Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 6 › Conversation 006-101
Nixon phone call with Andrews on Presidential speeches and Bicentennial
Friday, July 2, 1971 · 5:26 PM–5:33 PM ET · White House Telephone · 7 min
AI Summary
President Nixon consulted with John K. Andrews, Jr. to coordinate the final drafting and polishing of a televised speech scheduled for July 3. The President emphasized his desire to incorporate specific themes, including the declaration of the Bicentennial era and the importance of American spirit, while directing Andrews to recycle impactful phrases from previous addresses rather than seeking new material. Nixon instructed Andrews to refine a rough dictation into a 1,500-word text that maintained his personal oratorical tempo, setting a deadline for the revised draft to be ready by 9:00 p.m. that evening.
- Presidential speeches
- Bicentennial
- Speechwriting
- Public communication
- Oratory style
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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I have dictated some sort of a rough draft of a somewhat different approach.
It picks up some of your stuff, but puts it in a different context in terms of I want to get a little bit more on the peace issue in it.
And also it picks up some other lines that I've used in the past.
and she'll have it done in about a half hour.
I would like for you to take it and then see what you get down in terms of time.
Now, I understand that I have 12 minutes, so we're really talking about 1,500 words, 1,400 to 1,500 words, so it doesn't have to be that long.
Yes, sir.
It can't be over 1,500.
And this is not something I want it left...
I want it left pretty much in the same tempo and so forth as it is, because it'll fit my style.
But it essentially needs to be smoothed out and polished out.
Well, it needs smoothing and polishing, and you may find some of the other material that you've used or in sapphire draft or quarter-truth, it's good.
One thing that I want to do, I like to, what I am a great believer in is that when you have something good, a good line, it should be repeated exactly as it had been said.
You know, we always assume, well,
gee, this is news for the press, but we're not going to put this out to the press, say this is just going to be done for the television audience.
That's why I may pick up, I may decide to pick up the anecdote that I used for the clothes that I used at the J.C.'s
John Brown?
Yes, which I think could well fit the beautiful country thing, you know.
Exactly.
But you can see, and I'm also picking up something that this child, an 18-year-old valedictorian,
at a high school, made a little talk, and I'm picking up her quote, and I'm using your business about the unfinished picture.
I thought that was an interesting point.
Well, I think it's the idea that each of us can do it.
It's something that can do, but I think you can see how the unfinished picture would work with the clothes of the John Brown actor, because you remember the way I closed it.
I said that at a time when...
That is, we can be, we're in America, that this is a beautiful country and we all have the opportunity to make it more beautiful or something like that, you know, or something like that.
One other quote that I did not get in that I want you to find, I think it was used in the, I think I used it in the first State of the Union where I said,
It's a very good one Ray Price developed in its I want to use exactly as it is where I talk about opportunity where the American we cannot realize the American dream until each Each American has a chance to realize it in his own life Something like that.
Yes, just find that quote and work it in some place, sir Because I think it's a pretty good one you see the thing about that is that I that generally speaking in the whole speech-reading deal it's
I know that we always have a tendency to think we've got to have something new and we can't repeat anything for fear the press has heard it before.
We're not talking to the press, you see.
When you're talking on television, you're just talking to the country.
They haven't heard it before, and if they have, they've forgotten it.
You see what I mean?
Yes, sir.
And if it works, you might as well use it again.
If you've got a good line, you've got to keep repeating it so that people will, you know, they'll finally get it in their consciousness.
You've got to drum it in.
Right.
You don't just...
But you'll find this and you'll see what I'm trying to get at when it comes over.
So if you would work on that... Let's see, what time is it now?
5.30?
Yes, sir.
Maybe...
uh i i you could i'll be here uh say we'll it's 5 36 uh maybe by uh by uh 8 30 uh
should we say 8.30, about 9 o'clock, you'll get it by 6.
And could you have something about 9?
Yes, sir, I certainly can.
Three hours.
I don't think it's, you might have it sooner than that, but you'll see what I'm trying to get at.
And then we can polish and change around and so forth and so on, because I'm going to deliver it.
I'm going to read and, to a certain extent, ad lib a bit.
But, I mean, I will...
You will be using the notes, the text.
Well, I'll be using the text, and I may just read the text, but since it will be in my own lingo to a certain extent, I won't have to look at it too much.
Yes, sir.
So that's what I'm thinking of presently, rather than I was evening that or just going on and on.
winging it, except the time factor is so tight tonight that I'm not sure that I want to bother trying to get it down to 12 minutes.
I'm really not interested too much in saying anything
The only real news out of this I declare is in the prologue, which says I declare this to be the bicentennial era.
Yes, sir.
And so what is differing in here is our goals for the era, where I say I talk about peace first.
Our first goal is peace, and then we've got to lead in order to provide it.
And then the... And...
I'm not... And...
And then, of course, you talk about the goals at home, in the material sense, and then the fact that my old theme, that that isn't enough, you've got to have a little spirit, too, and that the spirit needs to be yak, yak, you know, a little of that.
Yes, sir.
And I come on with this child, and so forth.
Fair enough.
Well, I'll have something back to you at 9 then and be ready to work it over further.
I'll have Rose run this off.
As I say, this is very rough because I've been a little busy today, and I want to just, I think maybe you can take it and see what you can do with it, but leave it pretty much in the, as I say, try to get it in the same tempo and so forth, in the same organization, because the organization to me is,
And if some of it doesn't fit, I so indicate.
Okay?
Yes, sir.
And if you want to add something, if you think of something, I mean, look through all the stuff you've got, including the stuff you did on the American Spirit things.
I read through that, and you may find a line or two there that you'd prefer over what we've got.
And, you know, change around a little.
All right?
Yes, sir.
And I'll have it back to you at 9 then.
Bye.
Thank you.
Bye.
NARA Description
On July 2, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and John K. Andrews, Jr. talked on the telephone from 5:26 pm to 5:33 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 006-101 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 6-101
Date: July 2, 1971
Time: 5:26 pm - 5:33 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with John K. Andrews, Jr.
[See Conversation No. 260-18]
Draft of Presidential speech July 3
-Content
-Preparation by Rose Mary Woods
-Timing
-Tempo
-Smoothing, polishing
-William L. Safire's draft
-Anecdote closing
-John R. Brown III
-Cynthia Frink's valedictory speech
-Appropriate quotes
-Brown
-Repetition of statement in State of the Union
-Raymond K. Price
-Television audience
-Suspense date
-Speech delivery
-Content
-Bicentennial
-OrganizationAlso recorded on July 2, 1971
- 006-099 5:24 PM · 30 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 5:24 pm to 5:25 pm.
- 260-015 5:24 PM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:24 pm to 5:25 pm.
- 006-100 5:25 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 5:25 pm.
- 260-016 5:25 PM · 26 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 5:25 pm.
- 260-017 5:25 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 5:25 pm.
- 260-018 5:26 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John K. Andrews, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:26 pm to 5:33 pm.
- 006-102 5:33 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:33 pm and 5:39 pm.
- 260-020 5:33 PM · 19 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 5:33 pm and 5:39 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 006-101, July 2, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/006-101 (accessed October 5, 2026).