Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 795 › Conversation 795-022
Nixon, Haldeman & Monzon on 1972 Presidential Campaign
Tuesday, October 10, 1972 · 4:26 PM–4:45 PM ET · Oval Office · 10 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman reviewed the 1972 re-election campaign's media strategy, focusing on the effectiveness of negative advertisements targeting George McGovern's shifting positions on welfare, amnesty, and Vietnam. They discussed concerns regarding the tone of campaign commercials and logistical issues involving funding for the 'Democrats for Nixon' group led by John Connally. Additionally, the President briefly coordinated his administrative schedule, including upcoming meetings with Senate leaders regarding busing legislation and instructions for Henry Kissinger's reporting process.
- 1972 Presidential Campaign
- Negative campaigning
- George McGovern
- Vietnam War
- Welfare reform
- John Connally
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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We're fine.
You know, this is...
Anything further on the hanging thing?
I don't know what time he gets back.
It's still 2 o'clock in the morning.
I'll check this.
Well, no one doesn't kill me.
He just needs his time to come up there.
I'll find work and speech.
And let him come up, go to bed, and then come up when he's up.
Take his time.
That's right.
That's right.
Now we get to Roger's problem.
Again.
I'll let you in and see him before he comes up.
Okay.
I want him to report to Roger's first.
Then come up and see him.
Okay.
I don't want it done up there.
Yeah.
And you?
It's fine.
I think he'll understand.
You've got to tell him that you can trust Bill on this.
Bill must say anything you tell him not to.
Well, there he goes again.
He's working hard to trust him.
Well, Ken made an interesting point.
The press has tried to make a thing, and the opposition more than the press, really.
The president scuttled welfare reform by not pushing it and staying out of it.
And the president scuttled the consumer bill, which we did.
And that if you've got the bussing out there, don't let them try to play the same game on it.
You know, just a little symbolic thing that those guys can go out and throw presents and those, you know, gotta get the bussing thing worked and all that.
How about the, Colson said that he saw that hard hat ad in the middle of the road in Markham last night.
You know, that's a good time.
We've got just superb time in some of those commercials.
We've really, they've done a hell of a job.
I actually will squeal about that.
What do they say?
They say that's a different position, or he's changed his position.
That's not what he told me.
I'm falsified.
That's what the press is.
Dave?
They said that on defense, too.
Yeah, they backed off of it.
They said, well, it isn't that the figures are wrong, it's the interpretation that's drawn, the inference that's drawn from it.
What the hell is it?
It was developed in one of his programs.
Sure.
It was developed.
The welfare rights organization.
But it basically relates to the principle, not to the specifics.
It says they're going to put half the people on welfare, and who's going to pay for them?
The other half who aren't.
So you only put a third on, and who's going to pay for that?
The two thirds who aren't.
But he isn't going to do it.
But they're
Well, it'd be interesting to see how their negative stuff comes out.
But we don't want, I mean, put it this way, the only thing I am, would be concerned about is any idea when they're playing dirty, if they claim that we're playing dirty, right?
You get my point?
Sure.
And that's why, the only reason I'd be a bit concerned.
That one is so, there doesn't, so softening.
It's not strident.
It's not scary.
It isn't that they'll say we're misrepresented.
I don't believe them talking about welfare.
No, that's good.
I think that's right.
We haven't misrepresented his position.
The point is, how do we know which position to discuss?
He's got three of them.
Sure.
Well, you guys asked Rawson to discuss the $1,000.
He takes my position on the war four years ago.
And it's not that he's got any right to.
And anyhow, he said, I'm stuck with it.
We can't squeal.
That's right.
We can find out just that we're seeing an honorable end to the war and so forth.
Can you leave that out there, Mickey?
Can you quote Richard Nixon from four years ago?
Why can't we quote you from four months ago?
Sure.
Good point.
I think they're hard-footed.
If these were dirty, if they were, you know,
I mean, I'd like to think that's about it, that that actually was a true view thing.
Particularly this label, with the negative ads.
I'm sure there's a trustee trying.
I think so.
You know, there's still some argument that we shouldn't change the fact.
It isn't that tough.
Well, basically not bad.
It's true.
Says he says this, then he says that.
