Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 337 › Conversation 337-024
Nixon & Woods on Vietnam War and Public opinion
Wednesday, May 10, 1972 · 3:35 PM–3:55 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building
AI Summary
President Nixon and Rose Mary Woods discussed administrative logistics, including the distribution of commemorative gifts from recent events, and reflected on his recent Duke Law School reunion. The conversation transitioned into a review of domestic and international reaction to Nixon's speech regarding the blockade and mining of North Vietnam, noting high public approval ratings. The two also exchanged views on the erosion of American social institutions, the mistreatment of Vietnam veterans, and the perceived influence of left-wing ideology in American schools.
- Vietnam War
- Nixon administration
- Public opinion
- Duke Law School
- Domestic policy
- Commemorative gifts
Audio
Download MP3 (part 1) · 111.4 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 112.2 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 80.2 MB
This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 03:54:37 into the tape and ends around 04:10:46.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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· Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.
3:56:54Wow.
3:57:20These are the, you know, the three things.
3:57:23They used one for the official party and unofficial, and I had one for the press, and I gave them one for the technician.
3:57:32And then they made up, I think that's for you, I don't know.
3:57:38They used a pair of cufflinks out of the official team.
3:57:42And tied it.
3:57:54That's very nice.
3:57:55Oh, that's very nice.
3:57:56That's very nice.
3:57:57That's very nice.
3:57:58That's very nice.
3:58:29Well, we sort of did that last week, but I stopped around.
3:58:32Oh, I thought, um... You want these put anywhere or just put away?
3:58:36Um... Well, I'll tell you, the cup next to me should be...
3:58:38I'm aware of this.
3:58:39Yeah, I am.
3:58:40Easy.
3:58:59Oh good, I bet he was so pleased to hear that.
3:59:02He was so mad that he wasn't out of room.
3:59:05Time to get your call yesterday.
3:59:29Oh, look at him, all of them.
3:59:30No, you know, I couldn't believe it when I saw the pictures of some of them.
3:59:33I thought they were in school with you.
3:59:59I think some of them look a lot older than I do, but maybe yes.
4:00:05Oh yes, they do.
4:00:06So if you had a boring life, and there's probably a lot of dissipate, and if you don't have something with enthusiasm to keep up, I think that's when people start looking a lot older.
4:00:24They're having a great time.
4:00:27I'm sure they do.
4:00:41Right, we heard it.
4:01:04He was very pleased.
4:01:05He was pleased.
4:01:05He thought it came off wrong.
4:01:07He thought it was just beautifully done.
4:01:08He was very, just very pleased about it.
4:01:09Well, we continue to get there.
4:01:10We continue to get there.
4:01:10The reaction rate is cold, over 70%.
4:01:11That's fantastic.
4:01:12The world is something that we've got to try to lessen.
4:01:14We need to get it, folks.
4:01:33I thought what was wrong.
4:01:34I stirred up.
4:01:35Madeline's a good kid.
4:01:36All of these kids, they're just waiting for any excuse to try and do something on Madeline.
4:01:39I think most of those kids are dead.
4:01:41Oh, I think so.
4:01:55I think everyone, no matter what they feel about it, there's just people rioting.
4:02:01And the other thing, when they go around breaking windows and trying to set fire to places, the best doesn't get anybody anywhere, I don't think.
4:02:13People resent that.
4:03:54Oh.
4:03:55Oh, that's better.
4:03:56And then you have to give it.
4:03:58You have to write it for something else.
4:04:25He's gotten off somewhere, he doesn't make a call.
4:06:18Oh.
4:06:18Oh, that would be better.
4:06:20Yeah.
4:06:21And then you have to give it to your band up.
4:06:24You have to write it for someone else.
4:06:25Yeah.
4:07:18I can't take everybody home, that's the problem.
4:07:20I have a car too.
4:07:20Nobody anymore thinks I'm away when I can't take them.
4:07:22Because I know that's where I can speak to the plants.
4:07:23Hello?
4:07:47The thing that a couple of people are calling us to say is the same thing here.
4:07:54It's one of the many houses that has come to us seven or eight years ago.
4:07:57Yeah.
