Conversation 794-001

TapeTape 794StartMonday, October 9, 1972 at 9:23 AMEndMonday, October 9, 1972 at 10:09 AMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob");  Bull, Stephen B.;  Ziegler, Ronald L.Recording deviceOval Office

On October 9, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:23 am to 10:09 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 794-001 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No.794-1

Date: October 9, 1972
Time: 9:32 am - 10:09 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and Stephen B. Bull.

        Haldeman's schedule

        The President’s schedule

Bull left at an unknown time before 9:55 am.

        Vietnam
            -Henry A. Kissinger’s cable
                -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
                -Progress of negotiations
                -Status of negotiations
                -William P. Rogers
                     -Forthcoming press conference
                         -Comment
            -Rogers’s forthcoming press conference
                -Timing
                -Statement
                     -On-camera
                     -George S. McGovern
                -Timing


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                                    Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. Nov-03)


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       Campaign practices
          -Hecklers
              -Julie Nixon Eisenhower‘s schedule
                   -Vermont
          -Possible response
                   -Young people
                        -William R. Codus
                            -Responsibility
                        -Advance men

       [Dwight] David Eisenhower, II
          -Military service
               -Return
                   -Navy
                   -1972 election
                   -Haldeman’s possible effort
                   -Installation of heating system


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                    -1972 election
                    -Public reactions
                        -Compared to Dwight D, Eisenhower’s return of John
                         S.D. Eisenhower

       Speeches
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                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                   Tape Subject Log
                                     (rev. Nov-03)

           -Pierre Rinfret’s work
                -Peace
                -Herbert Stein
                -Paul W. McCracken
                -Tone
                -Raymond K. Price, Jr.
                -Presentation of issues
                    -The People's Republic of China [PRC], Soviet Union
           -Rinfret
                -Personnel management
                    -Council of Economic Advisors [CEA]

       Radio Address on Federal Spending, October 7, 1972
           -Charles W. Colson
           -Baltimore Sun story
                -News summary
           -List publication
                -Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger
                     -Republican leadership meeting
                     -Colson
                     -Office of Management and Budget [OMB]
                -Ronald L. Ziegler
           -Baltimore Sun story
                -Reporter
                     -Ziegler
                     -Catherine Mackin “syndrome”
           -Leads
           -Taxes
                -Increase
                     -Size
                     -Rinfret
                     -Price
                     -Size
           -Vietnam war settlement


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                                     Tape Subject Log
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[Duration:   12m 42s     ]


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        Campaign practices
           -Frank L. Rizzo


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Ziegler entered at 9:55 am.

        Press briefing
            -Quadriad meeting
                 -Arthur F. Burns
                 -Weinberger
                 -Economic indicators
                      -Economic expansion

        Photographs of the President’s recent address on Federal spending
            -News summary
                -Patrick J. Buchanan, Lyndon K. (“Mort”) Allin
            -Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins
                -Distribution to wire services
                -Candidates
                -Photographs of the President
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                                      Tape Subject Log
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                     -Types of poses
                     -Camp David
                           -Laurel lodge
                               -Text
                     -Portraits
                 -Skill as a photographer

Bull entered at an unknown time after 9:55 am.

        The president’s schedule
            -Quadriad

Bull left at an unknown time before 10:09 am.

        Radio speeches
            -The President's recent speech on Federal spending
                 -Radio and press coverage
            -Colson
            -Price
            -Farm speech
            -Veterans
            -Farm speech
                 -Chicago


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        The President's schedule

Ziegler left at an unknown time before 10:09 am.
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Ziegler entered at an unknown time after 9:55 am.


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        The President’s schedule
            -Russell E. Train

Haldeman and Ziegler left at 10:09 am.

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.

