{"conversationCode":"017-116","tapeNumber":17,"conversationNumber":116,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-017-116","startDateTime":"1972-01-01T02:08:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-01-01T02:11:00.000Z","startDate":"31-Dec-1971","startTime":"9:08 PM","endDate":"31-Dec-1971","endTime":"9:11 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Bobst, Elmer H.;","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.","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. 17-116\n\nDate: December 31, 1971\nTime: 9:08 pm - 9:11 pm\nLocation: White House Telephone\n\nThe President talked with Elmer H. Bobst.\n\n[See Conversation No. 311-2]\n\n     New Year greetings\n         -Momdouha (As-Sayyid) (“Dodo”) Bobst\n         -Party\n               -Beach Club\n\n     The President's schedule\n          -White House\n          -Year end review\n\n     The President's performance\n\nDodo Bobst joined the conversation.\n\n     New Year greetings\n         -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon\n\n     Mrs. Bobst's location","filename":["017-116.mp3"],"tapeStart":"03:54:30","tapeEnd":"03:56:33","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Bobst, Elmer H."],"prevCode":"017-115","nextCode":"017-117","transcript":[{"start":8.16,"end":9.65,"text":"Hello."},{"start":10.25,"end":12.77,"text":"I just called to wish you and Dodo a happy new year."},{"start":13.15,"end":15.71,"text":"Well, that's mighty sweet of you to do."},{"start":15.73,"end":17.9,"text":"Are you going out at a big party, I bet?"},{"start":17.92,"end":19.6,"text":"Well, we're at the beach club."},{"start":19.66,"end":19.92,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":20.04,"end":21.22,"text":"It's quite a big party."},{"start":21.32,"end":22.42,"text":"Sure, sure."},{"start":22.5,"end":24.07,"text":"I started off with another visit."},{"start":24.12,"end":27.41,"text":"I had a little champagne and some caviar to start before I got here."},{"start":28.19,"end":28.71,"text":"I see, I see."},{"start":29.03,"end":30.19,"text":"It's not warmed up yet."},{"start":30.43,"end":31.38,"text":"No, I understand."},{"start":31.43,"end":34.14,"text":"You can still go with the best of them."},{"start":34.12,"end":35.16,"text":"Who do you have with you?"},{"start":35.18,"end":36.44,"text":"No, I'm just here."},{"start":36.92,"end":39.01,"text":"I'm working in the office tonight, as a matter of fact."},{"start":39.47,"end":40.91,"text":"Yep, I'm here in Washington."},{"start":41.69,"end":45.99,"text":"And just doing a little work on the year-end review."},{"start":46.3,"end":50.14,"text":"All I can say is that I'm very proud of you."},{"start":50.16,"end":55.51,"text":"And I think that everything that you've done has been wonderfully well done."},{"start":55.53,"end":61.8,"text":"And I think it is on the high road to a very successful..."},{"start":62.13,"end":63.41,"text":"Uh, 72."},{"start":64.09,"end":65.9,"text":"Well, we'll hope so."},{"start":65.94,"end":67.44,"text":"We'll just do the very best we can."},{"start":67.72,"end":69.38,"text":"We'll do the best for you."},{"start":69.4,"end":69.68,"text":"Right."},{"start":69.72,"end":70.04,"text":"Right."},{"start":71,"end":77.96,"text":"Here you have a little girl who wants to wish you a happy new year and everything good in the world."},{"start":78,"end":79.72,"text":"She's right alongside of me."},{"start":79.82,"end":80.38,"text":"Fine."},{"start":80.42,"end":81.42,"text":"All right, Dick."},{"start":81.76,"end":82.77,"text":"Hello."},{"start":82.94,"end":83.03,"text":"Bye."},{"start":84.08,"end":85.09,"text":"Happy New Year."},{"start":85.19,"end":88.13,"text":"Well, daughter, now you'll be sure that Elmer doesn't drive home tonight."},{"start":88.39,"end":89.53,"text":"Absolutely."},{"start":89.73,"end":90.75,"text":"I'm happy to see that."},{"start":90.78,"end":91.02,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":91.04,"end":94.66,"text":"And a big kiss to Pat and a big one to you, too."},{"start":94.72,"end":94.84,"text":"Fine."},{"start":94.86,"end":95.22,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":95.24,"end":96.26,"text":"But he's doing great."},{"start":96.28,"end":100.87,"text":"And we just know you just so enjoyed our Christmas and everything."},{"start":100.91,"end":103.64,"text":"And we just hope that you wish you the very best."},{"start":103.66,"end":105.38,"text":"Well, that is absolutely wonderful."},{"start":105.4,"end":106.44,"text":"Are you at the Beach Club?"},{"start":106.62,"end":107.26,"text":"Yes, we are."},{"start":107.64,"end":110.89,"text":"Oh, that's a real place to start jumping in a few hours, right?"},{"start":110.87,"end":111.47,"text":"Right."},{"start":111.57,"end":112.97,"text":"Probably a lot of our old friends there."},{"start":113.03,"end":114.66,"text":"Well, if you see them, give them our best, will you?"},{"start":114.69,"end":117.66,"text":"I certainly will give them the best, and this is going to be a beautiful year."},{"start":117.96,"end":118.48,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":118.67,"end":119.49,"text":"Okay."},{"start":119.51,"end":120.19,"text":"All right."},{"start":120.21,"end":120.35,"text":"Bye."},{"start":120.37,"end":121.33,"text":"Thank you very much."},{"start":122.64,"end":122.72,"text":"Bye."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"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.","topics":["New Year's Eve","Elmer H. Bobst","White House operations","Presidential performance","1972 election"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T00:52:15.004Z"},"topicSlugs":["new-years-eve","elmer-h-bobst","white-house-operations","presidential-performance","1972-election"],"audioDurationSec":124,"audioFiles":[{"file":"017-116.mp3","bytes":2966673,"durationSec":123.53,"bitrate":192121,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:24.937Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/017-116.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/017-116","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/017/conversation-017-116","catalogNaId":417191995,"catalogUrl":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/417191995","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}