{"conversationCode":"017-086","tapeNumber":17,"conversationNumber":86,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-017-086","startDateTime":"1971-12-25T16:29:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1971-12-25T16:31:00.000Z","startDate":"25-Dec-1971","startTime":"11:29 AM","endDate":"25-Dec-1971","endTime":"11:31 AM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ford, Gerald R.;","description":"On December 25, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Gerald R. Ford talked on the telephone from 11:29 am to 11:31 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 017-086 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. 17-86\n\nDate: December 25, 1971\nTime: 11:29 am - 11:31 am\nLocation: White House Telephone\n\nThe President talked with Gerald R. Ford.\n\n     Ford's location\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[017-086-w001]\n[Duration: 17s]\n\n     Gerald R. Ford’s gift to the Nixons\n          -Frog\n\n**********************************************************************\n\n     Football\n          -Washington Redskins\n          -Michigan\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[017-086-w002]\n[Duration: 11s]\n\n           Football\n                -Michigan\n                     -Possible winner\n                          -Points\n\n**********************************************************************\n\n     George W. Andrews's death\n          -Military aide to Elizabeth Andrews\n          -The President's talk with Carl B. Albert\n                -Lucius Mendel Rivers\n\n     Christmas greetings\n\n     Campaigning","filename":["017-086.mp3"],"tapeStart":"03:12:40","tapeEnd":"03:14:16","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Ford, Gerald R."],"prevCode":"017-085","nextCode":"017-087","transcript":[{"start":0.34,"end":1.7,"text":"Hello?"},{"start":3.7,"end":6.31,"text":"Yes, it's Congressman Ford on the line, sir."},{"start":6.33,"end":6.77,"text":"Cherry?"},{"start":7.21,"end":8.6,"text":"Hi, Mr. President, how are you?"},{"start":8.62,"end":9.84,"text":"You didn't break a leg yet?"},{"start":9.86,"end":10.8,"text":"No, no."},{"start":11.27,"end":12.13,"text":"Well, you take care."},{"start":12.69,"end":16.1,"text":"Well, if it's snowing, I'll take good care of it."},{"start":32.72,"end":40.09,"text":"Well, I hope you have a great Christmas, and let's see, you'll be rooting for nobody."},{"start":40.15,"end":41.31,"text":"The Redskins, huh?"},{"start":41.35,"end":57.3,"text":"I'm for the Redskins tomorrow in Michigan on a week from Monday."},{"start":57.32,"end":59.72,"text":"Incidentally, I got some bad news for you."},{"start":59.74,"end":61.75,"text":"I just talked to Carl a minute ago."},{"start":62.16,"end":63.91,"text":"George Andrews died this morning."},{"start":63.93,"end":64.55,"text":"No kidding."},{"start":64.57,"end":65.71,"text":"Yes, he was a good man."},{"start":65.91,"end":68.64,"text":"Yeah, and he was quite sick, though, you know."},{"start":68.66,"end":70.12,"text":"Yes, yes, I know."},{"start":70.14,"end":71.14,"text":"Oh, that's too bad."},{"start":71.16,"end":71.96,"text":"So I want you to know."},{"start":72.76,"end":76.45,"text":"Yeah, I'll send... Well, I'm sending a military aide down, as I do in these cases."},{"start":76.81,"end":80.13,"text":"You know, he's been very ill with the same thing that Mendel had."},{"start":80.51,"end":81.49,"text":"Yes, I've heard that."},{"start":81.51,"end":83.2,"text":"He's at the same hospital."},{"start":83.22,"end":83.84,"text":"Yeah, yeah."},{"start":83.86,"end":84.38,"text":"Well..."},{"start":84.4,"end":86.98,"text":"I hope you and Pat have a wonderful Christmas."},{"start":87,"end":87.46,"text":"You will."},{"start":87.83,"end":88.29,"text":"Right."},{"start":88.43,"end":92.37,"text":"Well, we will, and just get refreshed for the big battles next year, huh?"},{"start":92.39,"end":93.27,"text":"We'll be ready."},{"start":93.29,"end":93.83,"text":"All right."},{"start":93.85,"end":94.9,"text":"Okay, Mr. Francis."},{"start":95.12,"end":95.38,"text":"Bye-bye."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon initiated a holiday phone call to Congressman Gerald R. Ford to exchange Christmas greetings and discuss college and professional football. During the conversation, Nixon informed Ford of the death of Representative George W. Andrews, noting that he would send a military aide to honor the late congressman. The two concluded by briefly discussing political strategy and preparing for upcoming legislative challenges in the new year.","topics":["Christmas","Football","George W. Andrews","Congressional affairs","Political campaigning"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T00:49:31.040Z"},"topicSlugs":["christmas","football","george-w-andrews","congressional-affairs","political-campaigning"],"audioDurationSec":96,"audioFiles":[{"file":"017-086.mp3","bytes":2309641,"durationSec":96.18,"bitrate":192109,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:24.936Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/017-086.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/017-086","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/17/conversation-017-086","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}