Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 16 › Conversation 016-002

Nixon phone call with Woods on White House Dinner and George Shultz

Sunday, December 5, 1971 · 7:31 PM–7:39 PM ET · White House Telephone · 8 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Woods, Rose Mary; [Unknown person(s)]Conversation016-002 on Tape 16 (tape position 00:01:07–00:09:12)StartSunday, December 5, 1971 at 7:31 PMEndSunday, December 5, 1971 at 7:39 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 016-002 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Rose Mary Woods discussed the arrangements for First Lady Pat Nixon’s attendance at an upcoming funeral and planned for the President’s scheduled NBC filming the following day. The majority of the conversation focused on finalizing the guest list and seating capacity for a White House dinner featuring international monetary discussions, specifically resolving conflicts regarding the inclusion of George Shultz and the removal of Peter Flanigan or Dr. Edward David. Nixon directed Woods to prioritize Shultz due to his role in economic negotiations and instructed her to handle the diplomatic adjustment of the guest list.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 7% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hi.
Hello.
Rose?
Yes, sir.
How are you?
Fine, thanks.
How are you?
Oh, fine.
Just a second.
Uh, incidentally, I talked to Pat, and she's going to go up to the McCormick funeral in the morning.
Oh, isn't that nice?
So that's very nice, and I told him to get the damn thing out so that people will know she's coming.
I told Coffee, I don't know whether he...
can get it, but I think it's important they know up there she's coming, you know?
Oh, well, he'll get it out.
He's very capable.
No, I know he is, but I just want him to know that I don't want it done low-key.
Yeah.
Not in this instance.
She's doing this, and it's a very nice thing for her to do.
She's going to leave with Albert at 9 o'clock in the morning from South Lawn.
Sure it is.
Right.
Oh, well, I think that's very good.
Right.
Let me ask you this.
About the...
What kind of stuff do you have in mind to bring in in the morning?
Well, I'm allowed to go now that the Haldeman called, so I said to have it be longer.
Ray was going to send me over some selected things they were going to pick out that would be of interest.
Mail and things as well.
Well, you just use your judgment.
We'll just chit-chat because they'll only use a minute anyway.
That's right.
And we'll find something interesting to talk about.
But if you think of something that...
somebody to call, some old friend or somebody who's sick.
That's the kind of thing.
Something that's more, I don't want it so programmatic.
We've got a lot of programming.
I know.
Do you think of something that's warm and interesting?
I mean, like that picture you did.
That's a very good idea.
And that'll be good.
I think that and I'll try to do that.
Now, on the dinner tomorrow night,
Did we finally get Chancellor in or not?
Well, you said to get him in.
Well, as I understood, David's opposite number didn't come.
That's right.
So I had not told David he was not coming.
Wait a minute.
If his opposite number didn't come, that leaves one vacancy.
Is that right or not?
Well, we'll have to tell him tomorrow that it does.
But we still have one seat if the Vice President isn't coming.
We don't know.
He doesn't get back to us tomorrow.
And we can always .
Well, I don't know whether you have the room or not.
That's the problem.
Well, I mean, we can work out telling somebody that they can't come.
I have, having invited David, I mean, he's an awful nice guy.
I mean, I don't like to disinvite anybody if there's room for them.
Well, that's why we'll just have to wait till I can get back tomorrow and find out.
I don't know.
I don't know.
We tried, but maybe that's the way it is.
There's one other problem we have on it.
It's Schultz, because he was supposed to be included and for some reason was not.
Oh, they weren't meant to be included.
Well, I know.
I'm sure that they didn't.
But we could, who could we take off?
Well, we could probably take somebody off on that to get him in.
The only problem is that it's just the international monetary thing that's being discussed.
You have to have Schultz, Connolly, and...
Yeah, that's right.
That's why they're coming.
No?
I think we could take Flanagan off.
Probably.
He's the one who suggested, you know, that he's been dealing with riches.
Did he talk to you?
He didn't care, no.
No, it just makes it easier for them to work on their negotiations.
Well, that's Schultz's point.
I'll tell you, all these guys, you know.
I know, they're all
Well, I mean, it's true to an extent.
Yeah.
Well, I think the one we can take off is going to, if Agnes comes, well, we've got to get it off.
Well, we can... Tell me the table.
You said you wanted that rectangular one, and it will hold 36.
36.
All right.
We wanted to use that, and if you change the whole thing, then you've got to change the whole character of the thing.
So the 36 is the correct number.
So what do you think you could do with that?
Well, I'll find out if there's any way possible without it being too crowded.
They have 37.
No, limit it to 36.
Drop Flanagan or David, one of the two.
Schultz, I think, has to come, though, because of the inner problem.
Yeah, I can see that.
You see, he ranks Flanagan.
You see, that's the problem.
He and Peterson and the others.
Peterson, of course, is in this particular field, but so is Flanagan, for that matter.
Yeah.
Well, yeah, because Flanagan's the only one that's been dealing with it.
Yeah.
But we'll... Well, I'll tell you.
Peterson, I mean, Flanagan would more understand being left off than Peterson, too.
You couldn't leave him off.
So I think you...
I think you've got to get Schultz on one way or another.
And David, I think you can leave off.
There's no problem.
You can simply say your opposite number isn't coming, and George Schultz's is.
And consequently, we respectfully like for you not to come.
Wouldn't that be all right?
I think so.
I just put a cold turkey to him.
I think someone who knows him is going to have to talk to him.
I've never even met him.
Call somebody.
Have Holden call him.
You can call him.
Because you're opposite number, we've got to do that, and you've got to put Schultz in, and you understand, okay?
Sure.
All right, fine.
We only have one more left, I think.
I've just met a chain, and that's the last.
Yeah.
Is that one filled up now, I hope?
Oh, yeah.
Anybody's coming?
You know, quite a few.
We have had to add quite a few.
We did have?
Yeah, we added.
Well, look, we've done awfully well, though.
You've invited them.
I know several of these people they raise questions about.
But I find every time I check, you've invited them three or four times.
It's not a question of our fault.
It's a question of their not being available.
That's the thing of being there.
We have really gone around the track so often.
I know some of those people.
Well, is that the one where we're going to have Clem Stone, the violinist, piano player?
No, it's a little piano.
I heard about that.
Oh, well.
So useful to us.
So loyal.
My goodness.
That's right.
Ten times some of the others.
Okay, well then we're all set for tomorrow.
That's right.
All right, bye.

