Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 185 › Conversation 185-001
Nixon, Winchester & Camp David operator on White House social events
Saturday, June 2, 1973 · 12:01 AM–3:33 PM ET · Camp David Study Desk · 10 min
AI Summary
First Lady Pat Nixon and Lucy Winchester discussed the planning of an informal tea at the White House to honor Victoria Tolbert, wife of the President of Liberia. They reviewed a list of potential attendees, specifically aiming to balance the guest list with prominent American women and administration figures to avoid the appearance of a one-sided event. During the conversation, Nixon decided to remove Nikki Giovanni from the invitation list and directed Winchester to expedite the invitations via staff members.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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Lucy Winchester, please.
Thank you, ma'am.
Go ahead.
Lucy?
Yes?
I didn't wake you up, did I?
No, I'm out on the porch drying my hair.
Oh.
Well, I heard that you called yesterday, but it was too late to get to you before I got your message.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
I have a list.
May I get it, please?
Sure.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
NSV sent over a list of people that they would suggest having to pay for Mrs. Tolbert.
They have gotten it from the State Department.
You know, I was thinking that she'll probably feed so many people at the luncheon and at the dinner.
I don't know, you know, can you think of anything else we could do?
They found out that the mayor and Mrs. Washington are taking Mrs. Tolbert to them.
Yeah.
They're having a luncheon for her at the Museum of African Art.
That day, that day.
Maybe another day.
Uh-huh.
The Aggies are having a luncheon for her.
It might be that the Rogers are having a luncheon for her.
Let me see.
Mm-hmm.
I think this is the funniest thing that I've ever heard, getting a public relations firm.
Oh, well, they all are so afraid they won't make the front page if you're Washington Post.
Well, they won't when they come to see us.
Oh, dear.
Well, Lucy, I guess we have to go ahead with it.
All right, who's on the list?
Well, they have the cabinet rise.
Yeah, but they'll all be at the luncheon, won't they?
They haven't.
But they won't all be at the luncheon.
Mm-hmm.
and the mayor's wife, and Kathy James, General James' wife, and Mrs. Roy Wilkins, and Mrs. William Carter, whose husband is the president of the African American Institute, and Mrs. John Johnson, who's the... Yeah, I know.
I know most of these people, yeah.
...Whitney Young, Ian Wiggins, who's the Washington Afro reporter, Barbara Watson...
Ms.
Senator Brooks' wife, Mrs. Cooke, the wife of the President of Howard University, Andy Bremer's wife, Jewel LaFontaine.
Here's Samuel Johnson.
He's the wife of the former assistant of ATV.
This is George Haley.
He's the wife of the associate director of USIA.
Now, Mrs. Howard Jenkins.
This is a T-shirt.
Constance Newman.
This is Norman Houston, her husband, the deputy secretary of ACW.
This is William Brown, Stan Scott on the staff, his wife.
Dr. Helen Edwards, who was at the U.N. a couple of years ago.
Brian Anderson.
This is William Thompson, he's a district Supreme Court judge.
This is Barrington Parker, another judge in line.
This is Forty Rivers Scott.
Giovanni.
Oh, God.
Remember her?
That name?
Uh-huh.
The Lady's Home Journal Award winner.
Yeah, but she's so...
I think I just crossed her off the list now.
All right.
Because I hear she's a very bad apple.
She even, when they gave her the award, said that she would pick it the many times she felt like it and stuff like that.
She probably will, too.
Yeah.
Okay, we'll take her off.
And then the official party
This is from Liberia.
This is Colbert and her three daughters and the ambassador's wife.
Lucy, how are we going to do this?
Make it an informal queue and a receding line or what?
I think we should have all of the ladies, such as a bunch of them, maybe have them in the blue room and have Mrs. Colbert...
Um...
What do you think of adding in the wives of ambassadors from African nations?
Or is that going to look too one-sided?
See, they had a party for me once, remember?
So they don't mind getting together.
Yeah.
Is this list about half and half?
Or do you know?
Looks like it.
More than half and half.
The other way.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's what I thought.
The angle might not look too well.
I think that he would rather meet the Americans than the other African ambassadors.
Well, you know, he tries to be kind of the leader of Africa.
Yeah.
And it gives them prestige in their country.
Yeah.
So?
But anyway, well, let's just make it a small one like this.
I think that's better because at this rate, they get sort of rude to call.
But are you going to make your calls today?
The secretaries won't be there, so that means you're only called Monday.
Well, one of the girls is standing by who would make the calls.
Mm-hmm.
So I think they can be made today.
Well, can you think of anyone else that, you know, like we could have an Armstrong or somebody like that, you know?
They're always committed to dropping hats.
Yes.
To just make it a little half-and-half type of deal.
Good.
Like Mary Brooks, a few of those.
Right.
How did that work?
Um, the fact that it was one of our duties.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
You know, some of our day, because, um... That's just nice.
He's the head of the task force division in the State Department, isn't he?
You know, I always think of people being so busy because I know how everybody works, but then I guess that maybe they like to come.
Oh, you know, they're dying because...
Um, we'll get on this right away.
