Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 791 › Conversation 791-003
Nixon, Haldeman & Malek on Media relations and Journalism
Tuesday, October 3, 1972 · 11:56 AM–12:06 PM ET · Oval Office · 19 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met to discuss administration strategies for handling media coverage, particularly regarding NBC and the Washington Post, and to review a project analyzing press bias and failed journalistic predictions. They evaluated the performance of specific reporters and judges, while considering political tactics for responding to the press and George McGovern's campaign. The conversation also touched upon logistical planning for the President's upcoming schedule, including decisions regarding press relations and his travel plans to Camp David and Florida.
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Transcript (AI-generated)
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I'll show you.
outside of each street.
The way they tilted.
He tried, he watched all this shit.
But the funny thing is, you take a day yesterday where NBC didn't even have any control.
That was incredible.
They mentioned it being half and half.
I was expecting it to be the other half.
They're so tired of the stuff, the effect.
Well, what I mean is they don't make a commercial.
But be that as it may, what I'm getting at is
Probably not.
The Post is the one that's just totally sold out on the news page.
It's got opposition except for Amy Johnson.
Well, except for the other one.
Why are they running that series?
I would think they would have canceled that.
I think because of the paper.
I don't know.
They're going to sink some things in, I'm sure.
Apparently it's worse than it was in 68.
Because we're
But it certainly, just the fact of our getting anything at all, that's a change in 68.
Well, yeah, I'm sure you realize about it.
They insult our intelligence.
I mean, I'm speaking out of the ownership.
They insult our intelligence.
We know what the price they're doing.
Yeah.
The NBC one is one we've got to, they, you know, from the Cassie Magnum period on, they've talked a little about restitution, but they've done nothing.
They're not going to.
And they now say they'll, they're going to take McGovern on for senator.
That's one place he's got to play it rough.
I really mean that.
You cannot allow a reporter to do you in.
Just find a way to brush aside, woman or not.
That's the one thing I disagree with.
He does tend
I don't know.
Does it help the fact that you treat rather well?
No, we don't treat rather very well.
We did, we tried it, and it didn't help.
That's for sure.
It doesn't help to treat fear more.
You asked about Judge Waddy, the common cause.
He's a dumb black actor who was appointed to the municipal court in 1967 by President Johnson.
Easily swayed, very unpredictable, doesn't follow the law.
He's a second grade lawyer.
He's very impressed with names.
Every place every place
You know, I sign appointments in here for the residents.
Something like that.
My certified is really black.
I'm holding this circuit card.
Shit, all of a sudden, it's on the pages.
It's building.
You know.
All you need to watch for the copy of it.
I'm holding it down.
I'm holding it down.
I'm holding it down.
I'm holding it down.
I'm holding it down.
I'm holding it down.
He's got some good wireless stuff.
Great.
Great.
I bet he did it with great knowledge.
Actually, Buchanan didn't do it.
Alan put a crew on it.
Dave Gergen and Ray Price's crew did most of the work.
Tex Lazar and Robin Signy.
Leslie Arch over at 1701.
They did a hell of a job.
They went back.
They were...
use clues other than there's so many.
You can use more Alan's stuff as the guide.
And they read it back, and they read all the columns from the spring of 71 to the present.
Those were the 18th and 11th columns.
That's right, from the 14th column.
And then they reviewed all the TV network commentary.
Great, great.
During this year, plus the instant analyses after all presidential addresses, 70, 71, and 72.
the tapes got verbatim transcribed.
And they pulled out.
Joe Graff went surprised.
He said, first of all, you have to recognize journalists don't make as many flat predictions as you might expect.
They usually hedge their comments so carefully they can't be caught off base.
I've got a couple of pieces of paper on a...
Very good.
It was a fun actual book.
But you think so?
I've got to close this up.
Well, that's an absurd book.
Say, brother, we've got this to ourselves.
for instance.
President is sharing a record.
Said Wright says, if you need to, I think it will get through the Congress.
I have great doubts about it.
Ideally, you wish this could be done.
At least I do.
But these things ought to be tried.
It seems to me in quiet times.
Good.
Good.
After the mining, he said, I would suspect the sun will not come on.
Good.
But I would believe it.
Right.
Say, the sun will not.
I would suspect that.
But if you're the Vietnam and that money hasn't come
People have a cruise that might not be available tonight.
My feeling now is to do it at 11 rather than 3.
I think it's a lot better.
It's better in, were you able to ship?
Yeah, we have to anyway.
I'm just not ready.
There's still, of course there is.
I wonder if it is a problem.
I wonder if it's a problem.
Well, it could be.
The time it is, why don't you have a group of people go up and have a price.
What do you say?
I really try to.
I've heard you say you don't have to do anything.
But don't give them an inch.
That's my point.
That's my point.
At this particular time.
Later on, I'd say, screw you.
I really have to go.
I could still do it.
If I had a son, of course, you'll wipe him out.
Let him say something.
that we just say, let's just not have it.
Why don't you believe in us and not believe in us?
I don't want to see it.
I don't want to see it.
That was a good shot.
Good one.
If not, why do you give them a chance to write?
Don't you agree?
Yeah, that's why I don't think you ought to go to Florida, for instance.
What about Camp David?
Camp David, I don't think, works that way.
