Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 19 › Conversation 019-129

Nixon phone call with Lewis on DeWitt Wallace and Lila Wallace

Wednesday, January 26, 1972 · 8:18 PM–8:22 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Lewis, Hobart D.Conversation019-129 on Tape 19StartWednesday, January 26, 1972 at 8:18 PMEndWednesday, January 26, 1972 at 8:22 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 019-129 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Hobart D. Lewis discuss the logistics and ceremonial details for an upcoming dinner and Medal of Freedom presentation honoring DeWitt and Lila Wallace. Beyond social arrangements, the conversation shifts to foreign policy, where Nixon expresses confidence that North Vietnam will eventually negotiate after a failed offensive. He emphasizes that his administration has already offered a comprehensive peace proposal, including prisoner of war releases and a ceasefire, despite ongoing rejection from Hanoi.

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.
You all set for the big dinner Friday night?
Well, we sure are.
It's getting better and better.
Well, I think it's going to be a nice dinner.
And I think the idea of having the 60 people over at Taylor House, that brings everybody into it that we couldn't have to the white tie thing.
And they can all be there for the big ceremony, you see.
See, they'll be there in the ballroom when we give the Medal of Freedom.
No, I'll tell you what I will do.
In the state dining room, I will, because I think it's only appropriate there, I will rise and propose a toast to Lila and Wally.
And he then might rise and say,
Well, I'd like to respond by proposing to the President of the United States.
He wants to say a little thing.
He can.
He doesn't need to.
He is working up a little something.
Well, if he could, that would be fine.
And then when we go into the other room, he doesn't need to say anything because I'll present the Medal of Freedom and hang around him, and that'll be it.
Well, in the state dining room, he would like to talk.
He told me that he'd like to talk for about ten minutes.
Fine.
Good.
He's got something on his mind he wants to say.
Fine.
Fine.
Well, now, do you think we should save that for the other room?
Well, I think I'd have to.
Well, you see, in the other room, it'll be a state dining room.
Then he could be more comfortable and say what he wants.
That's right.
That's right.
And he'd be talking to people that.
Right.
Good.
So say that I'll recognize, I'll propose a toast, and he can respond any way he wants.
And after that.
well we uh yeah well you know the uh the north vietnamese did just exactly what we expected they turned it down but that's okay we're just going to keep right on this line and say we've offered a good peace proposal and they ought to accept it can't go any further
Oh, they'll squeal and say, why don't we do this or that?
The other thing they'll say, all right, we've offered this and that.
I don't understand the other side.
I guess they're just waiting it out.
Yeah, Hanoi, oh, sure.
They're going to wait it out for about three more months, and then I think they'll deal.
Yeah.
They're going to try one more offensive, and it'll fail, in my opinion, and then they'll deal.
We're going to really flop it to them, too.
Yeah, I knew.
For 30 months, I knew we were negotiating, and I couldn't say it.
We'd already done.
We'd answered the seven points.
We'd offered a deadline and prisoners and ceasefire, and they just turned it all down.
You like the way it was done, huh?
Good.
Well, good, Hope.
We'll see you.
They're going to spend the night, too, aren't they?
Well, we're going to put him in the Lincoln Room and her in the Queens Room.
Okay.

NARA Description

On January 26, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Hobart D. Lewis talked on the telephone from 8:18 pm to 8:22 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 019-129 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 19-129

Date: January 26, 1972
Time: 8:18 pm - 8:22 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Hobart D. (“Hobe”) Lewis.

     Dinner, January 28, 1972
          -Tayloe House
          -Medal of Freedom presentation to DeWitt and Lila (Acheson) Wallace
          -The President's toast
                -Wallaces
                -DeWitt Wallace's toast
                     -State Dining Room

     The President's January 25, 1972 speech on Vietnam
          -North Vietnamese reaction
               -US response
          -“Doves”
          -Possible North Vietnamese offensive
          -Negotiations
               -Secrecy
               -Seven Points
               -Deadline, Prisoners of war [POWs], ceasefire
          -Production
               -State of the Union speech

     The Wallace's forthcoming White House visit

Also recorded on January 27, 1972

  • 019-124 7:47 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:47 pm and 7:51 pm.
  • 019-125 7:51 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:51 pm.
  • 019-126 7:51 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:51 pm and 8:00 pm.
  • 019-127 8:00 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo talked on the telephone from 8:00 pm to 8:03 pm.
  • 019-128 8:03 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:03 pm and 8:18 pm.
  • 019-130 8:40 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 8:40 pm to 8:41 pm.
  • 658-001 8:45 AM · 58 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:45 am and 8:50 am.
  • 658-002 8:45 AM · 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:45 am and 8:50 am.

All 57 conversations from January 27, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 019-129, January 27, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/019-129 (accessed October 12, 2026).