Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 801 › Conversation 801-023
Nixon & Bull on John B. Connally and White House logistics
Tuesday, October 17, 1972 · 3:00 PM–3:02 PM ET · Oval Office · 18 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon met with his aide Stephen B. Bull in the Oval Office to coordinate logistics and preparations for an upcoming meeting with John B. Connally. The discussion focused on finalizing scheduling arrangements to ensure the session with Connally proceeded as planned. No further policy-related actions were recorded during this brief encounter.
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On October 17, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:00 pm and 3:02 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 801-023 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 801-23
Date: October 17, 1972
Time: Unknown between 3:00 pm and 3:02 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Stephen B. Bull.
The President's schedule
-Forthcoming meeting with John B. Connally
Bull left at an unknown time before 3:02 pm.
Conversation No. 801-24/802-1
Date: October 17, 1972
Time: Unknown between 3:02 pm and 4:07 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 4m 20s ]
John B. Connally entered at 3:03 pm.
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
*****************************************************************
Campaign contributors
-Appeal for Democrats for Nixon funds
-Clark MacGregor
-John A. Mulcahy
-Frank E. Fitzsimmons
-International Brotherhood of Teamsters
-Milk producers
-Fitzsimmons
-Dwayne O. Andreas
-Meshulam Riklis
-Arthur Cohen
-Daniel K. Ludwig
-1968 campaign activities
-Herbert W. Kalmbach
-Connally’s role in fundraising
-Leon Hess
-John Loeb
-Loeb’s son-in-law
-Contribution
-Jewish contributors
-Israel issue
-Spending by Democrats for Nixon
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 50s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************
Connally’s forthcoming broadcast on foreign policy
-Effectiveness on party loyalty
-Democrats
-Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Adlai E.
Stevenson II, [Thomas] Woodrow Wilson
-The President's conversation with William H. Carruthers
-Picture of George S. McGovern
-The President's handshake with Chou En-lai
-The President’s negotiations with Leonid I. Brezhnev
-Use of Congressional Record
-Consistency of the President's views
-Connally’s reading of material
-A. James Reichley
-Fortune
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 14m 10s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
*****************************************************************
Watergate related issues
-Corruption
-Watergate
-Donald H. Segretti
-Dwight L. Chapin
-Connally’s previous press conference
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Incident with fire marshal at George S. McGovern event
-Accusation of Republican sabotage
-Los Angeles, California
-1968 bugging incident
-American Broadcasting Company [ABC] employee
-New York Times
-Pulitzer Prize
-Publication of national security information
-Jack N. Anderson
-National Security Council [NSC] files
-Segretti
-Actions
-Connally’s view
-MacGregor’s statement
-Avoidance of questions
-Compared to Ronald L. Ziegler
-Contributions
-Maurice H. Stans
-Connally’s previous press conference
-Question about International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT]
contribution to McGovern
-Columbus, Ohio
-George Embry
-Columbus Dispatch
-ITT’s pattern of contributions
-Portrayals of wealthy Democratic and Republican donors
-Stewart R. Mott
-Walter T. Duncan
-Hubert H. Humphrey
-Byran, Texas
-San Antonio, Texas
-Connally’s view
-Jeno F. Paulucci
-Humphrey
-Committee to Re-Elect the President [CRP]
-Watergate
-The President's knowledge of break-in
-Florida
-Bugging of Democratic Committee headquarters
-Responsibility of lower-echelon personnel
-Possible demonstrations at Republican National Convention
-Campaign practices
-Segretti operation
-Lack of connection to Watergate
-Washington Post story
-Nature of operation
-Campaign rallies and meetings
-Relationship to Chapin
-Compared Wendell L. Willkie's campaign activities
-Press reaction
-Michael [Last name unknown]
-McGovern campaign activities
-Demonstrations against the President in San Francisco
-McGovern office in Berkeley
-Additional demonstrations in California
-McGovern office in Los Angeles
-Burning of CRP office in Phoenix, Arizona
-Firebombing of additional CRP offices
-Press reports
-President’s knowledge of Watergate
-Segretti operation
-The President’s knowledge
-Democratic Presidential primaries
-Segretti compared to Watergate burglars
-CRP
-Desire for campaign intelligence
-Chapin
-Contact with Segretti
-Segretti’s background
-University of Southern California [USC]
-Treasury Department
-Army
-School activities
-Segretti’s contact with Chapin
-Updates on activities
-Edmund S. Muskie, Humphrey, Henry M. (“Scoop”)
Jackson
-Separation from Watergate
-Funding from CRP
-G[eorge] Gordon Liddy
-Watergate investigation
-Telephone logs
-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
-Segretti’s appearance before grand jury
-FBI leak
-Chapin’s statement
-Segretti’s statement
-Haldeman
-Chapin
-Gordon C. Strachan
-Chapin's role at White House
-Advancemen
-Connections
-E. Howard Hunt, Jr.
