{"conversationCode":"017-072","tapeNumber":17,"conversationNumber":72,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-017-072","startDateTime":"1971-12-25T15:29:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1971-12-25T15:30:00.000Z","startDate":"25-Dec-1971","startTime":"10:29 AM","endDate":"25-Dec-1971","endTime":"10:30 AM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Blount, Winton M. (\"Red\"), Jr.;","description":"On December 25, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Winton M. (\"Red\") Blount, Jr. talked on the telephone from 10:29 am to 10:30 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 017-072 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"WHT","recordingDevice":"White House Telephone","latitudeEstimated":38.89767,"longitudeEstimated":-77.03655,"chronCode":2,"chronRelease":"Second Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"26-Oct-2000","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 17-72\n\nDate: December 25, 1971\nTime: 10:29 am - 10:30 am\nLocation: White House Telephone\n\nThe President talked with Winton M. (“Red”) Blount.\n\n     Christmas greetings\n\n     Blount's location\n          -Gerald R. Ford\n\n**********************************************************************\n\n[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 12/21/2017.\nSegment cleared for release.]\n[Personal Returnable]\n[017-072-w001]\n[Duration: 24s]\n\n     Campaigning\n         -Alabama\n              -Language\n              -Prince Albert tobacco\n\n**********************************************************************\n\n     Julie Nixon's Eisenhower's television show\n           “Christmas at the White House”\n\n     Economy\n         -Pay Board compared to Price Board\n\n**********************************************************************\n\n[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 12/21/2017.\nSegment cleared for release.]\n[Personal Returnable]\n[017-072-w002]\n[Duration: 1m 3s]\n\n     Alabama\n          -Possibility of winning\n          -George C. Wallace\n               -Possibility of running\n               -Fundraising\n               -Georgia\n               -The South\n\n**********************************************************************","filename":["017-072.mp3"],"tapeStart":"02:55:17","tapeEnd":"02:58:00","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Blount, Winton M. (\"Red\"), Jr."],"prevCode":"017-071","nextCode":"017-073","transcript":[{"start":1.75,"end":6.24,"text":"Mr. Blunt on the line, sir."},{"start":6.26,"end":6.38,"text":"Hello."},{"start":6.4,"end":6.88,"text":"Hello, Mr. President."},{"start":6.9,"end":10.17,"text":"Well, I just wanted to wish the Redhead good luck and Merry Christmas."},{"start":10.51,"end":12.87,"text":"Thank you very much, and a Merry Christmas to you."},{"start":12.89,"end":13.68,"text":"Are you in Alabama?"},{"start":14.36,"end":15.54,"text":"No, sir, I'm at Vail."},{"start":15.56,"end":16.14,"text":"Oh, I see."},{"start":16.86,"end":17.14,"text":"I'm skiing."},{"start":17.2,"end":19.85,"text":"I just saw Jerry Ford out here yesterday."},{"start":20.17,"end":20.27,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":44.11,"end":45.61,"text":"Right, right."},{"start":46.15,"end":48.17,"text":"Mr. President, I tell you, you're just doing a great job."},{"start":48.52,"end":50.06,"text":"It's just coming through so strong."},{"start":51.02,"end":54.37,"text":"And that program was marvelous, incidentally."},{"start":54.38,"end":54.67,"text":"Oh, the..."},{"start":54.71,"end":55.91,"text":"The television program."},{"start":55.93,"end":56.95,"text":"Oh, last night?"},{"start":56.97,"end":57.05,"text":"Yes."},{"start":57.15,"end":57.99,"text":"Oh, you saw it, yeah."},{"start":58.19,"end":61.24,"text":"I didn't see it, but I... Well, it was just marvelous."},{"start":61.5,"end":62.6,"text":"I knew Julie would do well."},{"start":62.68,"end":68.55,"text":"Along with the great things that you've done, doing here in the United States, it's just terrific, as well as the message."},{"start":68.57,"end":68.75,"text":"Well..."},{"start":69.15,"end":73.6,"text":"I think that the economic thing, Red, is beginning to look better, don't you?"},{"start":74.24,"end":76.64,"text":"Oh, I do indeed."},{"start":76.66,"end":77.19,"text":"I feel very good about it."},{"start":77.2,"end":77.45,"text":"I really do."},{"start":77.47,"end":79.67,"text":"You know, there's been a few bobbles here in this pay board."},{"start":79.71,"end":80.63,"text":"Well, that's inevitable."},{"start":80.65,"end":82.69,"text":"But the price board is doing a great job."},{"start":82.72,"end":83.46,"text":"Right, right."},{"start":83.48,"end":84.4,"text":"Training them up."},{"start":84.42,"end":84.94,"text":"That's right."},{"start":85.18,"end":85.66,"text":"That's right."},{"start":86.2,"end":89.37,"text":"Well, you just keep working, boy."},{"start":89.99,"end":90.51,"text":"We'll do it."},{"start":90.53,"end":90.89,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":154.18,"end":159.01,"text":"Well, it's mighty nice of you to call, and I wish all your family a Merry Christmas and the best of New Year's."},{"start":159.03,"end":160.01,"text":"Merry Christmas."},{"start":160.03,"end":161.9,"text":"Thank you very much."},{"start":161.92,"end":162,"text":"Bye."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon initiated a brief holiday call to Postmaster General Winton M. \"Red\" Blount to exchange Christmas greetings. Beyond pleasantries, the two discussed the positive reception of a television special featuring Julie Nixon and evaluated the current state of the national economy. Nixon specifically sought Blount’s assessment of the performance of the Pay Board and Price Board as indicators of economic recovery.","topics":["Christmas","Economic Policy","Pay Board","Price Board","Julie Nixon"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T00:48:15.006Z"},"topicSlugs":["christmas","economic-policy","pay-board","price-board","julie-nixon"],"audioDurationSec":163,"audioFiles":[{"file":"017-072.mp3","bytes":3907708,"durationSec":162.75,"bitrate":192082,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:24.619Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/017-072.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/017-072","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/17/conversation-017-072","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}