Nixon White House TapesTape 8 › Conversation 008-098

Nixon phone call with Woods on Presidential gifts and Raymond Bell

Sunday, September 12, 1971 · 5:08 PM–5:14 PM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Woods, Rose MaryConversation008-098 on Tape 8 (tape position 04:21:30–04:26:23)StartSunday, September 12, 1971 at 5:08 PMEndSunday, September 12, 1971 at 5:14 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 008-098 ↗

President Nixon and personal secretary Rose Mary Woods discuss the success of the President’s recent church service and the large crowd in attendance. They deliberate on appropriate presidential gifts to present to Dr. Raymond Bell in recognition of his contributions. The conversation concludes with a decision to send Dr. Bell and his wife a selection of items, including cufflinks, a tie pin, a compact, and a decorative Lucite object.

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Hello.
Hello.
Hello, Mr. President.
How are you?
How was church today?
Just fine.
Oh, we had a huge crowd.
I know.
I thought about you.
That must have been awful having to shake hands.
No, no, it was fine.
We didn't mind.
Did old Dr. Bell make it?
He sure did.
Yeah, I told him.
We gave him names to give to you.
Yeah, so I got him, and I mentioned how much we appreciated what he was doing.
I wonder if we have sent him things like cufflinks or anything like that.
Marge is here.
We'll check that.
I think you ought to give him, maybe he's done so much, I'd give him cufflinks and give his wife a compact maybe.
And then maybe another thing that you might give him is, because he has done so much, do you think he probably doesn't smoke, maybe give him some of those glasses?
Well, maybe some of those.
They probably don't drink either, but you know what I think is awfully nice that we still have a few of, I think?
You know that Lucite thing that Marriott gave us some?
Right.
I think that's a beautiful thing.
I think he'd love something like that better even than glasses.
Right.
Give him that and the cufflinks, too, though.
Uh-huh.
That's good.
Because you can put that on his desk, you know?
Give him the cufflinks and the tie pin.
Okay.
And the Lucite thing and so forth.
Yes.
That's good.
Because I think he'd love that.
Well, that's fine.
That's fine.
you

On September 12, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 5:08 pm to 5:14 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 008-098 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 8-98

Date: September 12, 1971
Time: 5:08 pm - 5:14 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Rose Mary Woods.

[See Conversation No. 278-29]

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 32s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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

     Church service
          -Crowd
          -Dr. Raymond Bell's attendance
                -Presidential gifts
                      -Cuff links
                      -Marjorie P. Acker
                      -Mrs. Bell
                           -Compact
                      -Drinking glasses
                      -Lucite object
                      -Other gifts

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 1m 43s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

**********************************************************************
  • 008-095 4:58 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 4:58 pm to 5:02 pm.
  • 278-028 4:58 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:58 pm to 5:02 pm.
  • 008-096 5:02 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:02 pm and 5:08 pm.
  • 008-097 5:02 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:02 pm and 5:08 pm.
  • 278-029 5:08 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:08 pm to 5:14 pm.
  • 008-099 5:14 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 5:14 pm.
  • 008-100 5:15 PM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 5:15 pm to 5:31 pm.
  • 278-030 5:15 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:15 pm to 5:31 pm.

Conversation 008-098, September 12, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/008-098 (accessed September 18, 2026).