Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 799 › Conversation 799-010

Nixon, Haldeman & Kissinger on 1972 Presidential Campaign and Media Strategy

Monday, October 16, 1972 · 10:13 AM–10:19 AM ET · Oval Office · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); [Unknown person(s)]; Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation799-010 on Tape 799StartMonday, October 16, 1972 at 10:13 AMEndMonday, October 16, 1972 at 10:19 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 799-010 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon, H.R. Haldeman, and Henry Kissinger met to discuss managing presidential appearances and media strategy during the final weeks of the 1972 election campaign. They deliberated on whether the President or Kissinger should address the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia to avoid negative press perceptions. Additionally, Nixon decided to schedule a radio address on government philosophy for the upcoming Thursday, emphasizing that the administration should avoid the pressure of manufacturing daily news stories.

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Well, I think maybe I'd better do it, but I think you'd better do it with the one that's going to be asshole.
It's not going to be us, you know.
I mean, let me tell you the problem.
You've got the problem.
You've got the problem.
You've got the problem.
You've got the problem.
You've got the problem.
I have a few jackasses, you know, that are going to be negative.
It doesn't make any difference.
If I do, that'll be the news.
That's right.
You boys haven't thought of that, have you?
Yes, we have.
That was just the point I made, that you may have some negative on that.
You never know.
It's a problem.
The groove is totally what it is, but individually...
Okay.
They'll leave one...
They'll take you.
They want you.
It's a time right now when they can do it in the presidential ballroom.
I think you ought to do it.
Me?
Henry.
Well, unless you can be ready and go right over and do it.
See, they've pulled it together with Henry now.
But he's not.
Yeah.
Yeah, but I think it'll be... You can run a substitute if you do it now.
Or, you know, within the time frame.
We'll let you know.
Well.
Yeah, I'll...
Well I think that
The disadvantage of not doing it is that I might feel that it's a political move.
But I'll do it.
I'll...
This isn't a political thing.
You bet I'm going to move forward.
The way I...
Wait a second.
The way I would do it when Henry was trying to get in my way...
They were going to say I left, and on several occasions that way you get the politics of this is not just the election year.
And I told your board in the spring I was looking forward to meeting with the group when you left this fall.
Which is true.
What is the situation?
Who has checked to see what the situation is?
We haven't got views anymore.
Who spoke up?
Who?
Who spoke up?
I think you'll probably get a hell of a reception.
For most.
That's true.
That's right.
You go ahead.
I'll wait.
No, you don't need to wait.
You go ahead and concentrate.
I feel like you're doing the right thing.
Now, let me just say one other thing.
There'll be other things that are going to develop in the campaign.
Please don't do that.
It's not a smart thing.
I know you want to knock this story out.
It's a good idea to knock the story out.
But you mustn't use the big gun, right, to try to piss on some story that's coming out of the ground.
It just isn't worth it, Bob, right?
It isn't worth it.
Incidentally, it's fine with the radio on Thursday.
I don't tell if you don't have a crisis, somebody told you about the fact, well, salt is the story.
The next radio is no story.
Do you comprehend what I'm saying?
You know, it's the asshole one, you know?
paternalism and the rest of their energy.
And that's great.
So I think it's a good time to run that.
Don't you agree?
You have to argue that Wednesday you don't have a soul.
You don't have any.
You don't have my memory, but I don't think I have
The problem, my God, is that I can't.
I don't know about spending.
I just don't want to spend two days and can't dig it.
And I want to go.
You see what I mean?
Yeah.
Let's just do it Wednesday.
On my way.
I like that.
I think that's fine.
I mean, just do it Thursday.
And Wednesday, we don't have a story.
Right.
We don't have to have a story every day.
Right.
I agree.
You know.
My God, maybe they didn't figure something else out here.
I suppose.
I don't know.
But anyway, I'm going to do it Thursday.
That's my decision.
And you're definitely going to go on everything, right?

NARA Description

On October 16, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:13 am to 10:19 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 799-010 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 799-10

Date: October 16, 1972
Time: 10:13 am -10:19 am
Location: Oval Office

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

         The President's schedule
             -National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia
                 -Announcement
                 -Henry A. Kissinger
                 -Possible audience
                      -Media coverage

An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 10:13 am.

                      -Ballroom
                      -Kissinger

The unknown man left at 10:14 am.

Kissinger entered at 10:14 am.

                  -Appearance by Kissinger or by the President
                  -Maj. Gen. James D. (“Don”) Hughes, Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft
                  -Possible reception for the President

Kissinger left at 10:17 am.

         The President's schedule
             -News stories
                 -Radio address on Philosophy of Government, October 21, 1972
                      -Announcement timing
                           -Raymond K. Price, Jr.
                               -Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty [SALT] II
                           -Paternalism
             -Camp David
                 -Length of stay
             -Daily need for stories
             -Kissinger

Haldeman left at 10:19 am.

Also recorded on October 16, 1972

  • 031-049 9:33 AM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:33 am and 10:12 am.
  • 799-011 10:22 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:22 am to 10:23 am.
  • 799-012 10:24 AM · 48 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:24 am to 10:25 am.
  • 799-013 10:25 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:25 am and 10:27 am.
  • 799-014 10:27 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:27 am to 10:28 am.
  • 799-015 10:28 AM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:28 am and 10:47 am.
  • 031-052 10:47 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Barry M. Goldwater talked on the telephone from 10:47 am to 10:48 am.
  • 799-016 10:47 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Barry M. Goldwater, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:47 am to 10:48 am.

All 97 conversations from October 16, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 799-010, October 16, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/799-010 (accessed October 1, 2026).