Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 19 › Conversation 019-138

Nixon phone call with Wilson on District of Columbia crime rate

Thursday, January 27, 1972 · 2:23 PM–2:24 PM ET · White House Telephone · 56 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Wilson, Jerry V.Conversation019-138 on Tape 19StartThursday, January 27, 1972 at 2:23 PMEndThursday, January 27, 1972 at 2:24 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 019-138 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417192595 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon initiated this call with D.C. Police Chief Jerry V. Wilson to commend him on a 13% reduction in the District’s crime rate, a milestone the President highlighted in his recent State of the Union address. Nixon requested that Wilson convey his personal appreciation to the police inspectors for their contributions to this success. The brief discussion also touched upon Nixon's recent meeting with Frank Rizzo and concluded with the President extending well-wishes for the health of Wilson’s wife.

District of Columbia crime rate
State of the Union
Police relations
Frank L. Rizzo
Law enforcement management

Audio

Download MP3 · 1.3 MB

NARA Description

On January 27, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Jerry V. Wilson talked on the telephone from 2:23 pm to 2:24 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 019-138 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 19-138

Date: January 27, 1972
Time: 2:23 pm - 2:24 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Jerry V. Wilson.

[See Conversation No. 658-20]

     District of Columbia crime rate
           -State of the Union speech
           -The President's letters to police inspectors

     Frank L. Rizzo
          -Meeting with the President

     Wilson's wife's health

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Hello?

Chief Jerry Wilson on the line, Mr. President.

Yeah.

Good afternoon, Mr. President.

Well, I wanted to congratulate you on that 13% crime drop in the district, which I mentioned in the State of the Union.

Well, Mr. President, I thank you.

And you pass the word to all the people on the force.

I certainly will, and I'm sure your letters to the

The inspectors have a great deal to do.

I know that they will have seen it, that it was not mentioned, but, you know, just let them know I know who did it.

I certainly will, and we do appreciate it.

I had a good visit, incidentally, with one of your former colleagues, Rizzo, yesterday, two or three days ago.

Oh, yes, I saw that.

He's a fine man, a fine man.

He does a good job.

Also, I want to wish your wife, I understand she's in the hospital for an operation.

Yes, she is.

It's going okay, I see.

Oh, yes, she's feeling pretty miserable.

Oh, sure.

Well, you tell her I asked about her and for her to take care and not give you any worries.

I certainly will.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

Bye.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Also recorded on January 27, 1972

019-136 2:20 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 2:20 pm.
019-137 2:20 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:20 pm and 2:23 pm.
658-017 2:20 PM · 46 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 2:20 pm.
658-018 2:20 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:20 pm and 2:23 pm.
658-019 2:20 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:20 pm and 2:23 pm.
658-020 2:23 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Jerry V. Wilson met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:23 pm to 2:24 pm.
019-139 2:24 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:24 pm and 2:32 pm.
658-021 2:24 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:24 pm and 2:32 pm.

All 50 conversations from January 27, 1972 →

Nixon phone call with Hoover on Law enforcement and FBI May 26, 1971 · 3 min
Nixon, Kiernan & Sanchez on Law enforcement and Police relations May 26, 1971 · 2 min
Nixon, Hoover & Mitchell on Law enforcement and Crime victims June 3, 1971 · 5 min
Nixon phone call with Rizzo on Philadelphia and Law and Order November 3, 1971 · 2 min
Nixon, Woods & Kissinger on Frank L. Rizzo and Walter H. Annenberg November 3, 1971 · 1 min
Nixon phone call with Mitchell on School busing and Department of Justice November 3, 1971 · 7 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 019-138, January 27, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417192595). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/019-138 (accessed October 29, 2026).