Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 18 › Conversation 018-012
Nixon, Cox & Butterfield on Dan Rather and Television interview
Monday, January 3, 1972 · 12:32 PM–12:43 PM ET · White House Telephone · 8 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and his daughter, Tricia Nixon Cox, discussed the public and political reception of his recent television appearance. They analyzed the antagonistic interviewing style of journalist Dan Rather, comparing it to a previous program hosted by Howard K. Smith, and reviewed specific segments of the interview concerning the Vietnam War, foreign policy, and domestic issues. The conversation also touched upon upcoming travel schedules for the First Family and minor political planning regarding the 1972 primary season.
- Dan Rather
- Television interview
- Public relations
- 1972 election
- Vietnam War
- First Family schedule
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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Mr. Butterfield?
Is Patricia on for the president?
All right, he'll be on in just a moment.
Can she hold a second?
She's holding.
All right, good.
Alex?
No.
Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Dr. Kissinger, and the CIA.
Hello?
We've had good reactions on the show last night.
You must have.
You really must have.
Who did you hear from?
Oh, the usual types.
I mean, actually, the Rogers.
Did you hear from Kissinger?
Yeah.
Oh, of course, Rogers and Kissinger and Elliot Richards and so forth.
They all thought he was a bastard.
But they thought that helped.
I said, well, basically, the Smith program was so much better because the questions were so much better.
They said, no, but it wasn't as good from our standpoint because it's better when you have a bastard doing it.
Well, you know, in a way,
it's really true.
I thought, first of all, Eddie just couldn't believe it.
He said that
that the questions were all antagonistic and that he was rude.
He interrupted you.
And he did at about five different points, right in the middle of what you were saying.
He kept interrupting and saying, but, but, but.
What you just don't do.
I mean, you can ask an antagonistic question, but then you have to wait.
He was trying to.
The worst question that most blatant was where he said, well, didn't you plan to end the war and postpone the war and postpone going to Moscow and postpone going to the election here?
I was awfully glad you brought out
thing about the bombing too in 68 right that was that was that was that was a good thing but my god doesn't he realize that you've been working for two in two and a half years on these things that's what i think you do you change a policy overnight that's what i told him that's right that's what you told him and then i also like the thing um you said about the future generations you know that you had to plan for them and um and also that i also like the thing you said that um
piece is too important to postpone i think those are your exact words yeah that might be that quote might you know be my last yeah that was that was a very memorable quote and of course your answer on the blacks was great too the black thing i don't know where he ever does when he says i never heard when i said that the black person i don't think you ever said that anyway no i i only would have said it in the context of something else well exactly this is another thing eddie brought up because you know he's using his lord's money he said you just don't
context because otherwise it just sounded very very dubious the whole thing he was an absolute bastard though i couldn't believe it i have never heard anyone worse
I didn't realize what he meant, but that Ms. thing at the end, because I hadn't read that book or the story, but I slid off of it all right.
That was one of the things I marked out as being a good answer and especially outstanding answer.
I just said, well, that's endearing, but that was fun.
to have a freedom of choice.
Yeah, that's right.
That was how you concluded the answer, which was a lousy way to end the program on his part.
You know, it was a stupid question to ask at the end, but I thought that that was a very good answer under difficult circumstances.
Well, anyway...
NARA Description
On January 3, 1972, the White House operator, Alexander P. Butterfield, President Richard M. Nixon, and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:32 pm and 12:43 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 018-012 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 18-12
Date: January 3, 1972
Time: Unknown after 12:32 pm until 12:43 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The White House operator talked with Alexander P. Butterfield.
[See Conversation No. 642-39B]
Tricia Nixon Cox's call
-Status
-Hold
[Butterfield conferred with the President.]
Documents
-Distribution
-William P. Rogers
-Melvin R. Laird
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
Tricia Nixon Cox's call
The President talked with Tricia Nixon Cox between 12:36 pm and 12:43 pm.
******************************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 12/19/2017.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[018-012-w001]
[Duration: 2m 49s]
Greetings
Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon’s trip to Africa
-News coverage
-Newspapers
-New York Times, Washington Post
-Television coverage
Schedule
-The President
-Tricia Nixon Cox and Edward R. F. Cox
-California
-Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon's arrival
-Camp David
-Tricia Nixon Cox and Edward R. F. Cox
-Deer
-California
-Prime Minister Eisaku Sato
-Shipyard
President's schedule
-January 9, 1972
-Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon's schedule
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower
******************************************************************************
The President's television appearance, January 8, 1972
-William P. Rogers, Kissinger
-Dan Rather
-Comparison with Howard K. Smith's program
-Questions
-Edward R.F. Cox
-Subjects
-Vietnam War, Moscow and Peking trips
-Forthcoming election
-1968 bombing
-Blacks
-Question on use of term “Ms.”
-Story
******************************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 12/19/2017.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[018-012-w002]
[Duration: 48s]
John N. Ashbrook
-The President’s opinion
-Ohio
-1972 primary
-The First Family's schedule
-Tricia Nixon Cox and Edward R. F. Cox
-Lincoln Dinner
-David Parker, H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
******************************************************************************Also recorded on January 3, 1972
- 642-037 12:18 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John W. Kauffman, Stephen M. Morris, Jack A. L. Hahn, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., James H. Cavanaugh, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:18 pm to 12:32 pm.
- 018-011 12:32 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:32 pm and 12:36 pm.
- 642-038 12:32 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:32 pm and 12:36 pm.
- 642-039 12:32 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, White House operator, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Tricia Nixon Cox met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:32 pm and 12:43 pm.
- 642-040 12:43 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:43 pm and 12:45 pm.
- 642-041 12:43 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:43 pm and 12:45 pm.
- 642-042 12:45 PM · 52 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Jack J. Dreyfus, Jr., and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:45 pm to 12:46 pm.
- 642-028 12:46 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:46 pm and 2:07 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 018-012, January 3, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/018-012 (accessed October 10, 2026).