Conversation 829-031

TapeTape 829StartTuesday, January 2, 1973 at 11:28 AMEndTuesday, January 2, 1973 at 11:46 AMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Bull, Stephen B.;  Woods, Rose Mary;  Acker, Marjorie P.Recording deviceOval Office

President Nixon met with Stephen B. Bull, Rose Mary Woods, and Marjorie P. Acker to review administrative and scheduling matters. The group discussed the President's attendance at the upcoming Harry S. Truman memorial service and protocols for receiving foreign officials, as well as the scheduling of a bipartisan congressional meeting regarding wage and price controls. Additionally, the President and his staff organized the inventory and placement of various Christmas gifts, including wine, antique artifacts, and personal items.

White House schedulingForeign policyWage and price controlsGift managementTruman memorial service

On January 2, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Rose Mary Woods, and Marjorie P. Acker met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:28 am to 11:46 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 829-031 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 829-31

Date: January 2, 1973
Time: 11:28 am - 11:46 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull.

       The President's schedule
            -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
            -Meeting with Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield
            -Recommended meetings
                  -Carl B. Albert
                  -Hugh Scott
            -Harry S. Truman’s memorial service

       Truman memorial service
           -Henry A. Kissinger's list of attendees
                -National Security Council [NSC]
                -Zalman Shazar
                -Jack Lynch
                      -Ireland
                -Kim Chong-pil
                      -Korea
                -Ambassadors
           -The President's meeting with foreign officials
                -Spiro T. Agnew
                -William P. Rogers
                -Kissinger
                      -Recommendations
                             -Shazar, Lynch, Kim
                -Reception
                      -State Department
                -Level of officials attending memorial
                      -Ambassadors
                                              -34-

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                      (rev. Sept.-08)

                                                           Conversation No. 829-31 (cont’d)

                       -Philippines
                             -Foreign Secretary
                       -Turkey
                             -Defense minister
                       -President of Israel
                  -Scheduling
                       -Shazar, Lynch, Kim
                       -Carlos P. Romulo
                       -Reception
                             -Location
                             -Luncheon
                       -Invitation to wives
                             -Lynch
                             -President of Israel
                       -Number of attendees
                       -Romulo
                       -Foreign Minister of Chad

      The President's meeting with George P. Shultz
           -Wage and price controls
                 -Meeting with bipartisan leaders of Congress
                       -Haldeman’s recommendation
                             -Scheduling
                       -William E. Timmons's recommendation
                             -Expansion of number of participants
                                   -Wage and Means Committee
                                   -Appropriations Committees
                                   -Briefing
                                         -Second term reorganization
                             -Scheduling
                                   -Louisiana trip

      The President’s schedule
           -Truman’s memorial service
           -Reception for foreign officials

Rose Mary Woods and Marjorie P. Acker entered at an unknown time after 11:28 am.

      Christmas gifts
            -Cases of wine
                                -35-

      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                          (rev. Sept.-08)

                                                Conversation No. 829-31 (cont’d)

      -Value
      -Delivery
      -New York
      -Tunisian wine
      -Donald McI. Kendall
      -Disposition
             -Manolo Sanchez
             -Rex W. Scouten
                   -Wine cellar
      -Quality
-Antique pottery
      -Russian origin
      -India, China
      -Use
      -Louis Nizer collection
             -Joseph Nizer
             -Home
                   -Museum
      -Good conversation piece
-Wine
      -Ronald W. Reagan
             -Chambourd Champagne
             -Scouten
      -Henry S. Kaufman
      -Makers
             -California
-Jewelry
      -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
      -Julie Nixon Eisenhower
      -Tricia Nixon Cox
      -Charms
      -Plaque
-Bob Gray
      -AM-FM clock radio
             -Disposition
                   -Executive Office Building [EOB]
-Other gifts
      -Disposition
             -Mrs. Nixon
                                              -36-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                      (rev. Sept.-08)

                                                        Conversation No. 829-31 (cont’d)

       Letters

       Christmas gifts
             -Disposition
             -Value

       Truman’s memorial service
           -Dean Francis B. Sayre's sermon
           -Hugo Black's funeral
           -Washington National Cathedral
                 -Dwight D. Eisenhower funeral
           -John F. Kennedy funeral
                 -St. Matthew’s Cathedral
           -The President's meeting with Timmons

       Christmas gifts
             -Disposition
                  -Pennsylvania
                  -Florida
                  -San Clemente, California

Woods and Acker left at 11:46 am.

