President Nixon met with George H.W. Bush, William Timmons, William Brock, and Robert Michel to coordinate Republican strategy and candidate recruitment for the 1974 midterm elections. The President emphasized a shift in focus toward recruiting younger, high-quality candidates rather than relying solely on incumbents, while urging the attendees to improve organizational cooperation and resource sharing among campaign committees. Nixon also provided guidance on navigating complex state-level political dynamics, including advising a non-interventionist approach in certain gubernatorial races and streamlining fundraising efforts.
On March 22, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, George H. W. Bush, William E. Timmons, William Brock, and Robert H. Michel met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:45 am and 12:12 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 887-007 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 887-7
Date: March 22, 1973
Time: Unknown between 11:45 am and 12:12 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with George H. W. Bush, William E. Brock,III, Robert H. Michel and
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
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Conversation No. 887-7 (cont’d)
William E. Timmons. The White House photographer was present at the beginning of the
meeting.
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[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift during
chronological review 2007-2013]
Greetings
Photographs
Congratulations
Congress
Seating arrangements
Purpose of meeting
-Preliminary meeting
-Elections
Congressional relations
-House campaign committees
-Orientation
-Robert C. (“Bob”) Wilson
-Candidate selection
-Fundraising
-Candidate selection
-Clarence J. (“Bud”) Brown, Jr.
-Recruitment
-Refusal
-Reasons
-John Rousselot
-Democrats
-Changing Brown’s mind
-Wilson
-Gerald R. Ford
-Grand Rapids
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
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Conversation No. 887-7 (cont’d)
-Carleton J. King
-Rousselot
-Harold R. Collier
-Wilson
-Motivations
-Bush’s political role
-Timmons
-Candidate selections
-Recruitment of a director of campaign
-Age
-Qualities
-President’s role in 1974 campaign
-Support for all incumbents
-Political orientation
-1974 election
-Vulnerabilities
-Age
-Candidate recruitment
-President’s role
-1970 election
-Support role in final campaign
-Spiro T. Agnew and other potential 1976 presidential candidates
-Assistance to candidates
-Money
-Speakers
-New candidates
-Quality
-White House support for House candidates
-Selective support
-Incumbency
-Age of new candidates
-Maximum age for House of Representatives
-Congressional leadership
-Candidate in Pennsylvania
-Alvin W. Levenhagen
-Age
-Herbert C. Hoover
-Emphasis on youth and Freshmen Republicans
-Wilson
-Minority status
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
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Conversation No. 887-7 (cont’d)
-Selection
-Criteria
-Program
-Wilson
-Brown
-White House assistance
-Youth vote
-Kenneth S. Rietz
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Support for Republicans
-Current candidates
-Qualifications
Republicans
-Conflicts among Congressional Campaign Committees and Republican National
Committee [RNC]
-Jealousy
-Money
-Work of Bush, Brock, and Michel
-Cooperation
-Research staff
-Polling
-White House staff
-Polling
-Use of Federal funds for issue polling
-Cooperation
-Frequency
-White House help
-Congress
-“Doves” Liberals
-Senate
-Vietnam War, defense
-Budget
-Tolerance
-Governors
-Independence
-New York
-Nelson A. Rockefeller’s standing
-California
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
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Conversation No. 887-7 (cont’d)
-Selection of candidate
-Role of Ronald W. Reagan
-Need for study by RNC
-New Jersey primary
-William T. Cahill
-Noninvolvement
-Congressional Campaign Committees
-Recruitment
-Tactics
-Flexibility
-Incumbents
-President’s influence
-Retirements
-Marlow W. Cook
-Henry L. Bellmon
-William B. Saxbe
-Ohio
-Opposition to retirement
-Bellmon
-Desire to retire
-Reaction to Senate
-Governorship
-Personality
-Oklahoma
-Charles B. (“Bud”) Wilkinson
-Race for Senate
-Chances
-Democratic opponent
-David Hall
-Compared with Arkansas race
-Problems
-Race for governor
-Bellmon
-Attitude
-Meeting with Bush
-Energy
-Grassroots
-Dewey F. Bartlett
-Governors
-Small states
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
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Conversation No. 887-7 (cont’d)
-Size of problems
-Fundraising
-Problems
-Watergate
-Public relations funds
-House races
-Lack of funding
-Richard Simpson
-RNC
-President’s schedule
-Spring dinners
-House Campaign Committee
-House dinners
-New Majority campaign
-Fundraising for House candidates
-Governors
-Division of funds
-Simpson
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Fundraising
-Senators
-House contests
-Incumbents
-Amounts distributed
-Senate
-William Scott
-Dinners
-Jesse A. Helms
-Winners
-Amount of work
-Gordon L. Allott, Jack Miller, J. Caleb Boggs, Margaret Chase Smith
-Defeat in 1972 election
-Tennessee
-Appreciation of President
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Bush, Brock, Michel, and Timmons left at 12:12 pm.
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(rev. July-2010)This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.