Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 191 › Conversation 191-013

Nixon phone call with Woods on Moscow Summit and Staffing

Thursday, May 18, 1972 · 11:38 AM–11:42 AM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Woods, Rose MaryConversation191-013 on Tape 191 (tape position 00:38:13–00:41:31)StartThursday, May 18, 1972 at 11:38 AMEndThursday, May 18, 1972 at 11:42 AMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 191-013 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and his personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, discuss logistical preparations and travel concerns ahead of an upcoming trip to Moscow. The conversation shifts to the difficulties of funding support staff and personnel for official travel, specifically noting that government funds cannot cover these expenses for certain individuals. Nixon directs Woods to coordinate with other staff to finalize these arrangements, emphasizing the need for external financing.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Hello.
Were you back?
Yeah.
Well, it's too bad to have to go on such a journey, but these things are necessary.
Sure, sure.
How are you getting... Oh, I'm pretty busy.
I'm busy trying to do two weeks' work in two days.
It's a little hard, but it's coming along, coming along.
Are you getting all your stuff packed and so forth?
Yeah, there isn't much to do.
We have one Wi-Fi, I guess.
Oh, yes.
By the way, this is all short dresses.
Incidentally, you don't have to, I think, say anything to say to China, because it's the weather.
Well, it's warmer than China.
It's still darn cool.
No, but I mean it's in the 40s to the 50s rather than the 80s and 90s like it was when we were there before.
I checked the weather.
In the south, yeah, but around Moscow it's doggone.
You don't even worry about the warm weather.
The spring comes very late there in the summer.
Very, very late.
Well, anyway.
Sort of a mix.
We just can't get anybody to finance it.
Now that we've been around the track, we're taking several, but we have to just scrape the bottom receipt.
The Reader's Digest doesn't finance it anymore, and they've got two or three, and I...
You know, we've tried to do everything we could for our elders, but you just can't do it.
We just can't do it out of the government funds.
They can do it, so there's no problem getting an extra person.
I just talked about it a moment ago.
Raise it with him.
Because I know it's been raised, because I went over a whole list of people, and we scrounged around and getting people on, and normally couldn't go.
I mean, some of them, the rates are a little bit less than the others, not much, but, you know, getting them to do writing for various people.
But in Earl's case, see, the trouble is, we just can't get anybody to write because he won't get it done.
You know what I mean?
That's the problem that I adjusted, because we'd love to, but we just can't justify it.
if he's financed, if he's financed, that's fine.
Well, talk about if he's financed, sorry.

NARA Description

On May 18, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 11:38 am to 11:42 am. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 191-013 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 191-13

Date: May 18, 1972
Time: 11:38-11:42 am
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

The President talked with Rose Mary Woods.

[See Conversation No. 131-34]

[End of telephone conversation]

Also recorded on May 18, 1972

  • 131-032 11:34 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Camp David operator, and George P. Shultz talked on the telephone at Camp David from 11:34 am to 11:37 am.
  • 191-011 11:34 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 11:34 am to 11:37 am.
  • 131-033 11:37 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 11:37 am and 11:38 am.
  • 191-012 11:37 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 11:37 am and 11:38 am.
  • 131-034 11:38 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone at Camp David from 11:38 am to 11:42 am.
  • 131-035 11:42 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 11:42 am.
  • 191-014 11:42 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 11:42 am and 11:44 am.
  • 131-036 11:44 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David from 11:44 am to 11:45 am.

All 90 conversations from May 18, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 191-013, May 18, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/191-013 (accessed October 9, 2026).