Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 19 › Conversation 019-042

Nixon phone call with Mills on Medical care and Dr. W. Kenneth Riland

Monday, January 24, 1972 · 1:52 PM–1:56 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Mills, Wilbur D.; Mills, Abbie L. (Daigh)Conversation019-042 on Tape 19StartMonday, January 24, 1972 at 1:52 PMEndMonday, January 24, 1972 at 1:56 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 019-042 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon called Congressman Wilbur D. Mills to express concern regarding Mills’s recent back injury and to recommend a personal physician, Dr. W. Kenneth Riland, who also treated other prominent political figures. The two men discussed treatment options and potential scheduling for a consultation once Mills returned to Washington. During the call, Nixon also briefly conversed with Mills’s granddaughter and mother, maintaining a cordial and personal rapport.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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hello congressman mills sir hello there you are hello wilbur hello how are you where did i find you are you found me in arkansas right let me tell you i read in the in my paper that you had some trouble your back is that right a disc problem but i think i've licked it do you think that's what it is well what i was going to say you know everybody's got his own deal but
You've probably heard of this fellow Ryland, Dr. Ryland.
He does Rockefeller, the Chief Justice, John Mitchell, and myself.
And as a matter of fact, he...
And I'd like, if it would be at all helpful, I'd like to have him go out there.
And, you know, he's really a miracle worker.
All people in our occupations have backs at one time or another.
I know it.
Nelson called me about him.
Oh, Nelson did.
I have a neurologist here in Little Rock that has been coming up to treat me.
I've been in traction and all of that.
Yeah, that traction, I tried it once.
It just kills you.
It's awful.
but it's much better than this pain i had to begin with yeah but i'm doing so much better i don't have any pain but he did ask me to stay at home this week you wouldn't uh if you if you'd like to have rylan take a car he is really well a miracle worker this guy let me wait till i get back to washington right and what i'll tell you what you do when you're here he comes down to washington every wednesday and is available you know for all the
I really would like to try.
He won't hurt you, I can assure you.
Have you got just a moment?
Sure, sure.
Remember that darling granddaughter of mine?
Yes, sir.
She's standing here and she wants to say hi to Mr. President.
Okay.
Will you do it?
I wouldn't miss it.
Hi.
Hi.
Hi there.
How are you, honey?
Hi.
And how's your granddad?
Is he feeling better?
Mm-hmm.
Well, that's good.
Well, you take good care of him because we need him in Washington, okay?
Okay, honey.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.
Thank you so much.
All right.
She's always great.
She's great.
And I told her to take good care of you because we needed you here.
Would you take a moment now and say hi to my mother who's 86?
Your mother's there?
Oh, great.
Right here.
All right.
Howdy.
Well, hello there.
How are you?
Well, I just want to say that I hope that the fact that you have lived to be 86 means that your son is going to live just that long.
I hope he does, too.
And I just was telling him that I have had this back problem myself from time to time, and I was trying to push a doctor off on him, but he said he's going to wait till he gets back to Washington.
It's painful, but it doesn't kill you.
Well, lots of good luck to you.
Well, good luck to you, and you can be mighty proud of him.
Thank you.
Thank you so much for taking time off.
Well, listen, that's fine.
And let me say, though, that the reason that I raise this is that I was talking to John Mitchell about it, and he said, why don't you give over a call?
And so that's why I'm doing it.
I appreciate it.
When you get back, let me say, on a Wednesday, we'll get you late in the day and just have you slip up and you just never know.
You know, I know what it is.
Muscle spasm, right?
You can't stand up and all those things.
I need a little more help than I've gotten.
I do need that, frankly.
When I get back, I'll call on you.
Great, great.
You take care.
Goodbye.
Take care of yourself.
Yes, sir.
Bye.

NARA Description

On January 24, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Wilbur D. Mills, and Abbie L. (Daigh) Mills talked on the telephone from 1:52 pm to 1:56 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 019-042 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 19-42

Date: January 24, 1972
Time: 1:52 pm - 1:56 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Wilbur D. Mills.

[See Conversation No. 317-6A]

     Mills's health
           -Dr. W. Kenneth Riland
                 -Nelson A. Rockefeller, Warren E. Burger, John N. Mitchell, the President
                 -Rockefeller's call to Mills
                 -Mills’s doctor
                 -Schedule

     Mills's granddaughter

The President talked with Mills’s granddaughter.

     Mills's health

The President talked with Mills.

     Mills's granddaughter

     Mills's mother, Abbie L. (Daigh) Mills

The President talked with Abbie Mills.

     Mills

     The President's health

     Mills's health

The President talked with Mills.

     The President conversation with Mitchell
          -Mills's schedule

Also recorded on January 24, 1972

  • 019-041 1:05 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:05 pm and 1:51 pm.
  • 317-001 1:05 PM · 25 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 1:05 pm and 1:51 pm.
  • 317-002 1:05 PM · 24 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 1:05 pm and 1:51 pm.
  • 317-003 1:05 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:05 pm and 1:51 pm.
  • 317-004 1:05 PM · 8 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 1:05 pm and 1:51 pm.
  • 317-005 1:05 PM · 10 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 1:05 pm and 1:51 pm.
  • 317-006 1:51 PM · 1 hr 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, Wilbur D. Mills, and Abbie L. (Daigh) Mills met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:51 pm to 3:00 pm.
  • 317-007 3:00 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:00 pm and 3:08 pm.

All 54 conversations from January 24, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 019-042, January 24, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/019-042 (accessed September 26, 2026).