Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 14 › Conversation 014-098

Nixon phone call with Preston on Public relations

Sunday, November 14, 1971 · 9:56 PM–9:58 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operator; Preston, Willis O., Jr.Conversation014-098 on Tape 14 (tape position 03:14:56–03:16:31)StartSunday, November 14, 1971 at 9:56 PMEndSunday, November 14, 1971 at 9:58 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 014-098 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417190727 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon telephoned Willis O. Preston, Jr. to commend him for his courage in the face of public adversity and to acknowledge a recent newspaper story about him. During the brief conversation, the President confirmed he had personally reviewed a letter Preston sent to the White House regarding his situation. Nixon expressed his support for Preston and took a brief interest in his family, concluding the call with words of encouragement.

Audio

Download MP3 · 2.9 MB

NARA Description

On November 14, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Willis O. Preston, Jr. talked on the telephone from 9:56 pm to 9:58 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 014-098 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 14-98

Date: November 14, 1971
Time: 9:56 pm - 9:58 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

     Willis O. Preston, Jr.

The President talked with Preston.

     Newspaper story regarding Preston

     Preston's letter to the President
           -White House staff

     Preston's family

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).

Thank you very much.
Hello.
Well, how are you?
I saw the story in the paper about your, and also you got your letter about sharing the first page with you, and I just wanted you to know that I was very proud to share the first page with you.
I like your courage and the way that you're fighting back.
I'm not alone.
Well, a lot of people are pulling for you, I can assure you.
I never thought that you would see the letters.
Oh, you bet I saw it.
I don't see them all, but you know my staff, they go through and of course thousands come in, but one of my people said, you know, this is a remarkable letter, and of course you're rather close to home here now, so I...
Well, I appreciate it, and I just wish you the very best.
You have five children, right?
Yes, I do, and they're all staying in here with their mouths wide open.
Is that right?
How many boys, how many girls?
Two boys and two girls.
And how old is the oldest?
He's 19 now.
19?
Oh, that's great.
And we're still young, though.
Oh, by all means, of course you are.
Well, you tell them all that there's somebody down here in the White House who's mighty proud of their dad.
Thank you, and good luck to you.
Goodbye.

Also recorded on November 14, 1971

  • 014-090 8:58 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 8:58 pm.
  • 014-093 9:19 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and George E. Allen talked on the telephone from 9:19 pm to 9:29 pm.
  • 014-094 9:30 PM · 44 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and John H. Terry talked on the telephone from 9:30 pm to 9:31 pm.
  • 014-095 9:45 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:45 pm.
  • 014-096 9:46 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:46 pm.
  • 014-097 9:46 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:46 pm and 9:56 pm.
  • 014-099 10:04 PM · 53 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Ralph A. Sanbuchi talked on the telephone from 10:04 pm to 10:05 pm.
  • 014-100 10:37 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Donald Smith talked on the telephone from 10:37 pm to 10:39 pm.

All 31 conversations from November 14, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 014-098, November 14, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417190727). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/014-098 (accessed November 2, 2026).