Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 19 › Conversation 019-054

Nixon phone call with White on Journalism and Health

Monday, January 24, 1972 · 4:59 PM–5:02 PM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White, William S.Conversation019-054 on Tape 19StartMonday, January 24, 1972 at 4:59 PMEndMonday, January 24, 1972 at 5:02 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 019-054 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon initiated this phone call with columnist William S. White to personally offer well wishes following White's recent hospitalization for a spinal fusion. The conversation served primarily as a professional courtesy, during which White updated the President on his recovery and return to work. Nixon expressed his relief at White's improved health and communicated his continued interest in reading the journalist's future columns.

Audio

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Hello.
Mr. White, sir.
Yeah.
Hello.
Hello, Mr. President.
Bill, I want you to know that I just learned from Pat Buchanan over the weekend that you'd been in the hospital, and I just wanted to wish you well and tell you that, well, it was probably...
a great deal of discomfort that I never heard of anybody dying because of a back operation.
So, how are you feeling?
I'm fine now, Mr. President.
I had a spinal fusion I'd been having for a long time, and they got rid of it, and I'm just fine.
Does it help your headache thing, then?
Yes, it's all over.
Isn't that something?
Those operations are...
In the past, it's been pretty tricky.
Well, it was a little tricky, and it held me up.
It immobilized me a little longer than I'd expected.
I was out seven weeks, but I've been back a couple of weeks, and everything's fine.
Fine.
Well, I'm sure glad to hear that, and we'll sure be looking forward to reading you.
I always do.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Very kind.

NARA Description

On January 24, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and William S. White talked on the telephone from 4:59 pm to 5:02 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 019-054 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 19-54

Date: January 24, 1972
Time: 4:59 pm - 5:02 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with William S. White.

[See Conversation No. 654-1A]

     White's health
          -The President's conversation with Patrick J. Buchanan
          -Status

Also recorded on January 24, 1972

  • 019-052 4:20 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:20 pm and 4:27 pm.
  • 317-016 4:20 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:20 pm and 4:27 pm.
  • 019-053 4:27 PM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell talked on the telephone from 4:27 pm to 4:55 pm.
  • 317-017 4:27 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:27 pm to 4:55 pm.
  • 317-018 4:55 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 4:55 pm.
  • 654-001 4:55 PM · 1 hr 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, William S. White, unknown person(s), Peter M. Flanigan, and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:55 pm and 6:09 pm.
  • 019-055 5:18 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:18 pm and 5:47 pm.
  • 019-056 5:47 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 5:47 pm.

All 54 conversations from January 24, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 019-054, January 24, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/019-054 (accessed October 6, 2026).