NARA Description

On December 5, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone from 7:31 pm to 7:39 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 016-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 16-2

Date: December 5, 1971
Time: 7:31 pm - 7:39 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Rose Mary Woods.

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

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 06/17/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[016-002-w001]
[Duration: 5s]

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

The President conferred with an unknown person at an unknown time between 7:31 pm and 7:39
pm

[End of conferral]

     Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon's schedule
          -Harriet McCormack funeral
               -Vernon C. Coffey, Jr.

               -Publicity
               -Carl B. Albert

President's schedule
     -NBC filming next day
            -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
            -Raymond K. Price, Jr.
                  -Materials for Woods
                        -Public mail
            -Suggestions
                  -Telephone calls
                  -Picture
      -Forthcoming dinner, December 6, 1971 [Pierre E. Trudeau]
            -John w. Chancellor
            -Dr. Edward E. David, Jr.
            -Spiro T. Agnew
            -David
            -Agnew
            -George P. Shultz
            -International Monetary Fund [IMF]
            -John B. Connally
            -Peter M. Flanigan
                  -Elliot L. Richardson
            -Shultz
            -Agnew
            -Shultz
            -Seating arrangements
                  -Number
            -Flanigan
            -David
            -Shultz
            -Flanigan
            -Peter G. Peterson
            -Flanigan
            -David
            -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
            -Shultz
      -Forthcoming dinner for Emilio G. Medici, December 7, 1971
            -Guests
            -W. Clement Stone
                  -Entertainment
                        -Violinist [Itzhak Perlman?]

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

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 06/17/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[016-002-w003]
[Duration: 27s]

     The President’s schedule
          -Robert H. Abplanalp
               -Air Force One ride

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

Also recorded on December 6, 1971

  • 016-001 7:09 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:09 pm and 7:31 pm.
  • 016-003 7:39 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:39 pm and 7:50 pm.
  • 016-004 7:50 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Strom Thurmond talked on the telephone from 7:50 pm to 7:52 pm.
  • 016-005 7:52 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:52 pm and 7:56 pm.
  • 016-006 7:56 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 7:56 pm to 8:03 pm.
  • 016-007 8:03 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:03 pm and 8:12 pm.
  • 016-008 8:03 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:03 pm and 8:12 pm.
  • 016-009 8:03 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:03 pm and 8:12 pm.

All 62 conversations from December 6, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 016-002, December 6, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/016-002 (accessed October 13, 2026).