Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 42 › Conversation 042-041
Nixon phone call with Woods on John S.D. Eisenhower and Resignation
Thursday, April 15, 1971 · 8:36 AM–8:42 AM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and personal secretary Rose Mary Woods coordinate administrative logistics, including a memorandum for Ray Price and Woods' upcoming travel. Woods informs the President of Ambassador John S.D. Eisenhower's intention to resign by July 1, citing personal reasons regarding his housing. They also discuss positive public reception to a recent presidential speech and share concerns regarding the ongoing criticism and political vulnerability of J. Edgar Hoover.
- John S.D. Eisenhower
- Resignation
- J. Edgar Hoover
- Public Opinion
- Rose Mary Woods
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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Yeah.
Mr. President, Ms. Woods calling you.
Yeah.
Mr. President, Ms. Woods.
Thank you very much.
Hi, Rosie.
Good morning.
I'm sorry to bother you.
Yeah, it's all right.
I want to check one thing.
I'm supposed to go away this afternoon, unless you're for the weekend.
Oh, fine, fine.
Good.
Up to, well, actually, it'll be partly work.
It's up to Massachusetts and attending some dinner of, you know, statewide industry.
There's nothing here.
I'm just doing the...
Editor's Friday.
There's no problem.
Not at all.
Okay, well, I'll be back early Sunday evening, so if you need any type of Sunday evening... Sure, sure.
I sent over a brief memorandum for Ray Price.
It's only about two minutes.
Okay.
I'll bring it over to you.
All right.
I just... What I didn't want to wait was to talk to you when you got... You know, after you got in the middle of things.
The other thing, I promised John Eisenhower that I would tell you.
He called me the other day to say that he wanted you to know before you might...
know the minute somebody thinks of something you hear it that he does plan to turn in his resignation about the first of july yeah this year yes that one of the things is there and he'd like to be back in phoenixville say by the first of september because that's when their house becomes available yeah i see and the reason he just there's no problems and anything but he he feels that
you know he should get back but he said these things have a way of getting out he just didn't want somebody else to tell you that all right yeah yeah yeah and that's that's good all that i really have to bother you that's all right well we i didn't know that he was planning it that soon well he apparently said that when he when the lease got up on his house he said you might someone at state might say he said he turned in a reasonably warm telegram the other day on
couple of belgian issues but that that has nothing to do with it that it's the house is available and he feels you know if he's sitting there yeah probably had enough of it yeah yeah yeah he was very you know he loves it and all that but he just thinks well i think anybody would be tired of being ambassador for two years yeah sick of the damn job yeah so uh it's good we'll get it and it isn't out it's still you know it's a it's secret but he did he just didn't want anyone else to
to get the word to you except to come from him.
Yeah, okay.
And we continue to hear good things about that speech.
Is that right?
Yeah.
Yeah, I talked with Frank over the weekend.
Jorgensen?
No, Frank Schmidt from Nevada.
Oh, yeah, Nevada.
And he said that from even diagonal old Democrats who
You know, I've never voted any other way.
They were, they just, he heard nothing but good comment about it.
And he was very pleased.
He always tells me the truth, you know.
Oh, sure, sure.
And of course, and he hangs around a lot of different places.
Sometimes they're tough places.
They have to, yeah.
But he said that it just, people, this one old, he particularly remember one old Irishman, who probably never has and maybe never will vote anything to Democrat,
But he said that the man said anyone who could watch that and doubt your sincerity had to be crazy.
So he was very pleased.
And we hear that from every side.
What do you think of Hoover?
Well, for a long time, he thinks he's done a good job, but he is a little childish on some of the rules.
Become too old, yeah.
Well, it's like a little school, you know, like you can't weigh a half a pound more than you're supposed to and that sort of thing.
That's what I think is maybe undermining him.
Yeah.
I haven't talked with him since, you know, everybody's jumped on banging him.
Yeah, well, it's terrible.
It really is.
That silly muskie, for Christ's sake, saying that.
Surveilling Earth Day.
Is there anybody cared?
Yeah.
I know.
They're becoming pretty foolish, you know.
But what's happened, what I think is the sad part of it is that because he is older, they'll keep on at it and...
He may make a mistake and flail back about the wrong thing or something.
That's what bothers me.
That's what happens with most of the older men, I think.
He's had such a good record and been able to keep still under certain things.
But I know a lot of the guys are, you know, similar things.
Yeah, I know.
They're pretty tight.
On the other hand, you're doing such a great job.
Yeah, well, on the other hand, you're not going to run down a friend.
No, indeed.
That's right.
Okay, have a good time.
I don't think they would either.
Okay.
NARA Description
On April 15, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 8:36 am to 8:42 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 042-041 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 42-41
Date: April 15, 1971
Time: 8:36 am - 8:42 am
Location: White House Telephone
Rose Mary Woods talked with the President.
[See Conversation No. 249-3]
Woods’ schedule
President's memorandum for Raymond K. Price, Jr.
Woods’ conversation with John S.D. Eisenhower
-Eisenhower's forthcoming resignation
President's speech
-Reaction to Vietnam statements
-Woods’ conversation with Frank Schmidt (sp?)
Reaction to J. Edgar Hoover
-Woods’ conversation with Schmidt
-Edmund S. Muskie's statement on Earth Day
-Attacks on HooverAlso recorded on April 15, 1971
- 249-001 8:32 AM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:32 am and 8:36 am.
- 249-002 8:32 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:32 am and 8:36 am.
- 249-003 8:36 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:36 am to 8:42 am.
- 042-042 8:42 AM · 27 sec — unknown person(s), White House operator, and Ralph Shields talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:42 am and 3:15 pm.
- 249-004 8:42 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:42 am and 8:59 am.
- 249-005 8:42 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:42 am and 8:59 am.
- 249-006 8:59 AM · 1 hr 45 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), Stephen B. Bull, Henry A. Kissinger, and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:59 am to 10:45 am.
- 480-001 10:59 AM · 30 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry Ahlgren met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:59 am and 11:02 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 042-041, April 15, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/042-041 (accessed October 9, 2026).