Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 153 › Conversation 153-030
Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on White House social events
Thursday, November 16, 1972 · 8:43 AM–8:51 AM ET · Camp David Study Table · 8 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon discussed administrative and social preparations for the upcoming 1972 holiday season. They coordinated plans for Thanksgiving, decided on strategies for managing post-election correspondence and Christmas cards, and reviewed staffing in the White House Visitor's Office. Additionally, the President provided guidance on shifting social outreach efforts away from the local D.C. area toward a broader national audience.
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Transcript (AI-generated)
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I'm seeing Connelly this morning.
Yeah.
You know, I wanted to ask you one thing.
You know, Mike Farrell sent me a note with plans for the year.
You know, he's been awfully good.
And so I know he wants to stay.
Well, then if he does, he'll stay.
Huh?
If he does, he'll stay.
Because he's the best one, doesn't he?
He's thought of so many good things, like we've trained the men.
Great, great, great.
You know, the guides.
Right, right.
He really is exceptional.
Now he's planning ahead for a garden tour.
Oh, I see.
Well, they were, I mean, the point was that some thought he didn't want to stay and some said he didn't.
No, I think it's his assistant, a young assistant.
Yeah.
He mentioned that.
Well, okay.
You know, the press, of course, is asking whether we are going to do Thanksgiving, huh?
Well...
When is it?
Next Thursday.
Oh, yeah.
Well, I think we just have family dinner.
With all of the events coming up for the Christmas season, this will have to be a very big Christmas season, you know.
I wish we could get, we ought to get up to thinking on that now, you know, the decorations, have them up early and so forth.
Oh, yeah, I've got that all.
But what I meant is that, and also the cards and everything, we've got to have an unusual large number.
I want to send them to, you know, a lot of people.
Well.
I'll do a little thinking and let you know.
Don't worry about it.
No, no, no, no, no.
But I meant to have in mind that we're going to have to print, have to do quite a few, you know, the people that have worked in the campaign and all that sort of thing.
You know what I mean?
Not the big ones, but the little ones.
Yeah.
Our lists are longer now.
You know what I mean?
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
So on this one, anyway around Christmas we want to have this.
Are you going to do anything about the...
telegrams and letters and so forth that have come in.
I've been working on it, yeah.
You know what I thought?
We're trying to reply to a few of their friends, and we've got forms for a hell of a lot and so forth, but it's just a mess of work.
I guess kicking everybody in the tail to get it done.
Well, because I got a lot, too.
Sure, sure.
And the record card.
And what I had thought would be nice is
You know, family photo and just a little message inside.
They're not any more expensive than just the engraved card.
The trouble about replying to them, you have to look up the addresses.
Yeah, yeah.
And, you know, you might... You mean, what are they doing, sending an engraved card?
Well, that was the thinking, but it's in your hands now.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And, you know, once before, we sent one with a family picture, a fold-over.
Yeah, 60.
And then the little message was inside.
Mm-hmm.
But I don't know.
I don't know what they're doing.
Let me get at it.
I'll try to get at that today.
It's with you now.
I've tried to get that at that, and I agree that we ought to.
Because our people are already typing envelopes that will fit.
Yeah.
So whatever we make with it.
On the Christmas cards.
Not on the Christmas cards, but on the thank you cards.
But I've got to have in mind that those can be very useful, too.
And I don't mean we're going to send those to millions, but.
like all of our chairmen and so forth, and our labor chairmen and Democrat chairmen and all that sort of thing, as well as re-elect should we have got to have them.
See, Sandy Fox ordered those, and I think he should be here.
Yeah, I'll get right at it.
I've got to get him over here today.
He's told to order more than maybe we're getting, I think.
Yeah, we'll do that.
We'll do that.
Okay, on the Thanksgiving, though, I...
Thank you notes don't need to go, just a Christmas card.
Well, some could get that, but some need a thank you note.
Well, it's a good thought.
I hadn't thought of the Christmas card possibility, but I'll get at that right now and try to see how we can sort some of it out.
Good, good.
What is the situation on the Thanksgiving thing?
I mean, I don't think we really need to have a
I think you could say we're going to have family dinner because we just haven't had opportunity to plan something.
Can't we say that?
Oh, sure.
What do you think?
Or do you have in mind something?
No, I don't because it's too late now to get going on it.
Yeah, you know, like we had the old folks and we've had the veterans and all that sort of thing.
But I think that, you know, a week is hardly time to plan.
That's what I think.
It's only a week away.
And let's just say that we're having family dinner in the White House.
Yeah.
That's all.
Okay.
Okay.
And not plan the big deal of the—I mean, not try to plan a big Thanksgiving thing right at this point, because we're just too—I think we're too busy to do it right now, really.
Yeah.
