Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 808 › Conversation 808-015
Nixon, Haldeman & Bull on 1972 Presidential Campaign
Friday, October 27, 1972 · 4:45 PM–5:11 PM ET · Oval Office · 8 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman met to discuss the scheduling of upcoming national defense radio speeches and to review insights from Haldeman’s recent conversation with Billy Graham. The discussion focused on the political climate, including the impact of the Vietnam peace initiative, concerns regarding North Vietnam's potential interference with the 1972 election, and campaign strategy. Toward the end of the meeting, Stephen Bull joined the President to coordinate a reception for ethnic press and Heritage group leaders, emphasizing the need for efficiency in the President's schedule.
- 1972 Presidential Campaign
- Vietnam Peace Initiative
- Billy Graham
- Media Coverage
- Campaign Scheduling
- Watergate
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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Here's his radio speech.
Okay, well, our problem is that we're a team we've got now that adds an eight to the seven people who are planning radio speeches.
If we have another speech this Saturday, do you want to do the one America on Saturday?
He doesn't have any speeches for me to deliver.
All right, he had one America for Sunday and defense for Saturday.
If the one America has done, just as it is, because they just figured it out for Sunday.
Well, what does it make a difference?
Do we want to have one Saturday, one Sunday, one Monday?
Well, we have one Saturday and one Sunday.
The question is whether he's got one for Monday.
We don't have one down now for Monday.
Well, we don't need this one.
You just said you want to.
That was, well, like you, it's a good idea to pop something out there.
I think we can skip Monday anyway.
We'll have the HR1 action and all that stuff on Monday.
Well, I mean, that was just on Sunday.
Well, so if you want defense on Sunday, that's fine.
This is...
The Watergate business was penetrating a little bit, and the peace initiative was thrown into the back pages.
What do you think of the peace initiative?
I thought it was marvelous.
Do you just think it hurts?
No.
Why do you think about that?
Our statistics don't think it hurts.
He said the key thing, though, is that McGovern himself is a major factor in this election, and that there's no way to change.
Do you think the fact that he's coming through is a mask?
He says we're not in danger anywhere.
A local government is coming up a little.
He thinks his TV has been somewhat affected.
And he said that he had to come up a little.
He had a press conference in Tennessee.
And they asked him some question about the president playing politics with the war.
And he said, absolutely not.
And I laughed.
He said he was very disturbed.
Because a commercial appeal always carries his stories on the front page.
And they buried this on page 13.
because he had a strong denial of the President's unapologetic support.
He said, you know, I'm sure the commercial field is supporting the President, but I'm sure his script's not.
He said his son, Editor, who is, you know, against his...
He said any time we won, he would be most happy to make a very strong statement
my behalf and Deut's behalf about the character of the men around the president, as well as the president's character.
He said, that just makes me furious.
He said, McGovern's lying.
I know he is.
He said, that's all they've got.
He says, I don't know.
If I make it, they'll probably ignore it, just like they ignore all the other campaigns.
He says that we should get some money to Helms in North Carolina.
Have we?
Yes, we have.
I stuck the needle a little bit.
I said, we have.
We've got some, as you know.
And we've tried with an awful lot of our people that we've asked to channel money that we refuse to do it because of non-support of the president.
So they said, well, he did say some things against him some years ago.
And I said, yeah, but unfortunately, he hasn't been very strong this year.
People are looking very closely at their support in terms of the level of support of the president.
Billy said, the only problem I see is if North Vietnam blows the peace deal before the election.
He said, that might be a problem.
But he said, I'm not so sure even that would be.
I think maybe, you know, just people have confidence in the president.
As far as North Vietnam, he's blowing.
There are going to be rumors.
They won't do anything.
We've got an unacceptable risk.
Risk being that they know that they can't hold on to anything in the election.
They're not going to do anything.
They can't believe that, especially when they see what their first group did.
They're reading now, I would think, if they look at our media now, it has to be that if they did anything to affect the election, they helped you.
You're already passed, Mr. President.
Now, how much of the, do you think they have a limit to that?
And certainly they're not gonna have me shaking hands with our old committee to re-elect staff also.
I'm just here, no coincidence.
I think we can do that, it's no joke.
