Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 18 › Conversation 018-021

Nixon phone call with Woods on Nora L. Moore and Leslie E. Brown

Sunday, January 9, 1972 · 1:25 PM–1:28 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Woods, Rose MaryConversation018-021 on Tape 18 (tape position 00:59:04–01:01:15)StartSunday, January 9, 1972 at 1:25 PMEndSunday, January 9, 1972 at 1:28 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 018-021 ↗

President Nixon consults with Rose Mary Woods to pivot from sending a letter to Maj. Gen. Leslie E. Brown’s mother, Nora L. Moore, to instead initiating a direct telephone call. The President, operating from the Executive Office Building, instructs Woods to enlist White House operators to locate the mother, potentially in Los Angeles, to facilitate a personal conversation. This action reflects a preference for direct presidential outreach over written correspondence.

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Hi, Rose.
Hi.
How are you today?
I just had an idea that I think would be better than the letter to that general's mother.
If you have his name...
Yes, I have.
Would you just call the White House operator and ask her to get her on the phone for me?
All right.
She probably can call the general.
She's probably there for her birthday or something.
Probably, although the address they gave me for her was in Los Angeles.
Rather than Redlands, I see.
Okay.
Well, I think the White House operators, they don't know how to get her, you know, get a hold of the general and say the president wants to talk to his mother on the phone and then tell her to put it through.
I'm in the EOB office.
EOB office.
Uh-huh.
Sam?

On January 9, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 1:25 pm to 1:28 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 018-021 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 18-21

Date: January 9, 1972
Time: 1:25 pm - 1:28 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Rose Mary Woods.

[See Conversation No. 312-9]

     Letter to Maj. Gen. Leslie E. Brown's mother [Nora L. Moore]
           -Phone call
                -White House operators
                -Address
                -The President's location
                      -Executive Office Building [EOB]

******************************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 12/21/2017.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[018-021-w001]
[Duration: 1m 23s]

     Julie Nixon Eisenhower and [Dwight] David Eisenhower, II

     Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo

     Tricia Nixon Cox and Edward F. Cox
           -Presence

     Thelma C. (“Pat”) (Ryan) Nixon
          -Clothing
          -Weather

     Time changes

******************************************************************************
  • 018-020 1:18 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:18 pm and 1:25 pm.
  • 312-008 1:18 PM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:18 pm and 1:25 pm.
  • 312-009 1:25 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:25 pm to 1:28 pm.
  • 312-010 1:28 PM · 26 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 1:28 pm and 1:35 pm.
  • 018-022 1:35 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 1:35 pm.
  • 312-011 1:35 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 1:35 pm.
  • 312-012 1:35 PM · 51 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:35 pm and 2:56 pm.
  • 312-013 1:35 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:35 pm and 2:56 pm.

Conversation 018-021, January 9, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/018-021 (accessed September 28, 2026).