Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 829 › Conversation 829-024

Nixon & Burger on Supreme Court and Republican Party leadership

Tuesday, January 2, 1973 · 8:56 AM–9:03 AM ET · Oval Office · 7 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Burger, Warren E.Conversation829-024 on Tape 829StartTuesday, January 2, 1973 at 8:56 AMEndTuesday, January 2, 1973 at 9:03 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 829-024 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Chief Justice Warren E. Burger engaged in a casual, wide-ranging discussion covering holiday activities, the complexities of judicial decision-making, and contemporary social issues. They also touched upon the ages of Congressional members and potential strategies for future Republican campaign leadership, including the appointments of George H.W. Bush and Bill Brock. The conversation concluded with administrative logistics regarding the upcoming inauguration and Burger’s role in administering the oaths of office.

Audio

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NARA Description

On January 2, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Warren E. Burger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:56 am to 9:03 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 829-024 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 829-24

Date: January 2, 1973
Time: 8:56 am - 9:03 am
Location: Oval Office

The President talked with Warren E. Burger.

[See Conversation No. 35-51]

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Yeah.
Hello.
Well, I understood you called yesterday on the new year, and I should have called you.
Yeah, yeah.
How are you?
How are you feeling?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, well, we got the, I got the, did you go to the games?
No.
I never go to those games, because the very why is that whenever there's sell-offs, I went to one in Oklahoma.
I mean, I mean, the Texas...
Arkansas about three years ago, and the problem was that it really caused so much commotion because over 100 people have to go when I go, 60 press and 40 Secret Service.
Well, that just takes 100 seats away from people that just died.
And you can see it in television.
I can't believe it.
I just saw it up there.
I was working up there, really.
The old ways that you came.
Of course, there's something to the excitement of hearing the audience and that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's right.
This is the time to actually, in these times, in periods like this when people are all gone, and I've just been in the office today, yesterday, and you've got a lot of paperwork that you just have to put aside and say, well, I'll do that someday when I get a few minutes.
You know?
I do it every time.
My box is my box.
It's just as clean as it can be.
Yeah.
Now you've got your mind clear so you can make the big decisions, huh?
Oh, boy.
Boy.
Uh-oh.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Good.
Good.
You're right.
Well, I...
I feel, of course, I'm a square, I'm like Gallagher, I'm a square.
On that, I mean, I mean a square in the sense that they just, it's a, I write those cases when I did the Hill versus Time thing, and, you know, because it relates to the whole freedom of wrestling, and let's face it, they're just on overboard, that's all.
There's always a question of balance, I mean, I, I mean, maybe you can, uh,
They say, they go back to the 16th century and stuff and say, well, what's wrong with that?
That was great art.
Well, the stuff today is not great art.
The stuff today is just, it's purpose.
What is that term?
Yeah, good God.
Oh, that was a round thing, wasn't it?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh, boy.
Isn't that something?
Well, do you have a, do you have a, do you have other decisions you'd like to make?
That's good.
The longer the better.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
Maybe we can get some legislation passed and get it out of the way.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Isn't that great?
Isn't that great?
Well, we'll try to give you one day if we ever get a chance to try to get another one.
I don't have, I have no ideas.
I understand that they, you know, you remember General McArthur's famous statement when he spoke in the Congress, I just put a little different thing in the Supreme Court, just to see the Supreme Court justices never die and they never fade away.
Right?
Yeah.
But you guys are.
I mean, my guys in their 60s are great.
But I'll tell you, let me say, I agree.
I think one of the problems in the Congress, I was looking over a list here of our good God.
I mean, we've got people over 70 that I haven't realized unless Aaron's still with us.
So they're too old.
They're too old.
You know what I mean?
Not because...
in a court that ain't conserved say the 75 because there it's a different kind of a thing but but at the congress i think we've got i think the house in the senate you want to be out of there because you know that's a murderous thing down there yep yeah all right nobody should run for the house that he's over 40 because he can't mount anything right for the first time i mean nobody should run for the senate for the first time
uh you see because you could you've got to see about the other thing that's sort of funny here i've been trying to preach this but george bush is going to help a lot in that respect he's a great choice for a chairman yeah well you see we've got bush in that point and then brock is going to be the senate campaign today man he's a young bigger skull and uh bill but brown you know uh
Clarence's son, who was just right at the time, he's going to do the house job.
Well, he's a big, smart, and not nearly as abrasive as Clarence, and almost as smart.
So I think we'll have a fine team getting candidates this time.
Well, well, my way to see you on the inauguration, I mean, you're the guy that I swear to you, you know.
Sure.
That's right.
That's right.
Well, actually, what happens is that the vice president actually normally does get somebody else.
I had Nolan swear me in in 56.
I don't know who did it the other time.
I forgot.
Nolan did it in 56.
But it's a matter of, it varies.
And I think it's really neater to have you do both.
Well, one of the beauties of my oath, you know, it's very short.
His is quite long.
His is the same.
You know the difference.
His is that long one, you know, that you give the senators.
But mine is very short.
I guess it's a good one.
I swear to God, both of them have the composition of the United States.
Yeah.
I do not even remember that.
Okay.

Also recorded on January 2, 1973

  • 035-051 8:56 AM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Warren E. Burger talked on the telephone from 8:56 am to 9:03 am.
  • 035-052 9:03 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:03 am and 10:15 am.
  • 829-025 9:03 AM · 48 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:03 am and 9:28 am.
  • 829-026 9:03 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:03 am and 9:28 am.
  • 829-027 9:03 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:03 am and 9:28 am.
  • 829-028 9:03 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:03 am and 9:28 am.
  • 829-029 9:03 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:03 am and 9:28 am.
  • 829-030 9:03 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:03 am and 9:28 am.

All 54 conversations from January 2, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 829-024, January 2, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/829-024 (accessed November 12, 2026).