Then he says this, then he says that.
What will he say next year?
That's all.
It just says that quietly.
It doesn't do anything on that.
It states facts.
The process, it states some things he doesn't want stated, but what he said, it doesn't distort anything at all.
Oh, absolutely.
There's no, not even, by any occasion, if you enter or anything else.
And as I told you, the amnesty is on that one, which is good.
I've got to get that right.
And he gets it with several other ones.
It hits him on Vietnam, it hits him on amnesty, it hits him on welfare, and it hits him on something else.
Question?
No?
Well, we'll do some more specifics.
You can't think we should make some more negative bets and make them rougher.
Does he?
And be ready to go with some harder stuff.
Because of theirs?
Yeah.
But I think he's over anticipating theirs.
Oh, they'll be rough.
Yeah.
But that may hurt.
I think ours are rough enough.
Ours aren't rough.
But they're very...
The cannon tends to be a little rougher than the traffic should bear.
I think.
Well, we have a problem with the company.
He, as of now, has said that they're not going to run anymore at it.
Well, is that right?
What's the reason?
Well, the reason, as far as I can figure, is, and I've talked to him about it, is that they haven't raised the money that they had hoped to.
And he doesn't think they should be spending
That may not be the reason.
I think we can.
We can certainly do something.
I think we probably have to get these people a little comfortable.
We're starting to get low on those pins.
We have to get the people that are there.
We have to get the old people.
It was good to get birded.
Yeah, that was worth meeting.
NARA Description
On October 10, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Zosimo T. Monzon, Stephen B. Bull, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:26 pm and 4:45 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 795-022 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 795-22
Date: October 10, 1972
Time: Unknown between 4:26 pm and 4:45 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
The President’s schedule
-Recent meeting with Senate leaders
-October 10, 1972 breakfast meeting
-Item from Robert P. Griffin
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 21s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
*****************************************************************
The President's schedule
- Henry A. Kissinger's report on Vietnam negotiations
-Kissinger’s schedule
-[Camp David]
-Speech
-William Rogers
-Relationship with Kissinger
Recent meeting with Senate leaders
-Kenneth K. Cole, Jr.
-Press view of the President's role
-Welfare reform
-Consumer bill
-Busing
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 4m 18s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************
1972 campaign advertisments
-George S. McGovern's welfare proposals
-Hard hat campaign commercial
-Charles W. Colson
-Dick Martin and Dan Rowan
-Effect
-Defense
-Vietnam
-The President’s position in 1968
-Television
-McGovern’s vacillation
-Amnesty
-Vietnam, welfare, busing
-Tone
-Patrick J. Buchanan’s view
-John B. Connally
-Committee to Re-elect the President [CRP]
-Connally
-Democrats for Nixon
-Connally
-Possible conversation with Haldeman
-Funding
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 17s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
*****************************************************************
Zosimo T. Monson entered at an unknown time after 4:26 pm.
The President's schedule
-Helicopter transportation arrangements
Monson left at an unknown time before 4:45 pm.
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 4:26 pm.
Gifts
-Forthcoming reception
-Cuff links
-Presidential pins
-Pins
Bull left and Alexander P. Butterfield entered after 4:26 pm.
The President's recent meeting with Senators on busing
-Harry F. Byrd, Jr.
-James L. Buckley
The President, Haldeman, and Butterfield left at 4:45 pm.Also recorded on October 10, 1972
- 795-017 1:37 PM · 32 min — 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.
- 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.
- 366-003 2:40 PM · 23 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, Marjorie P. Acker, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:40 pm to 3:37 pm.
- 795-018 3:43 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Manolo Sanchez, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:43 pm to 3:49 pm.
- 795-019 3:49 PM · 18 sec — United States Secret Service agents and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:49 pm and 3:59 pm.
- 795-020 3:59 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Rose Mary Woods, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:59 pm and 4:02 pm.
- 795-021 4:02 PM · 24 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Howard H. Baker, Jr., Harry F. Byrd, Jr., James L. Buckley, Robert P. Griffin, John G. Tower, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., Edward L. Morgan, Ronald L. Ziegler, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:02 pm to 4:26 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 795-022, 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/795-022 (accessed October 10, 2026).