All right, and if you think of anyone else to make it more happen, huh?
All right.
You know, some of our people.
Yes, it's a beautiful day here.
I hope you are.
You know, it is beautiful.
I haven't been out this pretty yet.
It's just beautiful.
I'm glad to be out of that dump.
Yeah.
Oh, good.
That's fine.
Okay, Lucy.
Thank you so much, Mrs. Nixon.
Oh, unless you've got else for us, I was going to ask you.
We will have a music board, of course.
Yeah.
I think it'll be fine.
Oh, you'll have a good time.
Good.
Thank you so much.
Bye.
NARA Description
Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon, Camp David operator, and Lucy A. Winchester talked on the telephone at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 12:01 am on June 2, 1973 and 3:33 pm on June 3, 1973. The Camp David Study Desk taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 185-001 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 185-1
Date: June 2, 1973 or June 3, 1973
Time: Unknown between 12:01 am on June 2, 1973 to 3:33 pm on June 3, 1973
Location: Camp David Study Desk
Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon talked with the Camp David operator and requested a call to Lucy A.
Winchester.
Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon talked with Winchester.
Winchester’s location
Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon’s return call
-Message
Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon conferred with an unknown person.
[Begin conferral]
Winchester
Decision [?]
[End conferral]
White House social affairs
-National Security Council [NSC] list for tea
-Victoria Tolbert [wife of William R. Tolbert, Jr.]
-State Department
Victoria Tolbert’s schedule
-Luncheon and dinner
-Walter E. Washington and Bennetta (Bullock) Washington
-Museum of African Art
-Spiro T. Agnew and Elinor I. (Judefind) (“Judy”) Agnew
-William P. Rogers and Adele Rogers
-Luncheon
- Spiro T. Agnew and Elinor I. (Judefind) (“Judy”) Agnew
-2-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 185-1 (cont’d)
-Blair House
-Public relations [PR] firm
-Washington Post
White House social affairs
-Victoria Tolbert’s tea
-NSC list of attendees
-Cabinet wives
-Bennetta (Bullock) Washington
-Kathy James
-Aminda (Badeau) Wilkins
-Mrs. William Conker
-African American Institute
-Mrs. John Johnson
-Whitney Young
-Joanne Wiggins
-Washington AFRO reporter
-Barbara M. Watson
-Mrs. Edward Brooke
-Celestine Juanita Cheek
-Wife of president of Howard University
-Doris Millicent (Scott) Brimmer
-Jewell S. La Fontant
-Mrs. Samuel Johnson
-Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD] [?]
-Doris Haley [wife of George W. Haley]
-United States Information Agency [USIA]
-Mrs. Howard Jenkins
-Teacher [?]
-Constance Veelman
-Mrs. Norman Kirschner
-Health, Education, and Welfare Department [HEW]
-Mrs. William Brown
-Bettye (Lovejoy) Scott [wife of Stanley S. Scott]
-Dr. Helen Edmonds
-United Nations [UN]
-Marian Anderson
-Mrs. William B. Thompson
-District Supreme Court judge’s wife
-Mrs. Barrington Parker
-3-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 185-1 (cont’d)
-Judge’s wife
-Elizabeth (“Betty”) Ford
-Marian (Chase) Scott [wife of Hugh Scott]
-Nikki Giovanni
-Award
-Liberian Party
-Victoria Tolbert’s three daughters
-Liberian ambassador’s wife [Mrs. S. Edward Peal or
Mrs. Melvin L. Manfull ?]
-Location and procedure
-Informal tea
-Receiving line
-Blue room
-Presentation of Victoria Tolbert
-Receiving line
-Wives of African Ambassadors
-Party for Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
-Racial make-up
-Victoria Tolbert’s perceived role in Africa
-Prestige
-Calls of invitation
-Timing
-Secretaries
-Attendees
-Anne L. Armstrong
-Racial make-up
-Mary T. Brooks
-Helen Bentley
-Frances Knight
-State Department
-Passport Division
-“Good Republican”
-Marina von N. Whitman
-Scheduling
-Racial make-up
Weather
*****************************************************************
-4-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 185-1 (cont’d)
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift. Segment
will remain closed.]
[Personal Returnable]
[185-001-w001]
[Duration: 14s]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
*****************************************************************
Winchester’s schedule
-Lucy [Winchester’s daughter]
Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon’s schedule
-Victoria Tolbert’s tea
-MusicAlso recorded on June 2, 1973
- 168-007 9:56 AM · 17 sec — Camp David operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:56 am and 10:07 am.
- 168-008 10:07 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone at Camp David from 10:07 am to 10:11 am.
- 168-009 10:19 AM · 10 min — Camp David operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:19 am and 10:29 am.
- 168-010 10:29 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:29 am and 10:54 am.
- 168-011 10:54 AM · 27 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:54 am and 11:13 am.
- 168-012 10:54 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:54 am and 11:13 am.
- 168-013 11:13 AM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone at Camp David from 11:13 am to 11:24 am.
- 168-014 11:24 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 11:24 am and 11:38 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 185-001, June 2, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/185-001 (accessed October 17, 2026).