Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 3 › Conversation 003-149

Nixon phone call with Hanks on National Endowment for the Arts

Wednesday, May 26, 1971 · 7:35 PM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operator; Hanks, NancyConversation003-149 on Tape 3 (tape position 03:37:10–03:38:24)StartWednesday, May 26, 1971 at 7:35 PMEndWednesday, May 26, 1971 at 7:35 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 003-149 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon contacted National Endowment for the Arts Chairperson Nancy Hanks to congratulate her following his recent speech at an arts event. Hanks reported a highly positive reception from the audience regarding the President’s remarks and her own leadership. Nixon emphasized that the primary challenge moving forward is the effective implementation and distribution of arts funding rather than simply securing the budget.

  • National Endowment for the Arts
  • Arts funding
  • Public relations
  • Speech reception
  • Federal arts policy

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Hello?
Yes, sir.
Miss Hanks, please.
Thank you.
There you are.
Hello?
Hello?
Well, Len told me you survived your day.
Well, listen, I am down here with about a thousand people who think you are the greatest man in the entire world, not the United States.
That's because I know you.
No, not at all.
Well, everything went well, okay.
Oh, it went okay, not okay.
More than that, they were so thrilled with your response, what they'd been talking about.
And, you know, I've never been in a place with such a feeling of response.
It's just marvelous.
That's good.
Well, that's fine.
And you're wonderful and dear to call.
And, you know, I'm just so thrilled, my own self personally, to sort of be able to forward the aims you have.
The main thing is you've got to make it work now, you know.
Not just get the dough, but, you know, get it around, huh?
Oh, yes.
Okay.
I'll do it.
Thank you for coming.
And you give them all my best, please.
Certainly will.
I'll be just thrilled.
That's right.
And you get all the credit.
Bye.
Bye.
No, I don't.
You get it.
Bye.
I'm giving it to you.
Bye.

NARA Description

On May 26, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Nancy Hanks talked on the telephone at 7:35 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-149 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 003-149

Date: May 26, 1971
Time: 7:35 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 253-043]

     Call to Nancy Hanks

The President talked with Hanks between 7:35 pm and 7:36 pm.

     Arts events, May 26, 1971
           -President's speech
                 -Response
           -Hanks’ work

Also recorded on May 26, 1971

  • 003-147 7:10 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:10 pm.
  • 003-148 7:10 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:10 pm and 7:35 pm.
  • 253-038 7:10 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 7:10 pm.
  • 253-039 7:10 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 7:10 pm and 7:35 pm.
  • 253-042 7:35 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 7:35 pm.
  • 253-043 7:35 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Nancy Hanks met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 7:35 pm to 7:36 pm.
  • 253-044 7:36 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 7:36 pm and 9:39 pm.
  • 253-045 7:36 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 7:36 pm and 9:39 pm.

All 83 conversations from May 26, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 003-149, May 26, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/003-149 (accessed October 12, 2026).