{"conversationCode":"019-053","tapeNumber":19,"conversationNumber":53,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-019-053","startDateTime":"1972-01-24T21:27:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-01-24T21:55:00.000Z","startDate":"24-Jan-1972","startTime":"4:27 PM","endDate":"24-Jan-1972","endTime":"4:55 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Mitchell, John N.;","description":"On January 24, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell talked on the telephone from 4:27 pm to 4:55 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 019-053 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"WHT","recordingDevice":"White House Telephone","latitudeEstimated":38.89767,"longitudeEstimated":-77.03655,"chronCode":3,"chronRelease":"Third Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"28-Feb-2002","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 19-53\n\nDate: January 24, 1972\nTime: 4:27 pm - 4:55 pm\nLocation: White House Telephone\n\nThe President talked with John N. Mitchell.\n\n[See Conversation No. 317-17]\n\n     The President’s schedule\n          -Recent trip to Walker's Cay\n\n     The President's forthcoming speech on Vietnam\n          -Nguyen Van Thieu\n          -Possible reaction\n          -Negotiations\n               -Proposals\n                      -Withdrawal\n                            -Duration\n                            -Ceasefire and prisoners of war [POWs]\n\n**********************************************************************\n\nBEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2\n[Personal Returnable]\n[Duration: 2m 40s ]\n\nEND WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2\n\n**********************************************************************\n\n    -[John Sherman Cooper]\n         -Campaign efforts\n               -Appointment for staff member\n\n    Frank L. Rizzo\n         -Conversation with the President\n              -Government funding\n         -Conversation with Walter H. Annenberg\n\n**********************************************************************\n\nBEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3\n[Personal Returnable]\n[Duration: 36s ]\n\nEND WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3\n\n**********************************************************************\n\n    Rizzo [?]\n         -John D. Ehrlichman's possible actions\n              -Federal funds, agencies\n                   -Law Enforcement Assistance Administration [LEAA], Department of\n                         Transportation\n              -Possible calls from Mitchell\n\n**********************************************************************\n\nBEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4\n[Personal Returnable]\n[Duration: 5m 2s ]\n\nEND WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4\n\n**********************************************************************\n\n         -Richard B. Ogilvie\n              -Revenue sharing\n              -Taft-Hartley Act\n              -Dock strike\n                    -Farmers\n              -Rural Electrification Administration [REA] funds\n              -Prospects\n\n**********************************************************************\n\nBEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5\n[Personal Returnable]\n[Duration: 12m 55s ]\n\nEND WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5\n\n**********************************************************************\n\n    The President's forthcoming speech on Vietnam\n         -Kissinger's forthcoming press briefing\n              -Response to opponents of the President's policies\n                     -Secret negotiations\n                     -Congressional deadline\n                           -Administration offer\n                                -Ceasefire and POWs\n\n    Vietnam\n         -Negotiations\n\n                -October 1971\n\n     1972 campaign\n          -Issues\n                -Rockefeller and Ogilvie\n                     -Revenue sharing\n                     -Democrats\n\n     Vietnam\n          -South Vietnam’s survival\n                -Prospects\n                      -Armed Forces\n                            -US air support\n                            -Compared to North Vietnam\n                                 -Communication lines\n                                 -Air power\n          -Press treatment\n          -North Vietnam\n                -Prospects for military progress\n          -Rainy season\n          -Military press briefings in Saigon\n                -Mitchell's conversation with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman\n                -The President's forthcoming meeting with Melvin R. Laird and Admiral\n                      Thomas H. Moorer","filename":["019-053.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Mitchell, John N."],"prevCode":"019-052","nextCode":"019-054","transcript":[{"start":1.03,"end":2.17,"text":"Hello."},{"start":2.43,"end":2.97,"text":"The Attorney General."},{"start":2.99,"end":3.35,"text":"Mr. President."},{"start":3.83,"end":4.71,"text":"Hi, John, how are you?"},{"start":4.77,"end":5.25,"text":"I'm fine."},{"start":5.31,"end":6.67,"text":"I trust you had a good weekend."},{"start":7.23,"end":7.79,"text":"Yeah, we did."},{"start":7.83,"end":14.82,"text":"I spent about a couple of days, at least two nights, over at Walker's, so that was pleasant."},{"start":15.06,"end":15.92,"text":"Weather good, I hope."},{"start":16.26,"end":17.34,"text":"The weather was fine."},{"start":17.38,"end":18.6,"text":"Not the best, but good enough."},{"start":19.02,"end":19.36,"text":"Good."},{"start":19.38,"end":23.13,"text":"And the main thing was that we got ready for the next week."