. .
We're going to help him.
We're not going to stand up for him.
And one of your organizations, you said, at least, is a member of something.
He's great.
And he's a strong man, too.
Yes.
He's one of the community members, and he's recognizable.
He just hasn't had it in a mess with us.
Now, let's see, you're the, some of you may have it, but these are some new presidential comments, which is the seal in color.
Well, basically, you can see it better than the flag.
This is the president's seal in the flag.
There it is.
And a cup.
Thank you.
And there is one for your wife.
Now, let's see.
One for you.
One for your wife.
And for you.
That's all you need.
Good.
Well, great to see you.
We'll probably never see you again.
Thank you very much.
We're with you.
We're back.

NARA Description

On September 7, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Edward J. Kiernan, Robert D. Gordon, John Harrington, Charles Bobbitt, Egil ("Bud") Krogh, Jr., and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:23 pm to 12:35 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 772-009 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 772-9

Date: September 7, 1972
Time: 12:23 pm - 12:35 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Edward J. Kiernan, Robert D. Gordon, John Harrington, Charles
Baulman, and Egil G. (“Bud”) Krogh, Jr.

[The White House photographer and members of the press were present at the beginning of the
meeting.]

             Greetings

             [Photograph session]
                 -[General conversation]

             Copies of photographs

             International Conference of Police Associations
                  -Support by the President and administration
                       -The President’s recent nomination acceptance speech
                       -Appointment of judges
                            -State judges
                            -Supreme Court
                       -Legislation
                            -Survivors’ benefits
                       -Krogh
                  -Civil rights
                       -Grand jury appearances
                       -Status for policemen
                            -Compared with private citizens or criminals
                  -Bill of Rights
                  -Policemen
                       -Possibility of death
                            -Effect
                       -Comparison of police to Army and Navy

                                           (rev. Oct-06)

                          -Peace efforts
                      -Lack of respect
                          -Chicago police
                               -George S. McGovern
                          -Effect on children
                          -Need for respect
                  -Review boards
                      -Police procedures
                      -Composition
                          -Entertainers
                      -New York
                      -Los Angeles
                          -Police or citizen review board
                      -Lyndon B. Johnson
                  -Cooperation by administration with police issues
                      -Department of Justice
                      -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
                          -Statement in New York

              Presidential gifts
                  -Cuff links
                       -Presidential seal
                       -Wives

Kiernan et al. left at 12:35 pm.

Also recorded on September 7, 1972

  • 772-007 10:40 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:40 am and 10:41 am.
  • 772-008 10:41 AM · 1 hr 34 min — President Richard M. Nixon, George P. Shultz, Stephen B. Bull, John D. Ehrlichman, unknown person(s), John B. Connally, James Roosevelt, and John Roosevelt met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:41 am to 12:22 pm.
  • 772-010 12:35 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:35 pm and 12:37 pm.
  • 772-017 12:35 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:35 pm and 12:37 pm.
  • 772-011 12:37 PM · 38 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:37 pm to 1:38 pm.
  • 359-001 1:40 PM · 9 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 1:40 pm and 2:45 pm.
  • 359-002 1:40 PM · 7 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 1:40 pm and 2:45 pm.
  • 359-003 1:40 PM · 6 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 1:40 pm and 2:45 pm.

All 28 conversations from September 7, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 772-009, September 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/772-009 (accessed September 18, 2026).