Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 3 › Conversation 003-153

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on White House social events

Thursday, May 27, 1971 · 8:09 PM–8:11 PM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Nixon, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan)Conversation003-153 on Tape 3 (tape position 03:44:56–03:46:22)StartThursday, May 27, 1971 at 8:09 PMEndThursday, May 27, 1971 at 8:11 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 003-153 ↗

President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon coordinate logistics for upcoming social obligations at the White House, specifically focusing on the guest list for an upcoming dinner and a reception for the 80th Congress. The couple discusses the venue arrangements for these events, including the First Lady's concerns regarding the logistical management of breakfast service. They ultimately agree on using an alternative space to avoid interference with serving preparations.

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Yeah.
Well, Pat, I want to tell you it's all worked out fine because we're only planning on 45 to 50 for Stag.
We're just going to invite the wives and make it a nice dinner of 90 people, perhaps.
That'll be it.
Good.
I think that's great.
And also, as far as the period between that and the wedding, the only other thing that we have planned
is the following night I have to give a reception, you know, for the 80th Congress people.
Is it going to be at the White House?
It'll be here, yeah, just a reception.
Yeah.
With the wives?
Wives, sure.
It's just a reception, though, and a cocktail.
That's all.
And then we...
Nothing else.
Turn it off.
Nothing else.
Nothing else except I'll have a breakfast now.
Yeah, but Dick, we even have to talk about that because there are ways to do it easily.
There's no breakfast scheduled except in the small room downstairs.
That's all.
Yeah, but they use that as a serving room when they have to clear it up.
No, no, no.
It's better to have it in another room.
Well, we'll do that too, but I don't think we have any plans.
I'm going to look it over.
Okay.
Because, you know, they have to clear all the serving apparatus out of there.
I know.
So it's better to have it just like in the bathroom.
Fine, we'll do that.
You know, something like that.
The bathroom is fine.
Because it's much more accessible.
Yeah, good.
Okay, bye.

On May 27, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 8:09 pm to 8:11 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-153 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 003-153

Date: May 27, 1971
Time: 8:09 pm - 8:11 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon.

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

     President's schedule
          -Dinner for Anastasio Somoza Debayle
                 -Attendees
          -Tricia Nixon's wedding
          -Eightieth Congress reception
          -Breakfasts
                 -Location
  • 003-154 8:11 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:11 pm and 8:19 pm.
  • 003-155 8:19 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John K. Andrews, Jr. talked on the telephone from 8:19 pm to 8:20 pm.
  • 003-156 8:20 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:20 pm and 9:05 pm.
  • 003-157 8:20 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:20 pm and 9:05 pm.
  • 003-158 8:20 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:20 pm and 9:05 pm.
  • 504-016 8:27 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:27 pm and 9:00 pm.
  • 504-017 8:27 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:27 pm and 9:00 pm.
  • 504-018 8:27 PM · 45 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John J. McCloy met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:27 pm and 9:00 pm.

Conversation 003-153, May 28, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/003-153 (accessed October 23, 2026).