And just say we're— That's all right.
They probably won't get me.
They'll ask me what— The Christmas thing, I certainly hope that you can—what did I get up there?
We may want to, in order to let some special invited guests come rather than just have these people from Washington.
You see, the trouble with the regular tours is that many times, you know, those evening tours and so forth, just the Washington people come.
Tourists are fine from out of the state, but our whole ploy from now on has got not to be the District of Columbia and the District of Columbia kids and all that.
You know, they get too much.
The ploy has got to be the people from outside.
Well, but, of course, everybody's home at Christmas.
They're not traveling around.
That's my point.
The point is, though, we're going to try to put outside.
Well, maybe we don't have the candlelight.
Some invitations to think, oh, no, no, no, we won't.
I don't think you can invite people to a tour from outside.
Well, we'll see.
We'll see.
But the point, we wouldn't invite them.
You don't understand.
I mean, if they're here, if they're going to be here.
Oh, yeah, that's another thing.
You know, that's what I mean.
Yeah.
Okay.
Okay.
You took Mamie to the play last night.
Oh, good, good.
The last of Mrs. Lincoln, you know.
It was very good.
Was it good?
Was it good?
She came for dinner.
That's good.
She came to dinner, too?
Mm-hmm.
Was she happy?
Oh, very happy.
Feeling better?
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, she's in great shape.
Everything.
Well, that's good.
That's good.
We had a picture taken with Julie Harris, who plays Mrs. Lincoln.
Oh, yeah.
Well, they'll use it all over America.
You've got to assume.
I've tried to get everybody through their gum skulls here.
You know, we don't want it here.
It doesn't matter.
District of Columbia is one of the few places we didn't carry.
By 80%.
Huh?
Right.
So that's it.
Incidentally, the...
That's good.
Then Julie will be here Saturday night.
And Trisha, too.
Where is she going to be?
I don't know for sure.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Check on it.
Yeah.
Okay.
Well, if you can come, fine.
If not, we'll see you.
Yeah.
Okay.
I'm going to stay here.
I'm going to see Connelly today and the other group tomorrow.
Okay.
Okay.
NARA Description
On November 16, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone at Camp David from 8:43 am to 8:51 am. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 153-030 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 153-30
Date: November 16, 1972
Time: 8:43am - 8:51 am
Location: Camp David Study Table
The President talked with Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon.
[See Conversation No. 225-27]
******************************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift during
chronological review 2007-2013]
******************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[153-030-w001]
[Duration: 13s]
-37-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No.153-30 (cont’d)
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
******************************************************************************
The President’s schedule
-John B. Connally
Second term reorganization
-White House Visitor’s Office
-Michael J. Farrell
-Plans
-Abilities
-Guides
-Garden tour
-Young assistant [name unknown]
-Plans
White House social affairs
-Thanksgiving
-Press inquiry
-Family dinner
-The President’s schedule
-Christmas
-Events
-Scope
-Planning
-Decorations
-Cards
-Campaign workers
1972 election
-Victory
-Mail
-Thank you letters
-Form letters
-First Lady’s Office
-Photograph and card
-1960 election
-38-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No.153-30 (cont’d)
Christmas cards
-Chairmen
-Labor
-Democrats for Nixon
-Committee to Re-elect the President [CRP]
-Sanford L. Fox
Thanksgiving
1972 election
-Thank you letters
-Christmas cards
-List
White House social affairs
-Thanksgiving
-Family dinner
-Planning
-Elderly
-Veterans
-The President’s schedule
-Christmas
-Candlelight tours
-Washington, DC residents
-Out of town tourists
-Invitations
******************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[153-030-w002]
[Duration: 29s]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
******************************************************************************
-39-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No.153-30 (cont’d)
Mamie G. D. Eisenhower
-Play
-The Last of Mrs. Lincoln
-Dinner
-Health
-Play
-Julie Harris
-Photograph
-First Ladies
-Publicity
-Washington, DC
-1972 election
Schedules
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower
-Tricia Nixon Cox
The President’s schedule
-Meetings
-Connally
******************************************************************************Also recorded on November 16, 1972
- 153-029 8:30 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 8:30 am and 8:43 am.
- 225-024 8:30 AM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 8:30 am and 8:43 am.
- 225-027 8:43 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 8:43 am to 8:51 am.
- 225-028 8:51 AM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John G. Magner met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 8:51 am and 1:35 pm.
- 225-029 8:51 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 8:51 am and 1:35 pm.
- 225-030 8:51 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 8:51 am and 1:35 pm.
- 225-031 8:51 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 8:51 am and 1:35 pm.
- 225-032 8:51 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 8:51 am and 1:35 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 153-030, November 16, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/153-030 (accessed October 12, 2026).