Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 11 › Conversation 011-146

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Sirimavo Bandaranaike

Tuesday, October 19, 1971 · 5:49 PM–5:50 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Nixon, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan)Conversation011-146 on Tape 11 (tape position 04:20:33–04:22:18)StartTuesday, October 19, 1971 at 5:49 PMEndTuesday, October 19, 1971 at 5:50 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 011-146 ↗

President Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon discussed a recent diplomatic visit by the Prime Minister of Ceylon, Sirimavo Bandaranaike. The First Lady recounted the extended duration of the tea meeting, noting the difficulty of managing the Prime Minister's schedule. The pair briefly reflected on the success of the interaction and the Prime Minister’s positive reception.

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Thank you.
The Prime Minister came for tea, and she made over an hour.
I couldn't believe it.
I know.
It's awfully hard to get them to move.
Yeah.
Well, that's not slow, and I sure saw her.
Yeah.
She appreciated it.
Yeah, she really seemed to.
She sure did.

On October 19, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 5:49 pm to 5:50 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 011-146 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 011-146

 Date: October 19, 1971
 Time: 5:49 pm - 5:50 pm
 Location: White House Telephone

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

 [See Conversation No. 292-22]

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

 BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
 [Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 12/12/2017.
 Segment will remain closed.]
 [Personal Returnable]
 [011-146-w001]
 [Duration: 16s]

 END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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

        Mrs. Nixon’s schedule
             -Prime Minister of Ceylon, Mrs. Sirimauo Bandaranaike

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

 BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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

 [Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 12/12/2017.
 Segment will remain closed.]
 [Personal Returnable]
 [011-146-w003]
 [Duration: 1m 13s]

 END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

 ******************************************************************************
  • 011-144 5:43 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone from 5:43 pm to 5:48 pm.
  • 011-145 5:43 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:43 pm and 5:48 pm.
  • 292-019 5:43 PM · 20 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 5:43 pm and 5:49 pm.
  • 292-022 5:49 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:49 pm to 5:50 pm.
  • 011-147 5:50 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone from 5:50 pm to 6:04 pm.
  • 292-023 5:50 PM · 56 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:50 pm and 6:04 pm.
  • 292-024 5:50 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:50 pm and 6:04 pm.
  • 292-025 5:50 PM · 54 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 5:50 pm and 6:04 pm.

Conversation 011-146, October 19, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/011-146 (accessed September 28, 2026).