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Conversation 790-002

TapeTape 790StartMonday, October 2, 1972 at 8:15 AMEndMonday, October 2, 1972 at 8:33 AMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob");  Ehrlichman, John D.;  Bull, Stephen B.Recording deviceOval Office
AI Summary

President Nixon met with H. R. Haldeman and later John Ehrlichman to coordinate administrative scheduling and legislative strategy. The discussions covered logistics for diplomatic credential presentations, Pat Nixon’s appearances at upcoming events, and the status of John Connally. Additionally, the group debated legislative strategy regarding a debt limit and expenditure ceiling bill, specifically evaluating the effectiveness of White House congressional liaisons and the necessity of direct presidential engagement with legislative leaders.

Diplomatic RelationsWhite House SchedulingJohn ConnallyDebt Limit LegislationCongressional Liaison
AudioNARA Description

On October 2, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:15 am to 8:33 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 790-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 790-2

Date: October 2, 1972
Time: 8:15 am - 8:33 am
Location: Oval Office

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

        The President's schedule
            -Presentation of credentials
                -African ambassadors
                     -Niger
                     -Tanzania
                     -Sierra Leone
                     -Malagasy Republic
                     -Zaire
                          -Lombo Lo Mangamanga
                     -Frequency of Ambassadorial changes
                     -Secretary of State
                     -Possible change in second term
                          -Vice President
                          -Secretary of State
                     -Annual diplomatic reception
                     -Entertainment
                -Thailand

                                       (rev. Nov-03)

                -New Zealand
                -Jamaica
                    - [Douglas Valmore Fletcher]
                -Frequency of changes
                    -New Zealand

       John B. Connally
           -Health
               -Broadcast
               -Son
                    -Health
               -Haldeman’s recent conversation with Connally
                    -Connally’s morale
           -Connally’s location
               -Houston
               -The President’s upcoming conversation with Connally
           -Possible meeting with the President

*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 59s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

*****************************************************************

       United Press International [UPI] editors' wives reception
           -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon’s schedule
           -The President's schedule
               -Camp David
           -Mrs. Nixon's role
               -Handshaking
           -The President’s involvement
           -White House
               -Possible tour
           -Mrs. Nixon’s schedule
               -Camp David

                                        (rev. Nov-03)

                     -Rita Rajneih DeSantis
                -Constance M. (Cornell) (“Connie”) Stuart
                -William R. Codus
                     -Upcoming call to Mrs. Nixon
                          -The President's schedule
            -UPI wives
            -American Society of Newspaper Editors [ASNE]
            -Mrs. Nixon’s schedule
                -The President's schedule
                     -Andrei A. Gromyko
                -Husbands
                -Timing
                     -The President’s location
                -Codus
                     -Forthcoming telephone call to Mrs. Nixon
            -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
            -George S. McGovern

        The President's schedule
            -Camp David
                -Timing
            -Connally
                -Upcoming meeting
            -Gromyko
                -Upcoming meeting

*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 26s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4

*****************************************************************

John D. Ehrlichman entered at 8:26 am.

        Debt limit-expenditure ceiling bill

                                         (rev. Nov-03)

             -The President’s possible letter to Congressmen
                 -Republicans
                 -Democrats
                 -Impact on vote
                 -Presidential activity
             -The President’s view
                 -Possible letter to Congressional leaders
                 -Grandstanding before 1972 election
             -Leaders of Congress
                     -Forthcoming meeting
             -Wilbur D. Mills
                 -George H. Mahon
                     -Substitute
                          -Congressional veto
                               -The President’s proposed cut
                                     -Deadline

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 8:26 am.

        The President’s schedule

Bull left at an unknown time before 8:33 am.

             -Possible letter
                 -William F. Timmons
                      -Upcoming conversation with Ehrlichman
             -Forthcoming meeting
                 -Ehrlichman's role
                 -Timmons’s role
                      -Casper W. (“Cap”) Weinberger
                      -Memorandum
                           -Camp David
                      -Ability at getting Congressional votes compared to ability to preset a case
                           -Compared to Clark MacGregor
                           -Weinberger
                           -Ehrlichman
                 -Agenda
                      -Ehrlichman’s role
                 -Press
                      -The President’s interest in bill passage
                 -Charls E. Walker
                      -Schedule

                                        (rev. Nov-03)

                         -Debt limit extention
                         -Deficit
                         -Inflation
                              -Economic impact
                     -George P. Shultz
                 -Timmons

Ehrlichman left at 8:32 am.