See, we were at Camp David yesterday, but you wouldn't put me down.
It's a big thing.
Well, in this case, I would say that you want to go to Florida.
It'd be my intention to come back.
It's going to be Wednesday night.
I'll come back Wednesday night.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
I'll come back.
It's a new union.
It's a new union.
NARA Description
On October 3, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Manolo Sanchez, White House operator, unknown person(s), Frederic V. Malek, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:56 am to 12:06 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 791-003 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 791-3
Date: October 3, 1972
Time: 11:56 am - 12:06 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
George S. McGovern
-The President’s recent conversation with John D. Ehrlichman
-News summary
Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 11:56 am.
Refreshments
Sanchez left at an unknown time before 12:06 pm.
Media and press relations
-Edith Efron
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Recent conversation with the President
-W. Charles Colson
-National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC]
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-McGovern’s corruption charges
-Audience reception
-Eleanor (Stegeberg) McGovern
-Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
-Television [TV]
-Press
-Washington Post
-Comparison to New York Times
-Haynes B. Johnson
-Series
-Installments
-Importance of the press
-John R. (“Tex”) McCrary
-TV
-1972 compared with 1968
-Positive stories
-Balance
-Proposed action from the administration
-Owners of networks
-NBC
-Catherine Mackin
-McGovern
-Tactic
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Ziegler’s view
-Dan Rather, Robert Pierpoint
Joseph C. Waddy
-Common Cause
-Racial background
-Municipal Court appointment, 1967
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Evaluation
-Edward Bennett Williams
-Johnson
Black appointments
-Quotas
-Colson
-Black Republicans
-Circuit court
Patrick J. Buchanan's analysis of press coverage
-Predictions book
-1972 election
-Contributions to the book
-Lyndon K (“Mort”) Allin
-David R. Gergen
-Raymond J. Price, Jr.
-Harold J. ("Tex") Lezar
-Robin Stickney
-Leslie Arch
-1701 Pennsylvania Avenue
-News summary
-Allin
-Columns from Spring 1971
-[Arnold] Eric Sevareid
-Networks commentaries
-Instant analyses of Presidential addresses, 1970-1972
-Vanderbilt News Summary
-Transcripts of topics
-Joseph C. Kraft
-Conclusions
-Journalists
-Predictions
-TV commentators
Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 11:56 am.
Request for papers
Sanchez left at an unknown time before 12:06 pm.
Colson
False press and media predictions
-Soviet Union
-Egypt
-Kraft's analysis
-The President
-Foreign affairs
-Mary McGrory’s analysis
-North Vietnamese
-Paris
-Peace
-Carl T. Rowan's comments on Agnew
-Greeks
-Sevareid’s analysis
-Revenue sharing
-Congress
-Mining of Haiphong Harbor, May 1972
-Effect on Moscow summit
-Tomas Grey (“Tom”) Wicker’s analysis
-Vietnam mining announcement
-Soviet Union
-Comparison to the Cuban Missile Crisis
The President's schedule
-Office press conference, October 5, 1972
-Preparation
-Maritime agreement
-Readiness
-Camp David
-Price
-Press relations
-Ehrlichman, Price
-Weather
-Press relations
-Florida
-Andrei A. Gromyko
-Ehrlichman
-Messages to Congress
-Timing of President’s return to the White House
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 3m 52s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
*****************************************************************
[Haldeman talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 11:56 am and
12:06 pm; the President can be heard in the background]
[Conversation No. 791-3A]
[See Conversation No. 30-42]
Alexander P. Butterfield
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 7m 26s ]
[Haldeman talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 11:56 am and 12:06
pm].
[Conversation No. 791-3B]
[Haldeman talked with Malek at an unknown time between 11:56 am and 12:06 pm].
[Conversation No. 791-3C]
[See Conversation No. 30-43]
[End of telephone conversation]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 11:56 am.
The President's schedule
-American Legion commander [Joseph L. Matthews]
Bull left at an unknown time before 12:06 pm.
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 5m ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
*****************************************************************
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 11:56 am.
The President's schedule
-Photograph session
-American Legion Magazine
-[Matthews]
-[John F. Leyden]
-Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization [PATCO]
-Purpose of the meeting
-Matthews
-President’s previous meeting in Chicago
Haldeman and Bull left at 12:06 pm.Also recorded on October 3, 1972
- 030-042 11:56 AM · 8 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:56 am and 12:06 pm.
- 030-043 11:56 AM · 13 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and Frederic V. Malek talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:56 am and 12:06 pm.
- 791-004 12:07 PM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Joseph L. Matthews, William F. Hauck, William F. Rhatican, Melville L. Stephens, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:07 pm to 12:16 pm.
- 791-005 12:17 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and officers of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization, including John F. Leyden, Robert E. Poli, and Robert C. Sturgil, as well as Henry C. Cashen, II and the White House photographer, met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:17 pm to 12:24 pm.
- 791-006 12:24 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:24 pm and 12:27 pm.
- 791-007 12:27 PM · 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:27 pm to 12:47 pm.
- 030-044 12:50 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:50 pm and 12:59 pm.
- 355-001 12:50 PM · 1 min — 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 12:50 pm and 12:59 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 791-003, October 3, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/791-003 (accessed October 1, 2026).