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

However, there are a couple of matters that we may or may not consider.
In early December, you spoke to Senator
He wanted to meet with the senator.
He said, I'll work it out for you this week.
I'll work it out.
I'll do that.
I'll do that.
I'll get your answer right now.
The
Now, I'm skipping ahead to the front.
This is the Truman Room where God's point of view comes out.
Kids are to be put together.
Kids are to be put together.
We'll let the people who are coming.
I will not see them.
Just forget it.
There are two men to see who the president is already.
and Prime Minister Kim of Korea.
Basic plan is from there.
It says these are basically low-level people.
And so many of the representatives are going to be in-country ambassadors designated as their country's representative.
It's basically a low-level thing.
The idea was to have a...
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Recommended that you consider, at least consider, heading into today's session.
Do you have any particular comments?
No, sir.
Are these low-level people?
Excuse me.
They're low-level people, aren't they?
Yes, sir.
They are low-level people.
Low-level ambassadors.
Howard is secretary of the Philippines.
the defense minister of Turkey, and of course, the president of Israel really is a lower-level person.
Is it fact?
Are those the only kinds of government?
Yes, sir.
Now, there may be one or two others that will surface between now and perhaps Thursday, but they don't have it at the present time.
Yes, sir.
Well, another...
See, any of those three people I would not normally see.
They're not people that I would normally see.
It's probably less common other than having three or five.
I either have to see these three, and I'm afraid the pressure should go up even more than it should go up.
Probably rock and roll.
You see, the pressure should be on the COs.
I think the better thing is to just have a reception.
And have them all invited to the reception, and everybody will understand that I'm not having a fight.
But under cash, we don't really have a special idea of appointments with any of these.
then you would have that safe part of the recession here at the White House.
You could pay the recession.
No, no, no, don't pay.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
I'm not going to see that there's nothing to spend.
If it's going to take two hours, I can spend it.
I figured how I would do it either.
How I can best spend it.
If I can do it, I'm going to decide to take two or three hours.
I just may as well spend my two or three hours saving the property that I'm living in.
But if they want to have a lunch, that's what's necessary to get the safe part of the recession to stay true.
I know it's totally different.
I saw it, too.
It's there to keep you awake.
Well, I wish you the best of luck.
Uh, you were going through this with me.
I'm in development.
Don't invite wives, or, if you know what I mean, unless they
to give Lynch, for example, and the President of Israel, or to give Brodner, and all wives, to be invited.
Take a look.
The tree has to stay.
If you do not have it, I don't want to invite all wives and ambassadors to be invited.
It should be, it should be just the, I wanted to get the number, just the number that you saw on the other hand.
It might be better if you work on it today.
If the number gets to four or five hundred, put it over in the statement.
Because I can't look at it.
It was just the... See, some of these people have to send delegations.
The whole delegation has to come through.
So if you have the number, I didn't really want to do that.
So if I put the code front, let's see how long it would be.
How long?
We had to leave for lunch at 4 or 5 p.m.
This morning, essentially at 12, 30, I don't know, probably about an hour and a half.
No, I'm sorry.
Now, my point is, with that many people, see, the White House is not, it's awfully hard for us to get one of the 200 people in the United States to get facilitated.
So I would prefer, under the circumstances, they'd probably be, get the number that we'd have to have in that that we invited.
And lacking that, then I'll have to consider having three heads of state only.
But I will not have, I will not have any others, any others at lower levels.
It'll have to be seen by other people.
And there'll be no exceptions, because like, if you make an exception for Romero, then you'll have to make an exception for the Borghans, for Chagas,
You spoke to Secretary Shultz earlier in December about having five parts of the meeting discuss wage and price control.
Bob Baldwin, being aware of what your statement designs are, recommends that you consider having this wage and price control meeting this week.
You can't do it before the 4th.
You can't do it before the 5th.
You can't do it before the 5th.
Let me think about that.
I don't think I'll mention it.
Okay.
Yes, sir.
It's in the directives.
It says which time, what time, what time it should be done.
We also feel, as a recommendation, that this be slightly expanded through the Senate, where it needs appropriation to be combined in this session.
to expand it slightly so that those in the rest of the Congressman could be briefed on those portions of reorganization, which pertain to the office.
But we might have reorganization next week.
The Lieutenant's thought was that if we did it here, this would be- We can't do it the 3rd, we can't do it the 4th.
Possibly the 4th in the afternoon.
They'll be back in Louisiana?
I'm sorry, possibly the 5th in the afternoon on the Truman, on the day of the Truman memorial service.
Is there anything you want to add to that?
But this would hinge on what we have to do with the three distant Kansas states.
Well, if you do it.
Okay.
Let me check the time out.
You check the name.
It will depend upon us whether I have to do the reception or the other.
