Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 13 › Conversation 013-020
Nixon phone call with Cox on First Family and Public Relations
Wednesday, October 27, 1971 · 12:23 PM–12:26 PM ET · White House Telephone · 13 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and his daughter Tricia Nixon Cox discussed the political optics and public perception surrounding the First Family's use of military Jetstar aircraft for personal travel. Fearing negative press inquiries or political criticism, the President advised Tricia and her sister Julie to limit their usage of the government planes to roughly once every three weeks. He encouraged them to utilize commercial flights for routine travel to ensure they were not vulnerable to accusations of abusing taxpayer resources.
- First Family
- Public Relations
- Political Optics
- Jetstar
- Travel Arrangements
- Media Scrutiny
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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Hello.
Patricia, Mr. President.
I was going to say this.
One thing about the, you know, on the Jetstar plane, I think it would, I don't want to get an impression, you know, the presses, I think we've just done a little checking, and maybe, no.
I'm sorry.
The press does a little checking into seeing how much we use them and so forth and so on.
And, of course, as you know, we have it set up so that you can use them.
I would think that you probably ought to maybe be careful
I would say about every three weeks is probably it.
Then can we take commercial planes instead?
Oh, you can always take commercial planes.
No problem on that.
But the point is, you see, when the Jetstar goes, the problem that we have to be concerned about is the crew and all the rest.
We limit that.
I mean, we have very tight control, and Hughes is really great on it.
The problem that I had, and I just thought of it when both of you and Julie were there yesterday, and fortunately nothing came out of it, is that one of these press people may pick up the fact, well now look here, how often are the planes used and I don't want to do it.
Now actually what we do, we pick up the check on the
on the commercial first class fare anyway here my point is anytime you can anytime you come on a commercial plane is fine that's easy very easy you can do that and it's not bad you know in other words you get the damn shuttle and come down the jet star it isn't that you shouldn't use it but i think that i think if uh about once every three weeks
There'd be no problem, whatever, because then you could say, well, I had to come down because of various, you know, various problems you had to work on, so forth and so on.
And then the main thing is just don't, we don't want to give our enemies anything to work on.
There's nothing that's developed yet.
I was talking to Hughes a little and I just said, now look, anybody ask any questions?
Yeah, he says, but we fend them off.
But do you know what I mean?
No.
And I've told Julie the same thing.
Of course, she has further come, but she wouldn't use it.
She said, well, we have about every two weeks, every three weeks, as I said.
And that doesn't mean, when there's anything, for example, we're having, you just come.
And come on Jetstar.
If, on the other hand, you're just coming down,
I would try to work it out so that you do that on that basis.
Can you do that?
That makes a lot of sense.
And it just avoids the problem.
And then when you come on commercial, heck, just take the commercial plane and come down, pick up a car.
It's not bad, too.
I mean, it probably saves a lot of time.
Secret Service can get you a good seat and all that.
Right.
Oh, that's fine with us.
Yeah.
But I would use the Jet Star on it, like when you're coming in and so forth.
NARA Description
On October 27, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 12:23 pm to 12:26 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 013-020 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 013-020
Date: October 27, 1971
Time: 12:23 pm - 12:26 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Tricia Nixon Cox.
[See Conversation No. 603-3A]
**********************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 02/08/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[013-020-w001]
[Duration: 7m 25s]
President's schedule
Tricia Nixon Cox
-Attendance at fund-raising dinner for Edward W. Brooke
-View of Massachusetts Republicans
-Democrats in attendance at dinner
-Edward W. Brooke's remarks
-Duration of dinner
-Speakers
-Film
-Francis W. Sargent
-Tardiness
-Tricia Nixon Cox's delivery of message on behalf of President
-Response of audience
-Raymond K. Price
-Upcoming Republican fund-raising dinners, November 2, 1971
-Possible attendance of Tricia Nixon Cox
-Framingham, Massachusetts
-Francis W. Sargent
-Tricia Nixon Cox opinion of Francis W. Sargent
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
-Resemblance to Kennedy family
-Tardy arrival at Edward W. Brooke dinner
-Remarks at Edward W. Brooke dinner
-Oratorical abilities and delivery
-Edward W. Brooke
Tricia Nixon Cox's schedule
-Possibility of attendance at Republican fund raising dinners, November 2, 1971
-Massachusetts
-New York City
-President's attendance
-Chicago
-President's attendance
The President conferred with Rose Mary Woods at an unknown time.
[End of conferral]
Tricia Nixon Cox's schedule
-Possible attendance at Republican fund raising dinners, 11/2/1971
-Boston fund-raising dinner
-Chairman’s friendship with President
-Makeup of crowd at upcoming Boston dinner
-Tricia Nixon Cox’s opinion of Edward W. Brooke dinner
-Edward R.F. Cox
-Edward W. Brooke
-Drinking at diner
-Boston fund-raising dinner
-Chairman [Unknown first name] McYeager [sp?]
-Thomas A. Pappas
-Arrangements to attend Fund-raising dinner
United Nations [UN] vote on Taiwan
-United Nations [UN]
-Tricia Nixon Cox’s opinion
-Delegates' reactions
-Edward W. Brooke's statement
-Congressional funding for United Nations [UN]
-Reaction of American public
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
-Position of Israel
-Abstaining from vote
-Effect on airplanes sent to Israel
-Reinstatement of Republic of China [ROC] into United Nations [UN]
-People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-United Nations [UN] treatment of Republic of China [ROC]
-Compared to People’s Republic of China [PRC]
President’s conversation with Julie Nixon Eisenhower
President’s autograph for [Unknown first name] Lincoln event
-Paul F. Healy of Boston Globe
-Tricia Nixon Cox opinion of Paul F. Healy
**********************************************************************
Jet Star airplanes
-Use by First Family
-Press inquiries
-Frequency
-Commercial airlines
-James D. (“Don”) Hughes
-Press inquiries
-Commercial airlines
-Frequency
-Hughes
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 2/13/2019. 17s
segment cleared for release with two segments of 1m 1s and 52s remaining closed as 013-020-w002
and 013-020-w003 respectively.]
[Personal Returnable]
[013-020-w002]
[Duration: 1m 1s]
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
**********************************************************************
[Personal Returnable]
[013-020-w002]
[Duration: 17s]
President's schedule
-California
-Dedication of Leslie T. (“Bob”) Hope hospital
-Leslie T. (“Bob”) Hope
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal Returnable]
[013-020-w003]
[Duration: 52s]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
**********************************************************************Also recorded on October 27, 1971
- 603-002 12:22 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:22 pm and 12:23 pm.
- 603-003 12:23 PM · 29 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, Tricia Nixon Cox, Rose Mary Woods, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:23 pm to 12:52 pm.
- 013-021 12:36 PM · 1 min — Rose Mary Woods, White House operator, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:36 pm and 12:52 pm.
- 603-004 12:53 PM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:53 pm to 1:10 pm.
- 603-005 1:10 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:10 pm and 1:13 pm.
- 603-006 1:10 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:10 pm and 1:13 pm.
- 603-007 1:13 PM · 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, unknown person(s), and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:13 pm to 1:32 pm.
- 604-001 1:32 PM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:32 pm and 2:53 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 013-020, October 27, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/013-020 (accessed October 12, 2026).