Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 795 › Conversation 795-017
Nixon, Haldeman & Sanchez on Busing Legislation and Campaign Strategy
Tuesday, October 10, 1972 · 1:37 PM–2:30 PM ET · Oval Office ·32 min
AI Summary
President Nixon met with H.R. Haldeman and key staff to streamline his schedule and refine his political messaging ahead of the 1972 election. They discussed cancelling several ceremonial events and meetings with ethnic leaders and senators to prioritize presidential time, while clarifying his firm opposition to busing legislation. Additionally, the group coordinated administration responses to ongoing Vietnam negotiations and planned a series of upcoming radio addresses focused on domestic issues and broad political philosophy.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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NARA Description
On October 10, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Manolo Sanchez, Alexander P. Butterfield, Stephen B. Bull, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:37 pm to 2:30 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 795-017 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 795-17
Date: October 10, 1972
Time: 1:37 pm - 2:30 pm
Location: Oval Office
(rev. Nov-03)
The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 3m 54s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
*****************************************************************
Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 1:37 pm.
Item for Rose Mary Woods
Sanchez left at 1:40 pm.
Alexander P. Butterfield entered at 1:40 pm.
The President's schedule
-Blacks
-Hispanics
-Italian-Americans
-Ethnic leaders
-Marriott Key Bridge motel
-The President’s upcoming visit to Atlanta
-Timing
-Radio talk
-Family, staff schedule
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower
-Herbert G. Klein
-Edward C. Nixon
-Donald McI. Kendall
-Tricia Nixon Cox
-LaCrosse, Wisconsin
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower
-Barcelona, Spain
(rev. Nov-03)
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Marriott
-Meetings
-Blacks
-Jews
-Washington, DC government
-Washington Post, Washington Star
-Walter E. Washington
-Public interest
-Crime
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 52s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************
US-Poland Science and Technology agreement
-Signing ceremony
-The President’s recent meeting [with Witold Trampczynski]
-Film presentation
-Casimir Pulaski Day
-Polish government
-Communists
-Polish-Americans
-Government
-William P. Rogers
-White House
-Possible ceremony
-State Department
-Dr. Edward E. David, Jr.
-US-Soviet Union [trade] agreement
The President's schedule
-Senators
(rev. Nov-03)
-Debt control
-Public statements
-Breakfast meeting, October 10, 1972
-Radio address on Federal spending, October 7, 1972
-Camp David
-House of Representatives
-William E. Timmons view on passage
-Debt ceiling
-Public understanding
-The President’s recent radio speech
-Spending ceiling
-Nature of events
-James S. Copley
-Publications
-Samuel Newhouse
-William Randolph Hearst
-Roy Howard, Thomas Vail
-Post-1972 election plans
-Post-inaugural plans
-British
-French
-Henry A. Kissinger previous conversation with Haldeman
-Chung Hee Park
-The President’s recent meeting with Quadriand
-December 15, 1972
-Budget
-Inaugural address
-State of the Union address
-Kissinger
-Inaugural address
-State of the Union address
-New Congress
-Speech writer
-Progress
-Parties for contributors
-Possible Senate leaders meeting
-Kenneth R. Cole, Jr.
-Busing legislation
-Recent breakfast meeting
-Gerald R. Ford
-Cloture vote
-James L. Buckley, Robert P. Griffin, Howard H. Baker, Jr., William E.
(rev. Nov-03)
Brock III, Harry F. Byrd, Jr., John G. Tower
-Request
-John Ehrlichman, Timmons, Charles W. Colson
-Recommendations
-Cloture vote
-Cole
-Camp David
-Publishers and editors
-Reception
Letters
-Congressmen and Senators
Possible Senate leaders meeting
-Tower
-Recent breakfast meeting
-Letter on busing
-Ehrlichman
-Timmons
-Tower
-Texas
-Clark MacGregor
-Baker, Brock, Byrd, Griffin, Buckley, Tower
-Busing legislation
-The President’s support
-Busing issue
-Presidential meetings
-March 1972
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 1:40 pm.
Request for Ronald L. Zeigler
Bull left at an unknown time before 2:00 pm.
Meeting with Senators
-Public statements on busing
-Speeches, press conferences
-Tower
Zeigler entered at 2:00 pm.
(rev. Nov-03)
Busing
-Zeigler’s recent press conferences
Butterfield left at 2:02 pm.
-Defense
-Ford
-Recent breakfast meeting
-Cloture vote
-[Cole’s] memorandum for the President
-Moratorium
-Equal opportunities legislation
-Cloture vote
-Ziegler's coordination with Cole
-Meeting with the Senators
-Cole’s memorandum
-Cloture vote
-Result
The President's schedule
-Possible Senate leaders meeting
-Ehrlichman, Edwin L. Morgan
-Photograph session
-Cole
-Reception
-Ehrlichman and Morgan
-Differing views
Melvin R. Laird press conference
-Daniel Z. Hinken’s previous telephone conversation with Ziegler
-Kissinger’s schedule
-Vietnam negotiations
-George S. McGovern television appearance, October 10, 1972
-Administration response to proposal
-Instructions for Laird
-Bombing, mining, prisoners of war [POWs], surrender
Ziegler left at 2:08 pm.
The President's schedule
-Senate leaders meeting
-Duration
(rev. Nov-03)
-Reception
-Baker
-Camp David
-Washington
-Washington, DC
-Public interest
-Narcotics
Speeches
-Radio Address on Crime and Drug Abuse, October 15, 1972
-William L. Safire’s draft [on philosophy of government]
-Radio Address on the American Veteran, October 22, 1972
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.’s draft
-American spirit
-Safire’s draft
-Paternalism compared to freedom
-Work ethic
-Compared to issues of taxes, crime, farming, veterans
-Philosophical theme
-Foreign policy
-Kissinger
-Vision of America
-Press
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 5m 42s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
*****************************************************************
Ziegler entered at 2:19 pm.
Senate
-Cloture vote
(rev. Nov-03)
Ziegler left at 2:20 pm.
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 8m 19s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
*****************************************************************
The President's schedule
-Letters
-Crime speech
-Camp David
-Camp David
The President and Haldeman left at 2:30 pm.Also recorded on October 10, 1972
- 795-011 12:51 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:51 pm to 12:56 pm.
- 795-012 12:56 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:56 pm and 1:20 pm.
- 795-013 12:56 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:56 pm and 1:20 pm.
- 795-014 12:56 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:56 pm and 1:20 pm.
- 795-015 1:20 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:20 pm and 1:35 pm.
- 795-016 1:35 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:35 pm to 1:37 pm.
- 366-001 2:30 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:30 pm and 2:40 pm.
- 366-002 2:30 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:30 pm and 2:40 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 795-017, October 10, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/795-017 (accessed September 18, 2026).