Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 17 › Conversation 017-137

Nixon phone call with Buchanan on 1972 Presidential Campaign

Sunday, January 2, 1972 · 10:27 AM–10:34 AM ET · White House Telephone · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Buchanan, Patrick J.Conversation017-137 on Tape 17 (tape position 04:59:58–05:06:01)StartSunday, January 2, 1972 at 10:27 AMEndSunday, January 2, 1972 at 10:34 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 017-137 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan conferred on various research requests, including data on UN voting regarding the India-Pakistan conflict, salaries of public broadcasters, and historical casualties from the 1948 partition. The President also discussed the upcoming television interview with Dan Rather, concluding that the format would likely focus on long-range issues rather than breaking news. Additionally, the pair analyzed the political landscape of the 1972 Democratic presidential primary, specifically assessing the prospects of candidates like George Wallace, John Lindsay, and Edmund Muskie.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello.
Hello, sir.
A couple of small items I want you to get me.
The vote in the UN General Assembly on India, on our resolution, ceasefire resolution, there were two of them, but they were both about the same, 104 to something or other.
Right.
I need the vote.
And then the...
I saw an article in the news summary with regard to how much the certain people in public broadcasting are getting.
They're running between $75,000 and $85,000 a year.
I wondered if you could... Van Oker?
Van Oker's salary?
It's not ten.
They're just three of them that get about that.
Right.
Three different ones.
Just give me those salaries of those top three.
Okay, fine.
All right.
Let's see.
And then...
If you could get an estimate, don't let them tear up the place to do it, but how many were killed in the India-Pakistan at the time they partitioned, you know?
Right, right.
There were several millions.
1948, right.
Yeah.
Okay.
Okay, fine.
Thanks very much.
As far as this is concerned...
Do you see much over the weekend that changes the summary?
A few items.
I'm going to send you in a briefing memo which touches, one just touches each of them.
Right.
I think actually in terms of rather he's likely to be more long range rather than try to spot new stuff anyway.
Right.
Don't you think so?
I think so, right.
Yeah.
He's done his studying on the other things.
In any event, the program is not one that fits to spot news quite as well anyway.
Right.
Right.

NARA Description

On January 2, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan talked on the telephone from 10:27 am to 10:34 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 017-137 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 17-137

Date: January 2, 1972
Time: 10:27 am - 10:34 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Patrick J. Buchanan.

[See Conversation No. 311-33]

     India
             -United Nations [UN] General Assembly
                  -Vote
                       -Ceasefire resolution

     News Summary
         -Article on salaries of public broadcasters
               -Amount
                     -Sander Vanocur

     India-Pakistan partition
           -Deaths
                -Number
                      -1948

     News summary
         -Events over the weekend

     President's interview with Dan Rather, January 2

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

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 12/22/2017.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[017-137-w001]
[Duration: 4m 20s]

     1972 Campaign
          -George Wallace
               -Decision
               -Florida
                     -Third Party
               -1968
                     -American Independent Party
               -Florida
                     -Ballot
               -North Carolina, Tennessee, Pennsylvania
               -Convention

            -Attitude
            -Independent Party
      -Florida Primary
            -Polls
            -Chances of winning
-Presidential runners
      -The President in New Hampshire
      -Nelson A. Rockefeller
            -Oregon
-Edmund S. Muskie
      -New Hampshire
-John Lindsay
      -Florida
            -Jews, blacks
            -Miami Herald ad
                  -Middle class neighborhoods
                  -Queens project
                  -Jews
                  -Forest Hills
      -Blacks
      -Effect on other Democrats
-George S. McGovern
      -Chances assessed
-John Lindsay
      -Financial support
            -Jews, blacks, liberals
-Eugene McCarthy
      -Base
      -Florida, Wisconsin
-Hubert H. Humphrey
      -Florida
      -Compared to other primary candidates
-Edmund S. Muskie
      -Need to win primaries
            -Compared to the President’s 1968 campaign
            -Florida
            -New Hampshire
            -Wisconsin
                  -Chances of winning
                  -John Lindsay
                  -Hubert H. Humphrey

                     -Florida
                     -Wisconsin
                     -Nomination

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

Also recorded on January 2, 1972

  • 017-136 10:17 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:17 am and 10:27 am.
  • 311-032 10:17 AM · 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 10:17 am and 10:27 am.
  • 311-033 10:27 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:27 am to 10:34 am.
  • 017-138 10:34 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:34 am and 12:12 pm.
  • 311-034 10:34 AM · 15 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 10:34 am and 12:12 pm.
  • 311-035 10:34 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:34 am and 12:12 pm.
  • 311-036 10:34 AM · 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 10:34 am and 12:12 pm.
  • 017-139 12:12 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 12:12 pm.

All 39 conversations from January 2, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 017-137, January 2, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/017-137 (accessed October 12, 2026).