},{"start":23.59,"end":27.73,"text":"We're going to go tomorrow night on our little deal that you know about."},{"start":27.75,"end":28.99,"text":"Yes, I think that's great."},{"start":29.01,"end":29.63,"text":"And..."},{"start":29.93,"end":35.28,"text":"I just finished the final draft just this minute, so we'll get it on the way."},{"start":35.3,"end":37.55,"text":"We've got two aboard and everything else."},{"start":38.85,"end":39.69,"text":"It'll raise some hell."},{"start":40.23,"end":42.64,"text":"I think it's going to throw some red faces."},{"start":43.04,"end":43.58,"text":"Do you think so?"},{"start":43.84,"end":44.56,"text":"I would think so."},{"start":44.9,"end":48.17,"text":"Well, it's a very well-done draft, I really believe."},{"start":48.25,"end":50.25,"text":"It's rather matter-of-fact, but..."},{"start":50.52,"end":54.25,"text":"Good God, you know, John, we've offered everything you can imagine."},{"start":54.71,"end":60.26,"text":"I mean, a six-month withdrawal in exchange for ceasefire and POWs."},{"start":60.36,"end":61.36,"text":"What the hell more do you want?"},{"start":61.62,"end":65.55,"text":"Well, this is why they're going to have red faces, because they've been making all those noises."},{"start":65.57,"end":67.27,"text":"But, in fact, these things haven't been done."},{"start":67.91,"end":68.67,"text":"Mm-hmm."},{"start":68.69,"end":68.83,"text":"Mm-hmm."},{"start":228.53,"end":231.76,"text":"He said he would campaign and put all his resources."},{"start":231.78,"end":233.06,"text":"That'll be helpful."},{"start":233.09,"end":233.37,"text":"It will."},{"start":233.79,"end":234.07,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":234.31,"end":239.84,"text":"As long as we get that appointment that he wants, and I think for one of his staff people, and I think we can do it."},{"start":239.9,"end":240.82,"text":"Oh, sure."},{"start":241.16,"end":243.38,"text":"I had a very good talk with Rizzo today."},{"start":243.44,"end":244.32,"text":"Oh, did you?"},{"start":244.34,"end":244.96,"text":"Was he in?"},{"start":245.1,"end":248.51,"text":"He was in to talk about getting money from the government."},{"start":249.31,"end":250.37,"text":"And, of course, which we do."},{"start":250.41,"end":254.86,"text":"But I'll tell you, he's really all aboard, all the way."},{"start":255.02,"end":257.35,"text":"Did Waller stop and see him on his way back?"},{"start":257.43,"end":257.95,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":258.05,"end":259.17,"text":"He'd had two hours with him."},{"start":260.09,"end":260.55,"text":"Good."},{"start":296.74,"end":300.97,"text":"The second thing, I've told Ehrlichman to follow through on the money front."},{"start":301.31,"end":307.25,"text":"In other words, LEAA, transportation, any other money we can, we're going to try to help him."},{"start":307.84,"end":311.32,"text":"And third, just keep an awful close touch with him."},{"start":311.98,"end":314.78,"text":"Well, I've got a good rapport with him."},{"start":314.94,"end":316.52,"text":"I think I ought to call him from time to time."},{"start":316.55,"end":317.14,"text":"Absolutely."},{"start":317.31,"end":320.91,"text":"I'd give him, I think, a little tenor-loving care with him and go a long way."},{"start":321.47,"end":326.51,"text":"And I think you could just, maybe about every three weeks or so, you could sort of pick up the phone."},{"start":629.43,"end":636.75,"text":"And if Ogilvy can just keep being a good man and if we can get him revenue sharing, that'll help him some."},{"start":636.77,"end":640.17,"text":"Yes, he's got two big pluses out there."},{"start":640.22,"end":645.06,"text":"Of course, Taft Hartley and the"},{"start":645.5,"end":668.96,"text":"a dock business you know for his farmers yeah put him up on top and then uh we got some money out of the agriculture and this rea thing which he took a hell of a lot of credit for which put him up in that area so he's mending his fences and i think doing considerably better and this is what i hear from some of the other politicians out there and talk to"}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and John Mitchell discuss political strategies for the 1972 campaign, focusing on the administration’s forthcoming Vietnam speech and the public disclosure of secret peace negotiation offers. They review efforts to secure support from key political figures, including Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo and Illinois Governor Richard Ogilvie, through federal funding and policy coordination. The conversation also touches upon military strategy in South Vietnam and the administration's intent to pressure domestic opponents by highlighting the generous terms offered to North Vietnam regarding prisoner releases and troop withdrawal.","topics":["Vietnam War negotiations","1972 Presidential campaign","Revenue sharing","Frank Rizzo","Richard Ogilvie","Federal grants","POW/MIA issues"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T01:39:52.502Z"},"topicSlugs":["vietnam-war-negotiations","1972-election","revenue-sharing","frank-rizzo","richard-ogilvie","federal-grants","pow-mia-issues"],"audioDurationSec":1289,"audioFiles":[{"file":"019-053.mp3","bytes":30927515,"durationSec":1288.57,"bitrate":192011,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:24.938Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/019-053.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/019-053","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/019/conversation-019-053","catalogNaId":417192425,"catalogUrl":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/417192425","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}