4:08:02And it's funny to think that Kennedy's caught, you know, they, they, the people are thinking.
4:08:07Well, God damn it, Kennedy's had the first 35,000 people in there.
4:08:10First.
4:08:10First.
4:08:10And Don Hughes said that, you know, he's made me talk to a team of other people, you know, kind of worked upon that.
4:08:19He did.
4:08:21He thought that everything was great.
4:08:24He said that he wanted to tell you, he was so proud of it.
4:08:28He remembers that in 1965, he met your peer, the mayor of Iowa, and he talked about, every time, that Tompkins, Gulf of Tompkins, Tompkins Berry thing.
4:08:36That you said that was what should be done.
4:08:39Sure.
4:08:39The two of you agreed with that.
4:08:42Well, I said it should be mine.
4:08:43That was something that fell many years ago, and you had to go
4:09:22That's right.
4:09:22And they're where they know.
4:09:24And I think, I think the fact that people, they're all gone like she said, and it's from our conference on Sunday.
4:09:31I think they are, I think it's terribly hard on the fighting man the way our idiots have behaved.
4:09:37Not now as much as even all along they've done.
4:09:40They've tried to erode any morale they could have.
4:09:43Yeah, well, I'm talking to Julie about it.
4:09:57You know what they want?
4:10:01They want all of the benefits of a great country.
4:10:10They want to remain free.
4:10:14They want to be able to kick everybody around and strike.
4:10:19You can't do it, but they couldn't do what they do here in Indiana.
4:10:28I'll tell you, it really is.
4:10:29It's gone and gone like when it's iconic.
4:10:31It's right back to it.
4:10:32It's iconic.
4:10:33It's infiltrated our whole way of life, years ago.
4:10:37I mean, it is there in all the schools there.
4:10:42Oh, McCarthy was right.
4:10:43Oh, McCarthy was right.
4:10:45If he hadn't been so hard.
NARA Description
On May 10, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:35 pm to 3:55 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 337-024 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 337-24
Date: May 10, 1972
Time: 3:35-3:55 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Rose Mary Woods.
Gifts
-Official party, unofficial party, technicians
-Cufflinks, tiebars
Duke Law School reunion
Gifts
-Cufflinks
-Placement
-President's use
Manolo Sanchez
-Health
-Telephone call from the President
Dinner for law school classmates
-Appearance of classmates compared to President
-Entertainment
-President's remarks
-Caspar W. Weinberger's comments
Vietnam
-Blockade
-President's speech
-Public response
-Polls
-Protests
-Violence
-Public response
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 36s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
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President's previous speech on Vietnam blockade and mining
-Drafting
-Walter H. Annenberg
-Call
President's schedule
-Camp David
-Miami
-Camp David
Vietnam
-President's previous speech on blockade and mining
-Response
-John F. Kennedy
-Initial US involvement
-Gen. James D. (“Don”) Hughes
-Tonkin Gulf incident
-President's comments
-American soldiers
-Congress
-Lack of support for General infantry [GIs]
-President's policies
-US role in the world
-Critics
-Communists and left-wing
-Joseph McCarthy
American society
-Schools
-Religion
-Protestants
-Catholics
-Presbyterians
Camp David
-Bowling
-Birch Lodge
Ernest F. Hollings
-Future
People's Republic of China [PRC] ping-pong team
A Chinese artifact
Woods left at 3:55 pm.Also recorded on May 10, 1972
- 024-066 3:55 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:55 pm and 3:59 pm.
- 337-025 3:55 PM · 2 min — 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 3:55 pm and 3:59 pm.
- 337-026 3:55 PM · 36 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:55 pm and 3:59 pm.
- 024-067 3:59 PM · 30 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 3:59 pm to 4:00 pm.
- 337-027 3:59 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:59 pm and 4:00 pm.
- 024-068 4:04 PM · 27 sec — Charles W. Colson, White House operator, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:04 pm and 4:25 pm.
- 337-028 4:04 PM · 1 hr 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, unknown person(s), H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, White House operator, and Arthur F. Burns met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:04 pm and 5:45 pm.
- 339-001 4:04 PM · 24 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:04 pm to 5:45 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 337-024, May 10, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/337-024 (accessed October 13, 2026).