Okay.
So we'll see what we can do.
I don't know if I'm quiet.
Why don't you do it?
I saw a couple of cases
Well, the other, the case in there is, one case in there is donation wine.
I don't know if that's any good anyway.
And the other two cases are mine, one that's on a can of wine, one of a body of a neighbor, which I can thank for that.
Thank God.
But this, now this is just, just to be sure that it's kept.
Well, shouldn't I give this to Manolo to take it home?
Sure, just give it to Manolo.
Because there's six operators in our home.
You're right.
Give it to Manolo and tell him to... All right, we can get it over to Rex.
That's better.
Have Rex just put it on.
See, because they take things from there or something like that.
Well, Rex... See what I mean?
I don't want to know that it came to the main office.
What I mean is Rex can put it in our wine cellar there, and then whenever we go places, Manolo picks it up and makes the drink.
That's, that's a very good spot.
These are, they're really, and they're, yeah, they're old Russian, and there's a history on them.
Take a look at these hats.
I don't know if you can see them.
I don't know if you can hear them, but they're... You know, it's very good.
It's very good.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know.
It should be very good.
We had them at one dinner in Cleveland or something.
And they were both .
Oh, that was at .
And this is 6DC.
I'll keep this one.
I keep this one.
Yes.
I thought you might want to put it with the cup.
people now.
Well, there are only a few in existence now.
It's from 6 B.C., from India, and then it went, you know, to China.
And it used to be given, first it used to have a clog on it and with a back scratch.
Then they changed it to sort of clouds, they called it, and it's been given on very special occasions and it's called something that's not like who the A.G.U.D.
was.
And it means all of your heart to God.
This is from Louis' father's collection.
I saw Louis' collection.
Before he started to move around, right now, he's got an old big house.
Years and years ago.
The basement, he had the basement of his house.
God, just like a locker room.
You see it?
I'm going to keep it here at the present time.
Is there anything to say in here?
I'll take this.
I didn't want to just put it on the plane.
It's like a
What it means is all that your heart desires.
It's like a good-luck piece.
See, it's a good conversation piece.
That's what I like to have around.
That's what I'm talking about.
I mean, you should be managing your own.
Now, what do you have over there?
Twelve bottles of that Schramberg champagne from a dose of red.
And then twenty more bottles of this kind that I brought you in from...
I think you can get the champagne, you know, to send it direct to, you know, you can get it to serve some, you know, on a boat trip.
So if they serve help, they don't do it straight in, but it's perfectly added to other things.
Do you think so?
I think that's how long you want to put in some of the champagne, put in some of the air?
I don't drink either, so I'm retiring.
Here, here, here.
I think that's the best I can get on any of that.
Look, these are Maytimes.
And you know, we have to send over Pat, a charm, and Patricia and Julie, a charm, just like that.
And then there's a plaque, which I suppose goes to Pat, just a little one.
I would wear one with my lightness on it, with these, you know.
Yeah, this is a very, very special thing.
I don't know, I've been trying to figure out how it works, but this is a remote control, but if you're sitting somewhere and you can't see the clock, you just push it, and it tells you since the president's the time is, whatever the time is.
So I didn't want to hook it up until we got where you wanted to hook it up.
Or where you want to hook it up.
I'm sure he's down somewhere.
He's going to see you on the back.
I think that's the place on top of the little, is it a radio station?
Yes, it's AM-SM radio.
Good.
I need a... Oh, there, I'm talking about the attention.
Good.
Now, if nobody looks at us, we know what they're doing.
And those, I think, are just beautiful things.
Yeah, if you didn't pack the rest of those things in the house, probably not.
Oh yeah.
Well, in order to do it, I didn't ask her to do it.
I don't think she can.
Let me give you the letter.
Take half of the little bit piped out of the card and then put it out.
That's what you test on them.
Leave that for a month.
And then put these out.
And, uh, the light.
This thing, of course, is the most valuable by far.
Anything from that started working.
I wish we had some excuse for him to go into that darn cathedral and pray.
You know, that sayer who delivered the eulogy to Truman.
And we'd probably get lynched.
He'll give a piece, Tom.
If I don't mind that, I just don't want to get lucky.
Remember when I said we went to Black's General and they got me to go to that?
That's the whole priest.
Priests are so bad.
Oh, yeah.
Remember?
Remember Hugo Black's?
Right out there.
I'll tell you, whenever I'm here, if you say something that's offensive, nothing ever be done to that Washington Cathedral.
If anything ever happens to you, absolutely nothing.
Well, say it's no good.
Say it's no good, you know what?
Say it.
But you know what I mean?
They're not our people.
Remember, I had his out there.
I didn't think it was all that good.
I just didn't think it was.
I thought the Kennedy one, the whatever, Massey, it was much better.
Much better.
Well, those other ministers get so involved in making themselves a big focal point.
Okay, I'll get the...
I'll get the... You keep those little flags.
Those are... You don't think we should break out of them sometime, should we?
Yeah, you should.
Maybe they should go out to... Maybe when you go to Santa Maria, they should go out there.
You're right.
Let me go.
Okay.