Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 10 › Conversation 010-123
Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on White House Social Events
Thursday, October 7, 1971 · 11:51 AM–11:56 AM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min
AI Summary
President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon coordinate their respective schedules, specifically focusing on upcoming social obligations and White House church services. The President decides to bypass a wedding reception for Helen Thomas to avoid excessive public exposure, delegating the attendance to their daughter Tricia and her husband, Edward Cox. Additionally, they discuss streamlining the receiving line protocols for future church services to manage the President's time more efficiently.
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data
· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Each line starts with a timestamp button; press it to play the audio from that point.
Yeah.
Mrs. Nixon?
Hi, Dick.
Hello.
I was just being sure that our schedules were on.
On that 16th, is that the day of the Helen Thomas thing?
Yeah.
I think the better thing is there because of the fact that it might get me into going to other receptions.
I think basically that, you know, Tricia's coming and that maybe you ought to go since you're not going to give her a shower if you're willing to go.
But I don't think I should go since I, you really have sort of already blessed the darn thing, you know what I mean, in the White House.
In other words, I've done this and if I just go to the reception, I don't, my problem is that I don't want to be too close to that many people.
newsmen and so forth on a social basis too you know on that thing now does that sound all right to you sure so you go tricia goes and julie will go see but that i will not go sure julie's going to be here i don't know she isn't going to be here she isn't going to be here no but just you and tricia but that's a tremendous thing for them and they feel they feel totally
I can assure you, Helen Thomas and Doug Cornell feel we've really done it.
I mean, they've got an enormous play, and we've been there.
And I don't really think that you need to give one thought to going.
I really don't think you need to.
Well, I can go to...
There's something for her every day and night.
Maybe go to one of the others.
You might just slip in on one.
Yeah, like Helen Smith's giving one.
If Helen Smith is giving one, I really think that...
Well, somebody that's a very good friend that you'd like to do for somebody else, if you could just pop in, you know, and say hello and just want to bless this thing and then leave.
But I think we ought to avoid the wedding reception.
You know, I just think we've got, well, it's a lot of things.
It's staff people get married, press people get married, congressmen get married.
Yeah, I know.
And then I just want to avoid the darn things if I can.
Okay.
So if we could do that, then...
I'll go to one of the others and let Trish and Eddie go to that one.
Let Trish and Eddie do that one.
Great.
Okay.
All right, fine.
We're not going to go anywhere that weekend.
We're going to Charlotte and coming back.
Charlotte, and then we're going up.
We're going to Charlotte, come back, and then go to Camp David.
And then we'll get back in time for service.
Yeah, and we come back at 10 o'clock.
That works very easily.
Get back by 10.30 and gives us an hour.
Okay?
Okay.
And listen, Dick, I think that we should shake hands.
All right, we'll shake hands.
And there won't be as many this time.
I never mind it.
Now, because we're not having that many services.
I never mind it.
On the other hand, we will.
Lucy's going to a cabinet and people like that ask them to go to other rooms and not go through the line.
Yeah, well, except they got their relatives.
Yeah, that's right.
No, no, I wouldn't bother them with that.
Shaking hands with the cabinet's no problem.
Let them come through.
That's sometimes the only time I see them.
But the point is, let's just say, Ken, but we'll just have you, me, and the minister.
Nobody.
Not the minister's wife.
Right.
Hell, nobody wants to meet his wife anyway.
No.
He probably doesn't want to meet her.
No.
See, the other time it was so long because Billy Graham was there.
I know.
Everybody was talking to him.
I know, I know, I know.
It was just too much.
It works right.
And I don't mind it.
I mean, if it means a lot.
Well, it seems to mean so much, and we kind of established it.
All right.
And the more that you don't do it, then it's a scream and holler.
That's right.
We'll do it that way.
And we don't have that many, so...
Good.
Good.
All right.
Fine.
And then tonight, incidentally, I will not be over there until about 7.45, you know, so I'm not going to eat until then.
Yeah.
If you want to wait, fine, but you can go ahead.
I have to do the broadcast at 7.30.
Yeah.
Okay.
Fine.
Good.
NARA Description
On October 7, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 11:51 am to 11:56 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 010-123 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 10-123
Date: October 7, 1971
Time: 11:51 am - 11:56 am
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon.
[See Conversation No. 285-16H]
President's schedule
-Forthcoming social function, October 16
-Helen A. Thomas
-Tricia Nixon Cox
-Mrs. Nixon's schedule
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower
-George W. Cornell
-Helen Smith
-Edward R.F. and Tricia Cox's attendance on October 16
-William F. (“Billy”) Graham Day ceremonies in Charlotte, North Carolina,
October 15, 1971
-Camp David
******************************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 42s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
******************************************************************************
-White House church services, October 10, 1971
-Receiving line
-Lucy A. Winchester
-Cabinet members
-Minister
-Graham
-Evening of October 7, 1971
-Dinner
-Broadcast of Phase II plansAlso recorded on October 7, 1971
- 010-121 11:19 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Arthur F. Burns talked on the telephone from 11:19 am to 11:24 am.
- 010-122 11:24 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:24 am and 11:51 am.
- 010-124 11:56 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:56 am and 12:01 pm.
- 010-125 12:01 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and William L. Safire talked on the telephone from 12:01 pm to 12:02 pm.
- 010-126 12:02 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:26 pm.
- 010-141 12:02 PM · 24 sec — the recording device engaged at 12:02 pm, but the conversation appears to be blank.
- 285-017 12:16 PM · 5 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 12:16 pm and 12:26 pm.
- 285-018 12:16 PM · 39 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and William L. Safire met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:16 pm to 12:27 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 010-123, October 7, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/010-123 (accessed October 6, 2026).