Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 699 › Conversation 699-003

Nixon, Woods & Bull on Campaign finance and Family history

Friday, March 31, 1972 · 11:20 AM–11:40 AM ET · Oval Office · 21 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Woods, Rose Mary; Bull, Stephen B.Conversation699-003 on Tape 699 (tape position 01:09:20–01:29:56)StartFriday, March 31, 1972 at 11:20 AMEndFriday, March 31, 1972 at 11:40 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 699-003 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417181137 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with his personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, and assistant Stephen B. Bull to address various administrative tasks and personal matters. The discussion covered the disposition of presidential gifts, the handling of sensitive campaign finance inquiries involving C. Arnholt Smith, and the scheduling of upcoming events, including a meeting with the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control. Additionally, the group reviewed family photographs and handled correspondence, with the President providing guidance on how his staff should respond to unsolicited mail and inquiries.

Audio

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NARA Description

On March 31, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:20 am to 11:40 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 699-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 699-3

Date: March 31, 1972
Time: 11:20 am - 11:40 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Rose Mary Woods.

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[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 09/29/2022. 1m
52s segment cleared for release with three segments of 2m 32s, 49s, and 1m 46s remaining closed
as 699-003-w001 and 699-003-w005, and 699-003-w006 respectively.]
[Personal Returnable]
[699-003-w001]
[Duration: 1m 52s]

     Unknown girl
         -Arm
              -Injury

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[699-003-w001]
[Duration: 2m 32s]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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     Pen

     Dinner
          -Dr. William O. Chase
               -Evening at the White House
               -The President’s opinion

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal Returnable]
[699-003-w005]
[Duration: 49s]
Show the rest of the log (155 more lines)
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5

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    Julie Nixon Eisenhower
          -Television appearance

    Old Russian coin
         -Baron Guido Zerilli-Marimo
         -Location
              -Executive Office Building [EOB]

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Personal Returnable]
[699-003-w006]
[Duration: 1m 46s]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6

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    Disposition of gifts to the President

          -Head of State gifts

     Call from C. Arnholt Smith
           -1968 campaign
                -Corporate funds
                     -[Life article of March 24, 1972]
                     -Yellow Cab Company

     Parades
          -Gen. Robert E. Cushman, Jr.
          -Timing
               -Election

     Letters to the President
           -Unknown man
                 -Unemployed

     Department of Commerce
         -William Peterson
              -Economics
              -U.S. Steel
              -Raymond K. Price, Jr.
                    -Daughter
                          -Writing [for Julie Nixon Eisenhower and Tricia Nixon Cox]

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 09/28/2022.
Segment will remain closed.]
[Personal Returnable]
[699-003-w002]
[Duration: 1m 44s]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 11:20 am.

     The President's schedule
          -Meeting
               -National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control
                      -Chairman and Vice Chairman
                            -Press photograph
                      -Presentation
                      -Gifts
                      -Richard E. Bland
                      -W. Howard McClennan
                            -International Association of Fire Fighters

Bull left at an unknown time before 11:40 am.

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 09/28/2022.
1m 24s segment cleared for release. 2m 4s remain closed as 699-003-w003.]
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[699-003-w003]
[Duration: 2m 4s]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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[Personal Returnable]
[699-003-w003]
[Duration: 1m 24s]

     Photographs
          -The President’s opinion
          -Julie Nixon Eisenhower
          -The President’s opinion
          -Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon

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     Note
            -Arnold Reston
                 -Honore Daumier prints
                      -The President and Henry A. Kissinger
                      -Description
                      -Camp David

     Letters
           -Salutation
                -“Ms.”
                       -Compared to “Miss” or “Mrs.”

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[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 09/28/2022.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[699-003-w004]
[Duration: 3m 34s]

     Business practice [?]

     The President’s request
          -Staff

     Jay [surname unknown]

     William F. (“Billy”) Graham

     Painting [?]

     William F. (“Billy”) Graham

     Photographs of the President’s family
          -Date and location
               -The President’s great-grandfather
                     -Indiana
          -Hannah Milhous Nixon
          -The President’s grandmother
          -The President’s great-grandmother

           -Date of photograph
           -The President’s grandfather [?]
           -The President’s great grandmother
           -Handling

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Woods left at 11:40 am.

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.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Okay, how do you have it?
All right.

— 2 min 41 s with no transcribed speech —

I put him down for the June 15th one.
We invited him one time for an evening at the White House, too, and they regret it.
He came in at a time a little better.
But he is, you know, I'm really, really, really fortunate.
We probably have one or two, he's probably around the top.
Oh, I'm sure he is.
And Bruce Weissman.
Well, yes, this is one.
They were just definitely for Chinese kids.
The president and the president.
I see it has the Chinese
The reason I wanted to speak with Julie is to insult all of our audience.
She is good.
I don't mean to say we don't know that she's good.
I mean, you know, good God does.
Really?
And this is old Russian coin.
And I'm sure this is, you know, because you can see both sides.
Would you like that over in the EOB office or anywhere?
Or just put it in the...

