Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 21 › Conversation 021-050

Nixon phone call with Noyes on Giant Pandas and National Zoo

Monday, March 13, 1972 · 11:16 AM–11:21 AM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Noyes, Croby S.Conversation021-050 on Tape 21 (tape position 01:59:32–02:02:23)StartMonday, March 13, 1972 at 11:16 AMEndMonday, March 13, 1972 at 11:21 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 021-050 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 646310100 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon calls Washington Star journalist Crosby S. Noyes to announce that the pair of giant pandas gifted by the People's Republic of China will be housed at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. The President explains that this decision was based on the facility's national status and the favorable local climate, while noting that the animals' arrival is expected on April 1st. He further discusses the unusual logistical challenge of ensuring the pandas successfully learn mating behaviors before their departure from China.

Giant Pandas
National Zoo
People's Republic of China
PRC-US relations
Public Relations

Audio

Download MP3 · 4.9 MB

NARA Description

On March 13, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Croby S. Noyes talked on the telephone from 11:16 am to 11:21 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 021-050 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 21-50

Date: March 13, 1972
Time: 11:16 am - 11:21 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Crosby S. Noyes.

[See Conversation No. 683-4B]

     Washington Star
         -Pandas from the People’s Republic of China [PRC]
              -Ronald L. Ziegler
                     -Placement
                          -Decision by the President and Thelma C. (“Pat” Nixon
                          -National Zoo
                          -San Diego
                          -St. Louis
                          -New York
                          -Chicago
                          -National Zoo
                          -Climate of Washington, DC
              -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
                     -Mating problems of pandas
              -Arrival time
                     -Ziegler
              -Director of National Zoo
                     -Musk Oxen

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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I don't have anything of earth-shaking importance enough for your column, but I thought you'd be interested to know that most of your readers would be more interested in this, I'm afraid, than what I say on international affairs or you say in your column.

I noticed the Star had an editorial about our pandas.

Yes.

And I think you would be interested to know that I just told Ziegler at the morning briefing, so that it could make the afternoon edition of the Star, that Mrs. Nixon and I decided that the pandas should go to the

Oh, that's very good news indeed.

I think you should know, too, that we've, as you can imagine, the requests from over the country, that San Diego has a Splendid Zoo, St. Louis, New York, Chicago, and the rest.

But we, basically, this is the place for them from the standpoint, first, it's a national zoo rather than a local one.

And this was the key thing, the reason we were waiting on it.

The key thing is climate.

The panda, of course, we want to be sure they don't come over and die.

And we find that the Washington climate is somewhat more mild than their usual habitat.

But nevertheless, cold enough, we think, for what they are.

So in any event, you're going to get the pandas.

We're going to get both of them.

Oh, yes.

Now, as a matter of fact, let me tell you an interesting thing about that you must know.

You can only use it on your own.

But I was just talking to Rob Haldeman, who talked to his Chinese hosts, and

This question of mating is very interesting.

This is a male and a female.

The problem, however, with pandas is that they don't know how to mate.

The only way they learn how is to watch other pandas mate, you see.

And so they're keeping them there a little while.

These are younger ones to sort of learn, you know, how it's done.

Now, if they don't learn it, they'll get over here and nothing will happen.

So I just thought you should have your best reporter out there to see whether these pandas have learned.

So now that I've given you the story of pandas, let me let you get back to your more serious questions.

How soon are they arriving, sir?

April 1st.

When we think about April 1st, I just asked Ziegler, and, you know, everything is shrouded in mystery even when the pandas arrive.

Also recorded on March 13, 1972

021-049 10:07 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:07 am and 11:16 am.
683-004 10:15 AM · 1 hr 45 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander P. Butterfield, Stephen B. Bull, Ronald L. Ziegler, White House operator, Croby S. Noyes, Constance M. Stuart, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:15 am to 12:01 pm.
021-051 11:21 AM · 7 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:21 am and 3:50 pm.
021-052 11:21 AM · 2 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and Constance M. Stuart talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:21 am and 3:50 pm.
021-053 11:21 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:21 am and 3:50 pm.
683-005 12:02 PM · 1 min — Stephen B. Bull, Alexander P. Butterfield, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:05 pm.
683-006 12:02 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, unknown person(s), Marina von Neumann Whitman, Dr. Robert Whitman, Malcolm Whitman, Laura Whitman, Josephine Pierce, Herbert Stein, Ezra Solomon, George P. Shultz, William L. Safire, Barbara H. Franklin, Paul McArdle, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:17 pm.
683-007 12:18 PM · 50 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald S. Berman, Leonard Garment, William J. Powell, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:18 pm to 1:07 pm.

All 56 conversations from March 13, 1972 →

Nixon, Landers & Finamore on National Cancer Act of 1971 and Cancer research March 30, 1972 · 11 min
Nixon phone call with Ehrlichman on Giant Pandas and Media coverage April 20, 1972 · 4 min
Nixon, Peterson & Kissinger on PRC-US relations and Presidential initiative April 13, 1971 · 6 min
Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Vietnam War and Laos operations April 18, 1971 · 12 min
Nixon phone call with Hardin on Agricultural policy and International trade June 10, 1971 · 5 min
Nixon phone call with Cox on University of Maryland and Student demonstrations April 18, 1972 · 4 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 021-050, March 13, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 646310100). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/021-050 (accessed November 3, 2026).