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Conversation 786-018

TapeTape 786StartMonday, September 25, 1972 at 12:22 PMEndMonday, September 25, 1972 at 12:32 PMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob");  Bull, Stephen B.;  Nixon, Richard M. (President);  Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob");  Bull, Stephen B.Recording deviceOval Office
AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman discussed strategies to improve the quality and impact of presidential communication, specifically targeting the reduction of speech lengths to ensure messages are concise, memorable, and pithy. Nixon expressed frustration with the "mental laziness" of excessively long drafts produced by staff and established a strict 1,000 to 1,500-word limit for written remarks. They further decided to prioritize short radio addresses over frequent television appearances for routine administrative actions, such as veto messages, to effectively communicate policy decisions to the public.

SpeechwritingCommunication strategyPresidential rhetoricPublic relationsVeto messages
AudioNARA Description

On September 25, 1972, 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. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 786-018 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 786-18

Date: September 25, 1972
Time: 12:22 pm - 12:32 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

             Speechwriting
                 -Length and duration
                     -Instructions for Raymond K. Price, Jr.
                          -Radio speeches
                          -[The President’s recent International Monetary Fund] [IMF] [speech]
                          -Remarks to Washington Conference on International
                           Narcotics Control, September 18, 1972
                          -Messages
                               -John D. Ehrlichman
                          -Brevity
                               -Price
                               -Anecdotes
                               -The President’s writing
                               -Price
                               -Anecdotes
                     -The President's remarks to Young Labor for Nixon,
                      September 23, 1972
                     -Maximum
                          -Radio
                          -William L. Safire
                               -Distribution of drafts
                               -George P. Shultz
                 -Speeches
                     -Importance

                                        (rev. Nov-03)

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 12:22 pm.

             The President's schedule
                 -Photograph session with Republican candidates
                     -Harry S. Dent
                     -Movie camera
                          -Wesley Powell
                               -Senate film

Bull left at an unknown time before 12:32 pm.

             The President's speeches
                 -Radio
                     -1972 campaign
                     -Recording
                 -Television [TV]
                 -Radio
                     -Veto messages
                          -Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]
                          -Water bill
                               -TV
                 -Veto messages
                     -Length
                          -Trademark
                          -Credit

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Bull entered at an unknown time after 12:22 pm.

                                        (rev. Nov-03)

            The President's schedule
                -Republican candidates

Haldeman and Bull left at 12:32 pm.
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

I was going to say that I think there are 1,500 words, which means about thought, which is about right.
The other thing is, it's right for buying 15 minutes of radio time.
The other thing is, I think that the
We ought to have some trademark for these jackass things like what we did today.
We grabbed confidence the other day and so far.
I think it basically is to have what I call the law of the word.
Now, I didn't want to speak to you.
I really didn't have the mindset.
That can be done.
Sure.
It can be done.
As a matter of fact, I think that, and I got to talk to her earlier in the shop about this.
I think that the way we gas on and on and on and on, these messages that I send, I don't look at those, but I know that they run to seven or eight thousand words, so many of them.
It's bullshit.
I mean, it doesn't mean that much.
It's laziness.
Mental laziness.
Too many people adding on and on and on.
Do you get my point?
Let's start, I'd like to get the trademark of great, pithy, quotable, memorable stuff.
The reason we aren't getting memorable, pithy stuff out of our crowd
is that they write too much paper.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I rethink that race argument that, well, if you gave us more time, we'd get more in.
You see, I don't buy that.
I don't think that's the problem.
Maybe an antidote.
But the real thing about writing here is to write a very brief,
If they have to write briefly, they're going to write hard.
It's hard stuff.
You can't make it work.
Or would you agree, sir?
No.
I don't know.
Absolutely.
And I know that when I write, that's the way.
If I have to write something for 10 minutes, God damn it, I find something.
That's right.
I think that's right.
And I think you've raised the point.
It's answered simply by saying, fine.
If the 1,000-word maximum holds you down, then we'll change it.
We'll make it a 600-word maximum.
Now write your substance at 600.
Now when that's done, now you have 400 words to play with.
You can do a damn good series of anecdotes.
That isn't that right.
Proportionally, say 750, maybe 250 or more anecdotes.
This has nothing to do with what I will do on occasion.
I'll go out sometimes.
I'll talk 30 minutes, 35 minutes, or as long as he's talking to some people.
That's how he is.
But the...
Young Labor Group, that was relatively a long talk, but it was fine because it fit the mood of the occasion.
The tempo of what you were doing, you have to do that sort of thing.
But it was sort of a happening.
But I'm not reading the speech.
If I'm reading the speech, the goddamn thing shouldn't be more than 1,500 words.
That's all we ought to do.
1,000 for that.
1,500 for the radio.
And 1,000 for anything.
If I'm reading somebody, 1,000 words.
Right, yep, I should make something up.
And they can say something that they'll remember.
That's right.
Plus they remember when the president came.
That's all right.
The president came, and he stands there, basically, and he reads something, and he doesn't try to get buddy-buddy with him, and he doesn't gasp.
That's the point.
I mean, I could give you that sci-fi speech.
I tried to get cuts on it, and I decided to just... Because I knew he'd submitted it to so many people, and that's the problem.
You know what I mean?
I knew they probably had their pet minds on it.
But the way to save it for the speechwriter, who is stuck with the problem of having to submit it to so many people, is to have the absolute 1,000-word max.
And then the guy, when Schultz says, well, you've got to add this whole thing about this, he'll say, I can't judge.
I can only do 1,000 words.
There's no place to put it.
We've got something.
We're getting onto something here.
Yeah.
Well, that gets back to the basics.
point, which is the day of the spoken speech being a means of communication as well.
It's not really an action.
That's right.
All right.
But I don't want that to not come up.
I'm going to have to look at these three main ones.
If I don't want that, well, we've got to take a lot of time.
All right.
Don't talk about pushing.
What's called the better incentive?
Oh, yes, I know.
I don't think it's going to help.
That's what you should do.
You have a lot of time.
That's right.
Oh, we don't want to do that, sir.
I hear you, sir.
Except for the radio, I still think where speech has to be made.
The radio really is for the president, not just in the campaign, but later on.
When you get to a thing where we need to have a thing on, whatever it might be,
Go on the radio and do it.
And you can look at it.
It's recorded so it can be replayed back to anybody who wants to.
And the only people, the only people that they only have to change that, they can use the television only for great events.
Right.
Our crowd around here, of course, is on a whole lot of insisting that I go on television.
It would be great if the president goes on television.
It wouldn't be great at all.
But like I said, it's only going to test a little bit.
A veto of AGW is a thing to do, and that would be to do an unregulated one.
A veto, and then make a little radio talk about why I did it, and that sets the record.
It's all done.
It isn't something that goes anywhere.
I can do that with all people.
What can you probably do?
Because you want to explain why you did it.
No, no, I'm ready.
It may be worth doing that one to make the point.
Also, there's a veto message
Get them down and make it.
I mean, you might even be doing three sentences once.
Now that would be one hell of a thing.
I'd be doing this and I'd set it back up.
In other words, let's get our own trademark.
We're gassing on just like everybody else is.
You know what I mean?
And they fret around about the language and this and that because it's worth a damn.
Who's going to give us any credit for a long, long
historic message.
No one knows you did it.
Huh?
No one knows you did it.
They can't give you credit because no one knows what happened.
Maybe.
All right.
All right.
All right.
All right.
All right.
Thank you very much.
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