Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 820 › Conversation 820-020

Nixon & Haldeman on White House management and Cabinet relations

Tuesday, December 12, 1972 · 2:20 PM–3:17 PM ET · Oval Office · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation820-020 on Tape 820StartTuesday, December 12, 1972 at 2:20 PMEndTuesday, December 12, 1972 at 3:17 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 820-020 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman discuss the management and social protocols surrounding invitations for upcoming White House Cabinet and staff dinners. Nixon expresses frustration with the perception that staff members must attend every social event to maintain their professional standing, specifically questioning the necessity of including certain advisors like Peter Flanigan. He instructs Haldeman to shift these customs to avoid the implication that attendance is mandatory for job security or status.

White House management
Social protocol
Cabinet relations
Staff administration
Executive office politics

Audio

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NARA Description

On December 12, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:20 pm and 3:17 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 820-020 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 820-20

Date: December 12, 1972
Time: Unknown between 2:20 pm and 3:17 pm
Location: Oval Office

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

       The President’s schedule
            -Cabinet dinner
                  -Invitations
                         -Ronald L. Ziegler
                         -William E. Timmons
                         -William L. Safire
                         -Raymond K. Price, Jr.
                         -Leonard Garment
                         -Robert J. Brown
                         -Peter M. Flanigan
                         -Executive Order [EO]
                         -Timmons, Ziegler, Brown
            -Social dinner
                  -Instruction for Haldeman
                         -Ziegler
                               -Flanigan
                         -Flanigan
                               -John D. Ehrlichman
                  -Cabinet
                         -Dinner
                               -White House staff
                                     -Christmas
                  -Cabinet
                         -White House staff
                         -Dinner
                               -Butterfield
                               -Compared to legislative leaders meeting
                                             -58-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

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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Alex raised a question about the dealer and coming to the cabinet thing.

And I said, well, then what about Sapphire and Price and Garmin?

And the point, the point that I make is that I just don't think it, I think you ought to just stop it at three and leave Flanagan off too.

Well, no, it's not that one off now.

We've just got to get that man in his proper position anyway, you know.

Because he shouldn't be on for these things.

Because we're not, you know, we've changed that deal to understand it.

What can we do about this?

Oh, can you have him sling her in on the ground?

I'd like you to have a little talk, if you will, sometime at the top, people, that all this horseshit and the effect that it must have there, it's going to be noted, which, of course, is Henry's.

It's going to be changed now.

Now, there are times that I may want to see Ziegler, and I don't want Flanagan around, for example.

And there may be times that I want to see Flanagan, and I don't want, you know, Erlinger around.

And can't we do that or not?

Or is it just socially just too much of a problem?

We just have to always have the people socially that they're ranked at certain levels or it's going to be all that stuff.

I really think we've got to do it, Bob, because... And the life of the cabin.

Now, let's come down to some cold turkey.

We don't invite the whole cabin to everything, do we?

We invite one or two for some, right?

And so why do we have to, as a White House staff, why do we have to say, well, a deed has to come, or it's going to be noted that they're not there?

I mean, really, it's the same thing, isn't it?

You're going to have to be talking to them later.

So at this time, I don't give a damn.

We can have the whole staff if you want, if there's room.

But you know what I mean?

It doesn't really matter.

I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings around Christmas.

But I do think we ought to really get away from this nonsense to the effect that, well, it's going to be noted if I'm not there.

It's not going to be another cabinet or anybody else.

Some people come, some people don't.

And then particularly, particularly this is true, this is true, then cabinet people can't bench when they see, well, why do all staff people come, see?

And they do sometimes.

So I think we ought to, or if you have another feeling about it, maybe we better just do it the other way.

What do you think?

of that, but Alex said he thought we ought to raise it because they've raised it with him.

If, for example, but my point is if this were a meeting of legislative leaders or something like that, or they were president of that,

People have to feel that they've got to come to every social event in order to be able to carry out their jobs.

I just think we've got to get different people.

That's what I feel about it.

And I just don't.

I think it's relevant.

Also recorded on December 12, 1972

820-016 1:30 PM · 23 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, White House operator, Stephen B. Bull, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:30 pm to 1:55 pm.
034-052 1:35 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 1:35 pm.
820-017 1:55 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:55 pm and 1:58 pm.
820-018 1:58 PM · 27 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:58 pm to 2:20 pm.
034-053 2:20 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:20 pm and 8:31 pm.
820-019 2:20 PM · 32 sec — Julie Nixon Eisenhower and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:20 pm and 3:17 pm.
820-021 2:20 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:20 pm and 3:17 pm.
820-022 3:17 PM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Jewell R. LaFontant, John D. Ehrlichman, Stephen B. Bull, White House photographer, and Zosimo T. Monzon met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:17 pm to 3:36 pm.

All 36 conversations from December 12, 1972 →

Nixon & Ziegler on Press relations and Interpersonal dynamics October 19, 1972 · 4 min
Nixon & Cox on Family Relations and Public Relations April 18, 1972 · 4 min
Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Public Relations and Southeast Asia Policy April 7, 1971 · 2 min
Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Cabinet relations April 17, 1971 · 2 min
Nixon phone call with Ehrlichman on Wage and price freeze and John Connally August 16, 1971 · 5 min
Nixon phone call with Colson on Pentagon Papers and Consumer Price Index September 21, 1971 · 16 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 820-020, December 12, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/820-020 (accessed November 15, 2026).