Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 23 › Conversation 023-010

Nixon phone call with Cox on Table Tennis Diplomacy

Monday, April 17, 1972 · 4:59 PM–5:02 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Cox, Tricia NixonConversation023-010 on Tape 23StartMonday, April 17, 1972 at 4:59 PMEndMonday, April 17, 1972 at 5:02 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 023-010 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417193305 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon consults with his daughter, Tricia Nixon Cox, regarding her upcoming attendance at a table tennis match. The President provides guidance on how to manage potential press inquiries, specifically advising her to defer to Secretary of State William P. Rogers regarding Vietnam and to express a polite, forward-looking interest in the People's Republic of China. Nixon emphasizes the importance of remaining calm in the face of potential hecklers and keeping any public remarks brief and diplomatic.

Audio

Download MP3 · 4.4 MB

NARA Description

On April 17, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox 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 023-010 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 23-10

Date: April 17, 1972
Time: 4:59-5:02 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Tricia Nixon Cox.

     [See also Conversation No. 710-3]

     Tricia Nixon Cox's schedule
           -Possible remarks
                -Table tennis match
                       -Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
                       -People’s Republic of China [PRC]
                -Press
                       -Vietnam
                            -William P. Rogers
                       -Possible trip to PRC

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Well, I don't know.
I hope they don't heckle you or anything when you're there, but they might.
sort of the stop the war thing, don't let it bother you if they do.
No, no.
Actually, they weren't really expecting that so much as, you know, the nationalist Chinese who just carried little nationalist Chinese flags.
But, um... Well, I don't know, do you...
They've definitely announced your coming, isn't that correct?
Oh, yes.
You mean you think I shouldn't go?
Well, I was just thinking it might...
No, no, just if they announce you're coming, you should definitely go.
But you have seats and everything?
Yeah, no, they definitely know I'm coming.
Everybody does.
Just go and just keep cool, if anything.
Nothing may happen at all.
You never know, there are always a few radicals around.
But they aren't going to introduce you or anything.
No, no, no, nothing, no.
Yeah.
What do you mean that you'd have to say something?
Oh, no, no, no, I wouldn't have to say anything.
I just wanted to know if there was anything you wanted me to be able to say.
You mean...
If I had an opportunity to say anything.
If they called on you, you mean?
Yeah, well, yes, or anything.
See, the evening really is sort of flexible.
It's not flexible, but it just hasn't been planned.
And so anything can happen.
I mean, you know, I just don't know.
But there are going to be three members of the press there.
So...
i just assume what i've gotten to but i might not you never know well i wouldn't uh i wouldn't say anything if they asked you about vietnam's what did you say you think secretary of state handled it very well today i just put that on that see because he he testified the day and he answered i heard i heard the testimony and uh just say you thought secretary rogers handled that matter very well and you don't have anything to add no do you think that's that he stated exactly what you
your father's opinion is, and so forth, and that you look forward to going to the People's Republic of China someday, and that we have told you about it, you look forward, hope you can go someday.
Okay, fine.
Sort of along those lines, and very friendly, and that these things are supposed to interfere with the present relations.
No, we have differences, which we've always pointed out, but that we
also have a lot of things we have to get together on.
Good.
But have a good time.
What time will you be back?
Well, I think I'll be back around, well, it's about a 50-minute trip both ways.
Yeah.
50?
50, yeah.
It's a drive.
So I might be back around 11 o'clock.
Too late.
Well, okay.
I'm sure it'll go okay.
I'm sure it will.
Just take good care.
Sure.
All right, hon.
Thanks for calling.
Okay.
Thanks, Daddy.
Bye.

Also recorded on April 17, 1972

  • 331-010 3:55 PM · 29 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Manolo Sanchez, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:55 pm to 4:48 pm.
  • 023-009 4:56 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:56 pm and 4:59 pm.
  • 710-001 4:56 PM · 47 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:56 pm and 4:59 pm.
  • 710-002 4:56 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:56 pm and 4:59 pm.
  • 710-003 4:59 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:59 pm to 5:02 pm.
  • 710-004 5:02 PM · 47 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Melvin R. Laird, and Adm. Thomas H. Moorer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:02 pm to 5:50 pm.
  • 710-005 5:50 PM · 56 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:50 pm and 11:59 pm.
  • 023-011 5:56 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:56 pm and 8:11 pm.

All 49 conversations from April 17, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 023-010, April 17, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417193305). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/023-010 (accessed October 29, 2026).