Because we've been running all those through, and I don't mind if I shake hands with their staff before.
On newer stations.
Well, I did it.
I did it on two or three occasions.
They messaged me in the past.
I think they'll appreciate this.
This is the editor.
We've got also the regional, the local, the state editors and publishers.
Is there anybody that can shove these people through or we don't have some long-winded fellow introducing them to me or some damn thing?
Because that's another problem, you know, they'll stop and take a lot of time.
He's got to do good things.
They need to crawl a long time.
Who's talking to me?
Her client was going through the induction center in Christ.
I did speak with her and indicated that I heard it.
Yes, sir.
And you specifically were happy that he was doing the induction center.
Yes, sir.
Do you know if he would get into your exhibition?
NARA Description
On October 27, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:45 pm to 5:11 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 808-015 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 808-15
Date: October 27, 1972
Time: 4:45 pm - 5:11 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.
The President’s schedule
Radio speech draft on national defense
Speech scheduling
-National defense
-Ronald L. Ziegler’s recommendations
-“One America” speech
-House Resolution [HR] 1 action
-National defense
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 6m 2s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
**********************************************************************
1972 campaign
-Haldeman’s recent conversation with William F. (“Billy”) Graham
-Watergate
-Impact
-Vietnam peace initiative
-Press coverage
-Effect
-George S. McGovern as factor
-Movement in polls
-Television factor
-Press conference in Tennessee
-The President playing politics with the war
-Press coverage in Memphis Commercial-Appeal
-Scripps-Howard
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 20s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
**********************************************************************
1972 campaign
-Haldeman’s recent conversation with Graham
-Graham’s possible statement on character of men around the President and on
the President
-Haldeman, Dwight L. Chapin
-Opinion of McGovern veracity
-Press coverage
-Money to Jesse A. Helms in North Carolina
-Support of the President
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 28s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
**********************************************************************
Vietnam settlement
-Haldeman’s recent conversation with Graham
-Possible rejection of agreement by North Vietnam
-Effect on 1972 election
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 3m 2s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
**********************************************************************
Vietnam settlement
-Possible rejection by North Vietnam
-Risk
-1972 election
-Media
-The President
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 7m 2s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
**********************************************************************
Stephen B. Bull entered at 5:08 pm.
The President’s schedule
-Forthcoming reception for ethnic press and Heritage group leaders
-Hand-shaking with staff
-Committee to Re-elect the President [CRP]
-Introductions
-Herbert G. Klein
-Conversation with Bull
Bull left at 5:10 pm.
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 8
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 29s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 8
**********************************************************************
Haldeman left at 5:11 pm.Also recorded on October 27, 1972
- 109-001 3:18 PM · 25 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Spanish-speaking campaign surrogates, including Dr. Henry M. Ramirez, Phillip V. Sanchez, Romana A. Banuelos, Carlos C. Villarreal, Joseph J. Jova, Raymond L. Telles, Jr., Rodolfo Montejano, Antonio F. Rodriguez, Carlos D. Conde, Bert A. Gallegos, Louis Nunez, Jorge L. Cordova, Edward Hidalgo, Alejandro ("Alex") Armendariz, William H. Marumoto, Kenneth W. Clawson, Rayburn D. Hanzlik, Charles W. Colson, Robert J. Dole, the White House photographer, and members of the press, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 3:18 pm and 3:45 pm.
- 110-001 3:43 PM — Unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 3:43 pm on October 27, 1972 and 11:08 am on November 8, 1972.
- 110-002 3:43 PM — Unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 3:43 pm on October 27, 1972 and 11:08 am on November 8, 1972.
- 808-011 3:43 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Phillip V. Sanchez, Josefina Sanchez, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:43 pm to 3:44 pm.
- 808-012 3:44 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:44 pm to 3:45 pm.
- 808-013 3:45 PM · 52 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Souvanna Phouma, Pheng Norindr, William H. Sullivan, Alex G. Toumayan, the White House photographer, and members of the press met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:45 pm to 4:40 pm.
- 808-014 4:40 PM · 2 min — United States Secret Service agents and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:40 pm and 4:42 pm.
- 808-016 5:11 PM · 18 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:11 pm and 11:59 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 808-015, October 27, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/808-015 (accessed October 12, 2026).