        The President’s recent conversation with Ehrlichman

Haldeman left at 8:33 am.
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'll show you what the hell the state of the world is.
There are five active ambassadors on that top.
Five.
I've never heard of them.
I've never heard of them.
I've never heard of them.
We've got to find them.
I guess now...
I do believe we can have another way to present those goddamn credentials.
You know, there have been 40 countries that changed some inspections about every six weeks, six months, and, you know, in many cases.
You check it all out.
Just unbelievable.
And they present them to the secretaries.
They find out in any country they find the secretaries.
Well, I think in the second term, you know, they just got shipped to the vice president or
I have an annual diplomatic reception.
Yeah, I have an annual diplomatic reception.
That's what I do.
You know, I've been really safe for it.
I have some entertainment.
But I don't have all that bullshit.
That's almost worse.
I'm just sort of slow to that thing.
change or go out there and
He says he doesn't feel too bad now.
His voice is bad.
Where is he?
He's in Houston.
I told him he'd probably be involved at some point.
He said he'd come up if you wanted him to.
And I said, I was sure you didn't want him to.
Unless he's going to wait in the city.
Is there any point in our pursuing this U.P.I.
Editor's Wives thing with Mrs. Mixon, or should we drop it?
Is she ready to review it?
Well, she'd be willing to do it.
You see, we've told her not to.
We've done it.
She's done those word M.O.I.s so often.
We haven't done the U.P.I.
ones.
What is the score?
When would they want it?
hope to put on a last-minute thing today when you're gone, you know, would be an ideal thing if you would can't do it.
And, uh, when it comes true, late this afternoon, after their reception, and just do it for wives, or for husbands and wives.
She won't do one of those if she hasn't, unless she shakes hands with another.
Bad thing to ignore them completely.
Maybe we can just do a White House tour and let it go like that.
Oh, shit.
And we can do it tomorrow.
There's no problem to do it tomorrow.
She's going to be the damn favorite to drive down at 3 o'clock.
There's no reason to do that.
She can help out right now.
She's got to get her hair done and so forth.
That's her problem.
Send Rita out and let her do it like that.
who's around here, Connie?
Connie Phillips.
I'll have a co-describer call.
I would, except I've got these meetings to tell them.
And she'll be hired for it.
And she just balks when I go up to you.
You want to just say that a lot of them just were terribly disappointed that they weren't coming, that it is a different group of wives, the UPIA group of wives,
Yes, and he had, you see, we had all those, which I'm never going to do again.
I've done them now.
Now, this is a different group.
They're very, very much pro-us, which is true or not.
But, you know, not really.
Now, this group, I mean, these are, they represent papers that are, the editors.
Well, anyway, what I was going to say is that you should just come down and go.
And then, with me up there, with Krimenko and so forth, I invite the wives and husbands.
You'll be here tomorrow.
It's about tonight.
Wait a second.
Okay.
All right.
We'll have Curtis call her.
Wait about an hour.
Wait about a half hour.
Call her and see if she goes up.
Okay?
Yeah.
Thank goodness for today, right?
The governor does it this morning and this afternoon.
That's good.
Your plan this weekend is not to go back to Camp David for Wednesday, but then to go up Friday?
Well, no.
We, uh, depending on when we have the comic, and the comic feels like I don't mind having that meeting Friday,
I just want him to stay behind.
Let him be right, Paul.
Congress ought to be checked a little bit further due to the fact that it's a hell of a gimmick.
It's a hell of a gimmick.
I think it's been done once or twice.
But a thing like this, where it's a play that I don't think is going to be effective.
They can write the leaders of Congress, which, of course, fits the story.
Okay, anything else?
Oh, is that a message?
We can write to the leaders and just say that the leaders can put the letters out, but while we're meeting the leaders, they're going to say something.
I didn't write for it.
It's going to be here, of course.
You can write to all of them.
doesn't want to do it.
And is willing to do it.
Oh.
That's the scenario.
Well, well.
Now if that happens...
If we want to be effective, the thing to do then is to get the leaders in who are effective.
Members of Congress, John, do not affect such things.
It's a question of whether the devs didn't get the thing.
I mean, if the leadership determines they want to bring it up, if Mills and Mahon are against it,
that's a real loser
I say it's set up for Timmons to do, and you'd have to give us a few minutes if we were to change that signal.
Well, he isn't very effective.
I understand.
I understand.
But he is your professional captain.
I can move in.
Weimert can move in.
All right.
I'll call on Timmons.
All right.
Don't worry about the sensitivities.
We'll have a different man.
But we've seen that Dennis Timmons has two or three of these things.
He's a wonderful guy getting votes and he gets them where he's damned presenting the case.
He's not where he's damned.
Right.
His system is totally different from McGregor.
Timmons is better than McGregor at getting votes.
Probably.
But McGregor's a hell of a lot better at presenting them.
The thing we want to have come of this, we want these guys to go out and indicate to the press that you're really for this and you're fighting for it and that you have anything more important on your mind right now except to get this piece of legislation.
Do we have to have Charlie Walker?
You've blown 30 minutes with him right there.
Okay.
He will discuss the need for the debt limit extension.
That's 20 minutes.
The deficit and the inflation problem and overall economic impact.
All right.
Do you want to?
Well, I don't want to.
No, I don't misunderstand.
Unfortunately,
All right, let's go.
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