-Watergate
-White House
-Pentagon Papers
-Cubans
-Daniel Ellsberg
-White House position
-Condemnation of illegal campaign activities
-Electronic surveillance
-Connally’s view
-MacGregor
-Robert J. Dole
-Accusations against CRP
-Richard (“Dick”) Tuck's activities on behalf of Humphrey
Pizzas
-Black ambassadors
-1960 campaign
-Tuck
-1968 campaign
-Bugging of the President’s airplane
-J. Edgar Hoover
-John N. Mitchell
-Johnson
-Humphrey
-Vietnam negotiations
-Bugging of the President’s compartment
-Knowledge of the President’s conversations
-Connally's press conference
-Actions of previous administrations
-Segretti
-Possible response
-Dole
-Hunt, Liddy
-Money
-Dole, MacGregor
-Liddy
-Possible connection to Watergate
-Tuck
-Possible press reports
-Segretti compared to Tuck
-Fake press releases
-Barry M. Goldwater campaign
-Richard M. Scammon
-Leaks
-Johnson's advance knowledge of Goldwater’s speeches
Connally's schedule
-Meeting with Dell E. Webb, Ludwig
-Ludwig
-Herbert Brownell
-Campaign contributions
-CRP
-Mulcahy
1972 election
-The President’s possible speech
-The administration’s accomplishments
-Plans for future
-The President’s schedule
-New York
-Peace
-Inflation
-Economic growth
-Reform
-The President's schedule
-Radio speeches
-Tone
-Crime, tax reform, government spending
-Foreign policy, vision of America
-The President’s forthcoming victory
-Irrelevance of mandate
-Compared to Johnson’s 1964 victory
-McGovern, Eastern liberal media, Eastern Establishment
-Significance of defeat
-US political system
-Possible effect of the President’s substantial victory
-Proponents of “way out” lifestyle
-Proponents of US withdrawal from Vietnam
-New isolationism
-New York Times
-Washington Post
-Newsweek
-Time
-Television networks
-Eastern Establishment
-Universities
-“Decent” people
-South
-Midwest
-California
Post-1972 election plans
-“New Establishment”
-Government
-Jews
-Loyalties
-Intellectuals
-Harvard University
-Yale University
-Columbia University
-Fordham University
-FBI
-Loyalty
-Background of agents during Hoover's tenure
-Harvard University
-Georgetown University
-Midwest
-South
-Press relations
-New York Times
-Washington Post
-Hugh S. Sidey
-Embry
-Sidey
-The President's background
-Whittier
McGovern
-South Dakota background
-Liberal leanings
-Georgetown
-Forthcoming defeat in South Dakota
Post-1972 election plans
-State Department
-Defense Department
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
-Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD]
-Department of Health, Education and Welfare [HEW]
1972 election
-Defeat of McGovern
-Permissiveness
-Shame in the US
-Lack of patriotism
-Vietnam War
-The President’s November 3, 1969 speech
-Cambodia, Laos, May 8, 1972 decision by the President
-Youth
-Percentage support of the President
-Peer group pressure
Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 3:03 pm.
The President's schedule
Bull left at an unknown time before 4:07 pm.
1972 election
-Support for the President
-Midwest
-McGovern as symbol
-Media
-Rationale for McGovern’s defeat
-Thomas F. Eagleton
-McGovern’s campaign
-Ideas as issue
-Amnesty for draft evaders
-Marijuana
-Cuts in defense spending
-Lifestyle
-Supporters
-Media
-Rationale for McGovern’s defeat
-McGovern’s campaign
Campaign practices
-McGovern’s campaign
-Personal nature of attacks
-Compared to the President’s campaign
-Connally’s public statement
-John D. Ehrlichman
-McGovern's charge
[An unknown portion of the conversation was not recorded at this time while the tape was
changed]Also recorded on October 17, 1972
- 368-001 12:52 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 12:52 pm and 2:10 pm.
- 368-002 12:52 PM · 13 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 12:52 pm and 2:10 pm.
- 368-003 12:52 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 12:52 pm and 2:10 pm.
- 368-004 12:52 PM · 8 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 12:52 pm and 2:10 pm.
- 368-005 2:10 PM · 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:10 pm to 3:00 pm.
- 801-022 3:00 PM · 26 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:00 pm and 3:02 pm.
- 801-024 3:02 PM · 43 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, John B. Connally, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:02 pm and 4:07 pm.
- 802-001 3:02 PM · 45 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, John B. Connally, John N. Mitchell, Clark MacGregor, and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:02 pm and 6:24 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 801-023, October 17, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/801-023 (accessed October 10, 2026).