Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 18 › Conversation 018-040

Nixon phone call with Graham on Diplomatic relations

Monday, January 10, 1972 · 3:31 PM–3:42 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Graham, William F. ("Billy")Conversation018-040 on Tape 18 (tape position 01:20:29–01:22:33)StartMonday, January 10, 1972 at 3:31 PMEndMonday, January 10, 1972 at 3:42 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 018-040 ↗

President Nixon and Reverend Billy Graham spoke to discuss the success of First Lady Pat Nixon’s recent diplomatic trip to Africa, specifically her reception in Liberia. The two reflected on the positive impact of the visit and coordinated efforts to host Liberian President William R. Tolbert, Jr. during his upcoming attendance at the National Prayer Breakfast. Nixon noted that he would likely host a formal dinner for Tolbert to reciprocate the hospitality extended to the First Lady.

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Hello.
I have Dr. Graham now, sir.
Here you are.
Hello.
Hello.
Hello, Billy.
You still in Puerto Rico?
No, sir.
I'm at Caneo Bay now in the Virgin Islands.
Oh, say, my golly, you are a hard fellow to keep up with.
How are you?
I'm just fine, and I got your message from yesterday, and Pat got back, and she looked great after her long journey, and I...
Hello.
Hello.
And I passed on your message to her when she was most gratified.
Well, she was really great over there.
She was just wonderful.
Well, it was a... She's a...
I think trips like that are a great deal of... Hello.
Go ahead.
Yes, sir.
Yeah.
Hello.
Hello.
Hello?
Go ahead now.
Yeah, I can hear.
I hope you had a nice birthday.
I don't like to think about it, but I did all right.
Yeah, they had a nice party out at the airport and everything.
I just got the New York Times, and I was just reading about it.
Yeah, and we had a very, very good... Actually, you know, she got a great reception in Liberia and the other places, too, I understand.
The show has worked out fine.
Well, it was really wonderful, and I deeply appreciate you letting me go.
Well, I would just think it's a little hard on you, but we appreciate it.
It was great.
I had a great time with her and with her staff.
I'm going to.
We're checking out to see whether Talbert is coming to the prayer breakfast or wants to, and if he does, I'll give a dinner for him while he's here.
So that would be a way to return it, you see.
Well, I think so.
He's very interested in that, as I understand.
He talked to her about coming to the prayer breakfast on February the 1st.
Well, I think... Hello?
Hello?
It's Keneal Bay, and it's off, I think.
Somebody checks in and out.

On January 10, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and William F. ("Billy") Graham talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:31 pm and 3:42 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 018-040 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 18-40

Date: January 10, 1972
Time: Unknown between 3:31 pm and 3:42 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with William F. (“Billy”) Graham.

[See Conversation No. 313-21A]

     Graham's location
          -Virgin Islands

     Graham's message to Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon

     The President's birthday

     Mrs. Nixon's trip to Africa
          -Graham's visit

     President William R. Tolbert, Jr. of Liberia
           -Schedule
                -Prayer breakfast
                -Possible dinner
  • 018-039 3:25 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:25 pm and 3:31 pm.
  • 313-018 3:25 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:25 pm and 3:31 pm.
  • 313-019 3:25 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:25 pm and 3:31 pm.
  • 313-020 3:25 PM · 7 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 3:25 pm and 3:31 pm.
  • 313-021 3:31 PM · 46 min — President Richard M. Nixon, William F. ("Billy") Graham, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, Raymond K. Price, Jr., Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, and Melvin R. Laird met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:31 pm and 5:11 pm.
  • 018-041 3:34 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:34 pm and 3:42 pm.
  • 018-042 3:34 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William F. ("Billy") Graham talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:34 pm and 3:42 pm.
  • 018-043 3:42 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:42 pm and 3:56 pm.

Conversation 018-040, January 10, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/018-040 (accessed September 29, 2026).