Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 1 › Conversation 001-043

Nixon phone call with Gosden on Vietnam War and Presidential speeches

Wednesday, April 7, 1971 · 11:14 PM–11:21 PM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Gosden, Freeman F., Jr.Conversation001-043 on Tape 1 (tape position 01:28:30–01:34:02)StartWednesday, April 7, 1971 at 11:14 PMEndWednesday, April 7, 1971 at 11:21 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 001-043 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 408403785 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon speaks with Freeman F. Gosden, Jr. to check on his health following surgery and to solicit feedback regarding a recent televised speech on the Vietnam War. Gosden praises the President's sincerity and effectiveness, particularly his emotional inclusion of Medal of Honor recipients at the conclusion of the address. The two also discuss the film industry, with Nixon advocating for self-reform, lower production costs, and the reduction of explicit content in movies.

Audio

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NARA Description

On April 7, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Freeman F. Gosden, Jr. talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:14 pm and 11:21 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 001-043 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 1-43

Date: April 7, 1971
Time: Unknown between 11:14 pm and 11:21 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Freeman Gosden.

     Greetings

     Reaction to President's speech on Southeast Asia
          -Tone
          -Floyd Ablum
          -Ending
                -Medal of Honor winners
                      -Mrs. Karl Taylor
                      -Kevin Taylor
          -Reaction

     Vietnam
          -President's policy
                -Dwight D. Eisenhower

     President’s previous speech

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

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 02/12/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[001-043-w003]
[Duration: 1m 21s]

     Freeman Gosden’s golf skills
          -Upcoming golf plans
               -Surgery
          -Freeman Gosden’s son
               -Skills

     Freeman Gosden’s health
          -Surgery
          -Doctor’s statement

     The President’s well wishes to Freeman Gosden’s family

     The President’s prior meeting with Freeman Gosden

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

     Movie industry
         -President’s meeting
         -Taft Schreiber
         -Self reform
         -Costs
         -Samuel Goldwyn

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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I have Mr. Freeman Gosden, sir.
Oh, yeah.
Here you are.
Hello.
Go ahead.
Hello, Mr. President.
Freeman, I understand you haven't been well.
I just wanted to say that I...
naturally um and worried but beyond that i heard you called about the speech and i just wanted to thank you for it well i'm going to tell you about that very because you're you're you know you called me after the fun speech in 1952 and you were so great and i just what do you honestly think well i'm going to tell you it was the most sincere job that you've ever done do you really think that i really do you were very sincere and as i was just telling floyd adlam
Oh, yeah, you're there at his house, aren't you?
Well, give them my best, will you?
I certainly will.
I was telling him that usually your greatest is when you're surrounded by 75 or 100 newspaper men.
They're throwing curves at you, and you can't answer it.
But I said tonight, for some reason, it was the most effective, and you did it so softly and so nicely, and you delivered it.
It was a reassurance of the whole damn thing.
You think it got through?
I want to tell you another thing, too.
At the end of that thing, I found myself... Well, actually, as a matter of fact, Freeman, I want to tell you a little secret.
You keep this between you and me.
Right.
When I presented this, you know, I presented 12 Medals of Honor to the next of kin, to a father, to a mother, and then to this little woman, you know, and...
When that little boy saluted me, that four-year-old, I broke up.
Nobody saw it because there was no press there, and I couldn't really...
It came over the night that way.
I hope it wasn't too emotional.
Nobody knew it, and nobody thought it was mushy.
Somebody said, that was a very sweet thing he said at the end.
Somebody else said, wasn't that a nice thing?
They didn't mind it, huh?
No, and I just found a tear running down my cheek.
Well, I'll tell you.
But you know, Freeman, the thing we've got to remember is that that's what this is all about.
It's what the president, President Eisenhower, used to always think of, what I think of.
God damn it.
We just want to end this son of a bitching war in a way that our kids can have a chance to grow up in a world of peace.
And if we bug out, hell, they're going to have war.
Right.
And I saw this in your telegram this morning, but I said I better keep my nose out of it.
I like an expression like, if you ever get to it, that not an American...
A friend, a relative, a son, or anybody that you know that is American will fight on foreign soil if I can help it.
That's right.
And that's what you, it's just lit.
You did it so sweetly tonight.
So I said, I don't see how you can gill that lily.
Well.
You did a hell of a job.
Well, coming from a pro like you, I appreciate it.

— 1 min 21 s with no transcribed speech —

incidentally uh if you got a minute yeah i thought that it was good that i met with the movie people and tried to say by god we're for you kids but we you know we're gonna do the best we can yeah they need to clean their own house though huh i was going to say that to you but i didn't want to get in trouble with past driver any of the boys i know but here's the thing uh i think i've got uh you say you want something
And you control this whole industry.
Why don't you clean your own place and get these dirty pictures off?
Get the dirty pictures off and also get the goddamn cost down so they can compete.
That's right.
The unions are going to... No, I couldn't agree more.
That's why when I went out to see Goldwyn, you know, I praised him for the fact that he didn't produce any dirty pictures.
Of course, he would have if he had been in that period, but he didn't this, at least while we were there.
Yeah, that's right.
I tell you, the picture business is something else.
When you get into that, I hope you've got your eyes open what you're doing there.
Because that is a real tricky...
I know it is.
I know it is.
Well, before we do anything, we'll call you.
One of these days, I'll send you some...
I've got a couple of ideas that might do a little bit for you.
Good.
Good.
But in the meantime, by God, you keep your spirit up, boy.
We're all with you, you know?
Sir, you're sweet to call.
All right.
Bye.
I'll tell Floyd hello for you.
Bye.
Goodbye.

Also recorded on April 7, 1971

  • 001-036 11:12 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Hobart D. Lewis talked on the telephone at 11:12 pm.
  • 001-037 11:13 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 11:13 pm to 11:14 pm.
  • 001-038 11:14 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:14 pm and 11:21 pm.
  • 001-039 11:14 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:14 pm and 11:21 pm.
  • 001-040 11:14 PM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:14 pm and 11:21 pm.
  • 001-041 11:14 PM · 30 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:14 pm and 11:21 pm.
  • 001-042 11:14 PM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:14 pm and 11:21 pm.
  • 001-044 11:14 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:14 pm and 11:21 pm.

All 79 conversations from April 7, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 001-043, April 7, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 408403785). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/001-043 (accessed October 29, 2026).