Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 17 › Conversation 017-116
Nixon phone call with Bobst on New Year's Eve and Presidential performance
Friday, December 31, 1971 · 9:08 PM–9:11 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min
AI Summary
President Nixon held a brief, informal phone conversation with long-time associate Elmer H. Bobst and his wife, Dodo, to exchange New Year's greetings. While the Bobsts were attending a party at a beach club, the President remained at the White House to work on a year-end review. Bobst expressed support for the President’s performance and optimism for the upcoming 1972 election year.
- New Year's Eve
- Elmer H. Bobst
- White House operations
- Presidential performance
- 1972 election
Audio
NARA Description
On December 31, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Elmer H. Bobst talked on the telephone from 9:08 pm to 9:11 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 017-116 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 17-116
Date: December 31, 1971
Time: 9:08 pm - 9:11 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Elmer H. Bobst.
[See Conversation No. 311-2]
New Year greetings
-Momdouha (As-Sayyid) (“Dodo”) Bobst
-Party
-Beach Club
The President's schedule
-White House
-Year end review
The President's performance
Dodo Bobst joined the conversation.
New Year greetings
-Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
Mrs. Bobst's locationTranscript (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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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Also recorded on December 31, 1971
- 311-001 9:05 PM · 39 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:05 pm and 9:08 pm.
- 311-002 9:08 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Elmer H. Bobst met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:08 pm to 9:11 pm.
- 017-117 9:11 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:11 pm and 9:13 pm.
- 017-118 9:11 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:11 pm and 9:13 pm.
- 311-003 9:11 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:11 pm and 9:13 pm.
- 311-004 9:11 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:11 pm and 9:13 pm.
- 017-119 9:13 PM · 50 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 9:13 pm to 9:14 pm.
- 311-005 9:13 PM · 40 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:13 pm to 9:14 pm.
Related conversations
- Nixon, Bobst & Ehrlichman on Cancer research and National Institutes of Health April 27, 1971 · 52 min
- Nixon & Woods on Ralph J. Bunche and Elmer H. Bobst December 9, 1971 · 6 min
- Nixon & Woods on Holiday planning and Elmer H. Bobst December 23, 1971 · 5 min
- Nixon & Woods on Social engagements and Elmer H. Bobst July 28, 1972 · 2 min
Cite this conversation
Conversation 017-116, December 31, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417191995). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/017-116 (accessed November 1, 2026).