— 1 min 48 s with no transcribed speech —

Well, I don't know.
I just know... Well, you can pull whatever you want out of the other.
It's just so hard, and then when you're... Well, you can do whatever you want with that.
I don't think he can, but they can use you to plant his fake gift.
His fake gift.
If anything else he can do.
Our home president called me the other day and just wanted me to be sure and tell you that he wanted to tell you that no corporate funds were used, you know, in your business.
He just, you know, he just picked it up.
See what they're saying is that he got it from a cab company and so forth and all this and that, and he just...
I told him I would sometime in the future.
Cushman's asking you, and I'm going to tell the people you went, this is one of those, you know, they bring in all their officers, and then they have one of those special parades at the barracks.
You wouldn't go to that one, too.
It's in July.
I don't know.
I'd love to, but I don't know.
I know.
I'll be out in the election.
I will not do anything to that service.
Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
Unfortunately.
Yeah, here's a letter that I think you would enjoy reading.
I'll take it over to you.
It's to me.
But it's from a fellow who lost his job and so forth.
And he had written a letter to the paper.
I'd like it back because I'm writing again.
I'm writing right away.
I just would like you to read how good he is.
Thank you.
I guess you know Bill Peterson is now a senior economics man at the Department of Commerce.
You know the Bill Peterson who used to be with USDA?
And I had talked with Ray about that good-looking and bright daughter who's maybe helping out writing stuff.

— 1 min 47 s with no transcribed speech —

the fire commission group is here all the way out.
So I might recommend that we do this if we haven't before and we'll step in the back and we'll just assemble them here with the chairman and the vice-channel in the center.
We can stand in the middle for the press photographs so you won't have to see any of the photos.
Each one.
Yeah, of course.
But I was going to say, with the press photographs, it's kind of tough.
What if they didn't pretend to act?
Yes, they wouldn't have to be there.
They're photographing Nelson Park, and they want to say, fine, otherwise.
Because there's a couple of weeks that they go out, and the chairman, who's being planned, and the vice chairman, who's really more important, is the head of the fire department.
We'll go out to the press room.
Where are you from?
McLennan.
I'm W. Howard McLennan.
International Association of Firefighters.
That's where I'm from.
You're right.
They can wait.
They're on top of it.
I don't think they got this.

— 2 min 8 s with no transcribed speech —

He did work.
He did soften up some.
Now he was crushed by this comment story.
No, he didn't do it.
Julie did it gruesomely.
As an artist, of course, it's hard to do these things.
This side is fine.
The profile is wrong.
It's hard to get the front.
That is not accurate.
I mean, it is not a...
There's too much of the upper lip and the nose.
This is right.
This side is fine.
I'll just accept it, actually.
Okay.
Fine.
I want to work all the people here.
Nice job.
You did the best you could.
Yeah.
We have a buddy here to talk with you, one of those to tell Packard of your great interest in college.
I think we've done a bunch of with you, haven't we?
Oh!
I thought it was just what I was doing.
I didn't mean to bring it up.
There's a note here a man, Arnold Redson, wanted to give you, and his passenger, I guess.
Uh, a pair of original, dominating silo, I don't know, dominant, C-A-E-R-9-E-S. Now they were got, uh, silo, and I'm about to fire some out, but we wanted to, we just turned it down.
What the hell is this?
Yeah, I don't know, maybe it's made of this.
But I don't know why they think they can take a chance on anything.
I mean, personally, I don't know.
Find out what it is, and it's all right.
How do you feel about letters from people who sign their name in it, and then they have to answer their letter for me?
I just do it.
No, I suppose they have to answer.
I just say they're a mess.
Okay.
In every instance.
If they don't like it, they're a mess, then okay.
That's right.
I just say they're a mess.
Okay.
Very good.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I can do three of them.
I think there should be some, but I don't know.
No sad people.
I'm going to do a lot of them.
I'm going to do a lot of them.
Now, the only ones I've got, Jason, Billy Graham.
That was the beginning of my life.
That I will not do.
Oh, that is a good question.
I didn't keep wanting to say that.
Billy Graham.
Yeah.
I should do.
Yeah.
Well, the reason is that you did go to Graham before.
That's what I'm saying.
Oh, this is... That's your family.
That's from the gentleman with the vest in his face.
That's your grandmother.
I don't understand.
And if you don't want to, she said that back then.
I didn't want to say that.
Of course you didn't.
The picture was taken in 1887 at great-grandfather's home.
Do you know what you get to say to father when you're in Indiana?
Great-grandfather in Indiana.
Your mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother are in the picture.
She needs to get her clothes right worn by the 18th.
She said that she'd like me to take her out of here.
1887, your mother would have only been about six.
That might be my grandmother.
Okay, do you want me to leave him now or I'll bring him in later?
All right, sir.

Also recorded on March 31, 1972

  • 699-001 10:13 AM · 1 hr — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, Manolo Sanchez, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:13 am to 11:14 am.
  • 699-002 11:14 AM · 24 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:14 am and 11:20 am.
  • 699-004 11:42 AM · 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Richard E. Bland, W. Howard McClennan, Louis Amabali, Lt. Tommy Arevala, Perce Bugbee, Dorothy S. Duke, Ernst R. G. Eckert, Roger M. Freeman, Robert Hechtman, Albert E. Hole, John F. Hurley, John L. Jablonsky, Keith E. Klinger, Dr. Anne W. Phillips, John A. Proven, Baron Whitaker, William J. Young, Howard D. Tipton, Clayton Willis, George T. Bell, James Casey, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:42 am to 11:59 am.
  • 699-005 11:59 AM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:59 am to 12:00 pm.
  • 699-006 12:00 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Eugene S. Cowen, Richard K. Cook, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:00 pm to 12:02 pm.
  • 699-007 12:02 PM · 1 hr 39 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, Rose Mary Woods, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:02 pm to 1:58 pm.
  • 699-008 2:00 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, Rose Mary Woods, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:00 pm to 2:05 pm.

Cite this conversation

Conversation 699-003, March 31, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417181137). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/699-003 (accessed November 1, 2026).