Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 786 › Conversation 786-014

Nixon, Ehrlichman & Butterfield on Cabinet Committee to Combat Terrorism

Monday, September 25, 1972 · 11:58 AM–12:03 PM ET · Oval Office · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.; Bull, Stephen B.; Ehrlichman, John D.Conversation786-014 on Tape 786StartMonday, September 25, 1972 at 11:58 AMEndMonday, September 25, 1972 at 12:03 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 786-014 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon consulted with Alexander P. Butterfield and Stephen B. Bull regarding a brief appearance to greet staff from the Finance Committee for the Re-election of the President. He also conferred with John D. Ehrlichman to discuss the structure of the Cabinet Committee to Combat Terrorism. The President ultimately decided that the FBI should be included in the committee, citing the bureau's superior intelligence capabilities.

  • Committee for the Re-election of the President
  • Cabinet Committee to Combat Terrorism
  • FBI
  • Presidential scheduling
  • Intelligence gathering

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Needles.
Needles.
Well, I've got to go around and shake their hands.
So I'll do that.
But Polly doesn't have to take in the pictures.
So don't do that.
I'm not going to do that anymore.
We just have enough time.
I will shake their hands.
I don't even know if you should try it.
I grew a picture.
I think there's too many people there.
Too many people.
I'll just say that and I'll shake their hands and thank them all.
Okay.
Thank you.
I was wondering if there was some reason
for not putting the FBI on this, too.
I know that's under, but I think it would be very helpful to have him on.
Yeah.
I think he ought to just be put on it.
Yeah, I mean, the FBI has a lot better sound, you know, direction, intelligence.
The, uh, all right.
Good.
Fine.

NARA Description

On September 25, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, Stephen B. Bull, and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:58 am to 12:03 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 786-014 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 786-14

Date: September 25, 1972
Time: 11:58 am - 12:03 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield and Stephen B. Bull.

             The President's schedule
                 -Meeting with staff of Finance Committee, Committee for the Re-election of
                 the President [CRP]
                      -Handshaking
                     -Photograph by Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins

Bull left at an unknown time before 12:03 pm.

             Cabinet Committee to Combat Terrorism
                 -Staffing
                      -[Richard G. Kleindienst]

The President talked with John D. Ehrlichman at an unknown time between 11:58 am and 12:03
pm.

[Conversation No. 786-14A]

             Cabinet Committee to Combat Terrorism
                 -Richard [Kleindienst]
                 -Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
                 -Director of Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]

[End of telephone conversation]

             Inclusion of FBI in Cabinet Committee to Combat Terrorism

Butterfield left at 12:03 pm.

Also recorded on September 25, 1972

  • 786-012 11:47 AM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:47 am and 11:49 am.
  • 786-013 11:49 AM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Michael N. Spirtos, William P. Tsaffaras, William G. Chirgotis, Gustav Coffinas, George J. Leber, Thomas C. Korologos, S. Steven Karalekas, Stephen B. Bull, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:49 am to 11:58 am.
  • 786-015 12:03 PM · 32 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:03 pm and 12:05 pm.
  • 105-007 12:05 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Clark MacGregor, Maurice Stans, and members of the Finance Committee of the Committee to Re-elect the President, including Clark MacGregor, Maurice H. Stans, Joyce Barbour, Paul E. Barrick, Mildred Bighinatti, Suzanne Bourbonnais, Beebe Bourne, Judy Breck, Angela Buchanan, Warren Chase, Buckley M. Byers, Arden Chambers, Constance Corby, Kathy Cerick, Jane Dannenhauer, John Russell Deane, III, Whitney de Roulet, Charles Dexter, Maureen Devlin, Yolanda Dorminy, Stanley Ebner, Thomas W. Evans, Peter J. Fokine, Elaine Hall, Judy Harbaugh, Judy Hoback, Robert Hardy, Daniel W. Hofgren, Peter A. Holmes, Carroll Holton, Christine A. Hristakos, Eveline Hyde, Erik Kuhl, Joan Kreitler, George Lynch, Charlotte Lyeth, Michael Miller, Robert L. Krattli, Karen Minor, Lee R. Nunn, Robert P. Odell, Jr., M. Elaine O'Gorman, Thomas A. Pappas, Charles ("Chip") Pashayan, Jr., Lois Rezabek, Lora Rossi, Harold B. Scott, Michael Scully, Rodney Smith, Shirley A. Straker, Kenneth K. Talmadge, Florence Thompson, Diane K. Waltman, C. Langhorne Washburn, John Tayloe Washburn, Newell P. Weed, Jr., and Barbara Zapp, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 12:05 pm to 12:18 pm.
  • 105-008 12:18 PM — Unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 12:18 pm on September 25, 1972 and 11:03 am on September 29, 1972.
  • 786-016 12:18 PM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:18 pm and 12:22 pm.
  • 786-017 12:18 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:18 pm and 12:22 pm.
  • 786-018 12:22 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:22 pm to 12:32 pm.

All 37 conversations from September 25, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 786-014, September 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/786-014 (accessed October 12, 2026).