no public statements on the status of the negotiations went on.
In this regard, it is imperative that Secretary Roberts avoid any reference to Vietnam other than standard line, and both sides agree not to reveal substance of current secret negotiations.
Bill Moses emphasized to Holland that we count on
No, the press conference tomorrow, that's what's going to be important.
I'll talk, why don't you tell Bill that there are some, that we don't, I put it this way, that we have a case that, that's an indication that we don't know whether...
other way, play it the other way.
Just simply say if you follow in the line.
I'm not going to comment on anything at all.
Absolutely not.
One way or another.
Left, right, left.
Now maybe if we ought to postpone, drop this press conference and he's got a good statement.
that'll knock, the point of this is, of course, to the governor, not the governor, that maybe he should just do the statement on camera and not take questions and just say, because...
And I would think that's one thing our young people would be able to sort of do a little.
I mean, with me, you can't do a goddamn thing about it.
I just gotta handle it.
But I didn't think, you know, in part of the degree, I don't know.
I don't think it's a, I just don't think that the, I don't think that kind of thing helps the other side and so forth.
But, well, does anybody, who, is CODIS in charge of all that?
Yeah, but he hasn't got time to check that.
Sure he has.
We can't.
Sure he has.
We've got all the advancements we've got to let you use for that purpose.
I'm not going out.
I'll put them up there and break a few bones.
I don't like to see that.
There we go.
I know she's going to put it in space.
They can't go.
They're very, very sticky.
They're not letting David come back from the election.
They just want him to come back from the election.
Can I just help you?
There's no way to be quiet with the Navy.
Jesus Christ can't be quiet about the Navy system and the California election or whatever it was.
It's very, very big.
That lousy thing, though.
It's a lousy goddamn thing.
Don't you agree?
And he should be here for this election.
I'm not supposed to do it.
You don't know.
You don't understand that.
We're going to get all hell break loose.
I don't think so.
I do think they're right.
There's a little bit of a, I can't see the speech here.
I'm going to give you Renfray's stuff.
Yeah.
Renfray's stuff.
I mean, on the piece issue, too.
Renfray's stuff is quotable.
It isn't.
It's fine.
It's better than crack.
Renfray's stuff is fine.
That's just the point.
The reason is Renfray's a little bit more responsible.
He's enthusiastic.
He's got words.
They sing.
And this is the kind of thing that really, that Christ and his group already, when Christ says it, you know, and I know that the people are out here rejecting the reason, they're rejecting because they can't do it as well.
I mean, it's just a sum of, well, some of this stuff, he goes a little bit too far.
He does, but a lot of it, what does his name mean?
God, do they think a campaign is about?
Do we always have to piss on the campaign?
You know what I mean?
Downplay.
It's crazy.
I just noticed it.
I don't want to cut your eye, and I sure did.
And I noticed it for a reason.
He's got to get through anything like that.
I want to get it down here.
I don't think we should put him on the council, but there must be a way to use Ray Branson.
He's a great fellow.
Words.
Words.
One thing that you have to do.
I'm sure you recall that not only did we put out all this money, that Winder put it out in such meticulous detail, it's just unbelievable.
Remember, we put it out to the leaders.
and have that published and have it put out by somebody now.
We can't put it out with the OMB because they're hatching, but we can say a study made and then you're supposed to put it out on the hill.
You can say that's what the OMB, they can put it out on an OMB source and they're trying to get the information.
You say that, you know, whatever, and I'm not saying they're going to put it out.
I'll tell you what, it's the Kathy Macken syndrome.
Now, this is not true, or he didn't give any facts, so goddamn, it is true.
The facts have been given before, right?
You know, I wrote into that book, Radio History, the leads, one of which was the biggest tax increase in history.
Not a million years before, but I said it will result in the biggest tax increase in history.
See, that's a lead.
That's what brings it.
really means something to you at all.
The biggest tax increase in history.
Right.
Absolutely.
It's true.
Is there a biggest spending increase in history?
The biggest tax increase in history.
I think that this week's line, too, so that's, yeah.
Well, yeah, I don't know whether this week's line will survive or not.
I doubt we'll have to do it again.
It's a radical level.
We figure that these things can override it through, you know, Wednesday, and then we'll see what happens.
You've got to check, Rizzo.
Rizzo just may want to come right in the middle of town.
Yeah, he does.
Maybe he's right.
We've always got the hell kicked out of us there.
Rizzo wants to prove something.
He'll bash it if he doesn't know how to make it.
I don't think that's a good idea.
No, he hasn't.
I just think this is the wrong place.
Okay, well then we'll work it out.
Excuse me?
Anybody want to agree?
Well, maybe put something together with Weinberger and myself, you know, just to cover the...
Okay.
Wait a minute.
Key indicators show an understanding economy type story.
Is that how you...
Based on what I read, Bob and I .
I think what may have happened was all the shots and stuff, Bob had sent the whole damn thing out.
Steve taking care of it was by mistake.
It was what was happening.
He didn't take the pictures.
Well, I looked at the whole row, and the Marshal and the Senator really didn't have much of a chance.
I don't think...
I'm taking care of that.
In a situation like that, we should take just that 30 seconds more time.
Well, I'll work that out for us.
I just think you should take that a little more time, and we'll get a total control over it.
We should control it.
Well.
You were right.
It's not happening.
No great law there.
My office will fix it.
It's all right.
That's a great job.
But you should take it.
You should wait till he gets the shot he wants.
I've got to look at the time to take the goddamned candidates in here.
I'm not trying to shift the blame here on Holly.
It's not his.
I think too, you know, Ollie might get a little stretch on what really looks good on a radio thing.
He wanted to look out somewhere and so forth.
He must probably be told
If I could suggest something, what I would have used, that picture of me sitting behind the desk doesn't make any difference.
That could have been taken anyplace.
I would have used the picture of the President leaving right in front of Laurel with the
Nobody's talked to him, actually, but not in nowhere.
No, he's a great, great spot man.
Wouldn't you agree that would be a better picture?
That would have put it in the Camp David atmosphere, as it was with the crisis in there.
It's not very important.
We may go out of it there, and we all
We would have that out of these radio things where we would request a time.
That was played over and over and over on the radio, and the massive stuff they discovered was really something.
And then... How is price coming on the other side?
For example, I think that's the way to make a farm speech.
That's the way to make a veteran's speech.
Put the goddamn thing on the radio.
Now, we aren't going to get it in play.
The farm speech, certainly, I think there is one that could be made
Maybe that's too late, because we go that late in Chicago.
Maybe we ought to get it out of the way some time.