Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 17 › Conversation 017-033

Nixon phone call with Alsop on National Cancer Act of 1971 and Public Health

Friday, December 24, 1971 · 5:22 PM–5:24 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operator; Alsop, Stewart J. O.Conversation017-033 on Tape 17 (tape position 01:36:09–01:37:52)StartFriday, December 24, 1971 at 5:22 PMEndFriday, December 24, 1971 at 5:24 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 017-033 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon initiated a brief holiday call to journalist Stewart Alsop to extend Christmas greetings and inquire about his improving health. The two discussed the National Cancer Act of 1971, with the President reflecting on the long-term significance of the program. They emphasized the potential for life-saving breakthroughs through improved diagnostic statistics and early treatment protocols.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Hello.
I have Stuart also.
Yeah.
Hello.
Hello, Mr. President.
I have nothing on my mind except to wish you a Merry Christmas and to say I'm so delighted to hear that your prospectus is better than it was when I talked to you on the phone last.
That's a great deal, Mr. President.
Good.
Very nice of you to call.
Good, good.
And much like Dr. Corsair, this is a collaboration.
That's the stuff.
Boy, I like that kind of aberrations.
We have a lot of them I don't like, but that's a good one.
That's a good one.
That's a good one.
That's a good one.
Well, you know, looking back someday, and we can only pray this will be the case, that really could turn out to have been the most important program we did.
When you stop at it, if it works.
I mean, now, God knows that there may not be an answer, a total answer, but there'll be some answer.
But if it would work,
You just think of the number of lives a year that are saved.
It's just unbelievable.
53 million of the people now alive.
Well, when they said that, I looked to my right and looked to my left and wondered, who's who?
You know?
That's right.
Right.
I think it'll at least help in getting a lot of comfort in the land.
Well, one thing it'll do, you know, I've studied this enough to know that about 40% could be saved by just diagnosis, quick treatment.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On December 24, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Stewart J. O. Alsop talked on the telephone from 5:22 pm to 5:24 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 017-033 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 17-33

Date: December 24, 1971
Time: 5:22 pm - 5:24 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House Operator.

     Call from Stewart J.O. Alsop

The President talked with Alsop.

     Christmas greetings

     Alsop's health

     [Unintelligible]

     National Cancer Act of 1971
          -President's program
          -Diagnosis
                -Statistics

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

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 12/21/2017. 4s
segment cleared for release. 16s remain closed as 017-033-w001.]
[Personal Returnable]
[017-033-w001]
[Duration: 16s]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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

[Personal Returnable]
[017-033-w001]
[Duration: 4s]

     Christmas greetings

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

Also recorded on December 24, 1971

  • 017-029 5:09 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and W. Clement Stone talked on the telephone from 5:09 pm to 5:10 pm.
  • 017-030 5:10 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:10 pm and 5:18 pm.
  • 017-031 5:18 PM · 51 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Ralph H. Cake talked on the telephone from 5:18 pm to 5:19 pm.
  • 017-032 5:20 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 5:20 pm to 5:22 pm.
  • 017-034 5:25 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Peter M. Flanigan talked on the telephone from 5:25 pm to 5:28 pm.
  • 017-035 5:29 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Elliot L. Richardson talked on the telephone from 5:29 pm to 5:32 pm.
  • 017-036 5:32 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 5:32 pm.
  • 017-037 5:33 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and John N. Mitchell talked on the telephone from 5:33 pm to 5:39 pm.

All 54 conversations from December 24, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 017-033, December 24, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/017-033 (accessed October 12, 2026).