Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 797 › Conversation 797-033

Nixon & Haldeman on George McGovern and 1972 Presidential Campaign

Friday, October 13, 1972 · 6:15 PM–6:22 PM ET · Oval Office · 8 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation797-033 on Tape 797StartFriday, October 13, 1972 at 6:15 PMEndFriday, October 13, 1972 at 6:22 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 797-033 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman discuss the 1972 presidential campaign, focusing on Nixon's intense personal animosity toward George McGovern and his firm refusal to grant the Democratic nominee any post-election courtesies. The conversation touches upon perceived double standards in press coverage, grievances regarding the Democratic Party’s campaign tactics, and the ongoing complexities of Vietnam peace negotiations. Nixon expresses deep contempt for the opposition, dismissing the idea of diplomatic post-election gestures while emphasizing the strategic importance of securing a settlement in Vietnam before the election.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I just didn't understand, so I better send it in, or else.
They've been involved with that.
I'll tell you what you could do.
If you want to do anything, you can have the college offer any services.
Not even bullshit.
They've got a doctorate.
Not from that son of a bitch who's running that kind of campaign.
I think people would say, well, I think that's completely, there's a matter of fact, there's a matter of fact, you're going to have a hell of a time for the election.
I said, see, that's gone beyond the panel.
This is the very last campaign against the president.
I think you've got to be magnanimous in victory.
That's right.
It's always important.
We always are.
If that isn't, if that's too bad, there's a rush of inviting him over to dinner.
Oh, that would be crap.
I wouldn't let him near this house.
I would never invite him in here again.
Perhaps.
I would not.
Ever.
Well, look, look, look, Eisenhower, even when Truman was not running against him, he never let Truman in my house when he was president.
Eisenhower never let the son of a bitch in my house.
one little old thing, and I was like, how are you talking?
He was pretty.
And I got started, and he never invited me to the White House for eight years.
This guy is just awful.
Well, let me tell you this.
He's done a lot of deception.
Like I said, that goddamn herb capital.
You know, I did that for him.
You know, Klein insisted, Ziegler insisted, and so as he does, he's a vicious son of a bitch because he's a left-winger.
Now, the hell with herb capital.
You know, I feel that way about the rest of my life now.
He said, you've done things wrong and all that, but he never took you on.
That's the kind of basis the government has.
I don't, I think it dishonored you.
It's crud.
It's crud to call that guy in.
They're out.
It's deceitful.
You can't hit them.
No, sir.
No, sir.
No, sir.
They're crazy.
They're out of their minds.
Plus, he's an ACAC.
What's that word?
Something happened to him.
But we don't know that guy.
She's always taught her husband what to do, and advising, and so forth.
She probably was very sensitive about the fact that he did not teach, and she probably advised, blah.
All right, these sorts of things can be terrible.
They give you pain, and it's not who they would.
If I didn't have this contempt for the guy that I've got, I'd feel sorry for him, too.
That's the reason the press is so—the only reason I'm more—I could burn the press because of the double standard.
I don't mind the attack.
Yeah, the double standard that we want.
We know them on the attacks affair.
If they have to do with stuff that was wrong, that's their job.
But goddammit, they never take on the other side, you know, for what they did on this sort of stuff this year.
violence, rallies, all that sort of thing.
If someone did that bad, I think it's worse than cranking up tickets.
Of course, I just want to talk about duty.
If I take some bastards and hire them as agents and order orders and all that sort of thing,
that's done to people who are, yeah, I'm surprised with your letters.
Letters and obviously firing around, that's been all.
They are in one hell of a shitty democratic establishment.
That's all they know what the hell to do.
They agree.
They know they've got a damn loser on their hands.
It's interesting.
Yep.
Getting back to Vietnam.
I wish his name as far as I know.
You got a problem with that?
I do, but I've got another problem with it.
The problem is we're going to have a war after this.
Well, if you've got a chance to settle, that's the point.
It sure is worth it.
You're better off to get it over with than not getting it over with.
It isn't going to hurt me much.
You mean two blows?
Oh, two blows.
Oh, that's what I was going to say.
If he blows low, that's it.
That's right.
He comes out on taxes for trying to sell the mountain.
How can you do that?
Because he knows you're going to be here.
He knows he can't lose the election for you.
And he knows if he does, he's worse off than he was.
That's the whole difference.
When he screwed Johnson, he knew he had you as the alternative.
He screwed you, but he's got you.
No matter how bad you get, you can't be as bad as the other.
Not quite.
No, that's the whole point.

NARA Description

On October 13, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:15 pm to 6:22 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 797-033 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 797-33

Date: October 13, 1972
Time: 6:15 pm - 6:22 pm
Location: Oval Office

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

Eleanor (Stegeberg) McGovern
    -Health
         -Possible telephone call from Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon or the President
         -The President’s instructions
         -Gen Walter R. Tkach

George S. McGovern
   -Campaign practices
   -Possibility of invitation to White House
        -Harry S. Truman
            -Dwight D. Eisenhower
        -John F. Kennedy
            -The President
                 -Bay of Pigs
        -Lyndon B. Johnson
            -The President
        -Hubert Humphrey
            -1968 campaign compared to 1972 campaign

Eleanor McGovern
    -Telephone call recommendation
        -Patrick J. Buchanan
    -Ralph de Toledano’s recommendation to the President as Vice President
        -Letter to James B. (“Scotty”) Reston’s son
             -Health
    -Herbert E. Kaplow
        -Herbert G. Klein
        -Ronald L. Ziegler
        -Press relations

George McGovern
   -Humphrey
       -Compared to McGovern’s campaign

Eleanor McGovern
    -Health
    -Campaigning
        -South Dakota
            -California
    -Vietnam speech by George McGovern

Press relations

            -Standards
            -Allegations
            -Democratic campaign practices
                -Violence at rallies
                -Fake tickets

        Campaign practices
           -Richard (“Dick”) Tuck
               -Dirty tricks
               -Anonymous letters
                   -Use
           -Edmund S. Muskie

        Democratic Party
           -[McGovern]
               -Prospects of success

        Vietnam negotiations
            -Henry A. Kissinger
            -Settlement timing
            -Nguyen Van Thieu
                 -Johnson
                 -George McGovern

Haldeman left at 6:22 pm.

Also recorded on October 13, 1972

  • 797-030 5:43 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:43 pm to 6:03 pm.
  • 797-031 6:03 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:03 pm to 6:10 pm.
  • 797-032 6:11 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:11 pm to 6:15 pm.
  • 797-035 6:22 PM · 12 sec — United States Secret Service agents and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:22 pm to 6:25 pm.
  • 031-038 6:45 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:45 pm and 7:07 pm.
  • 031-039 7:07 PM · 58 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 7:07 pm to 7:08 pm.
  • 031-040 7:08 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone from 7:08 pm to 7:14 pm.
  • 031-041 7:14 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 7:14 pm to 7:17 pm.

All 50 conversations from October 13, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 797-033, October 13, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/797-033 (accessed October 10, 2026).