Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 20 › Conversation 020-019
Nixon phone call with Downing on Social Correspondence and Congress
Wednesday, February 2, 1972 · 9:14 AM–9:15 AM ET · White House Telephone · 47 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon and Representative Thomas N. Downing engaged in a brief, informal exchange to exchange birthday greetings. During the call, they discussed shared birthdays among acquaintances, including Congressman Charles Gubser, and compared their physical appearances to that of Billy Graham. The conversation served primarily as a social pleasantry to foster rapport between the President and the Congressman.
- Social Correspondence
- Congress
- Billy Graham
- Personal Relations
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On February 2, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Thomas N. Downing talked on the telephone from 9:14 am to 9:15 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 020-019 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 20-19
Date: February 2, 1972
Time: 9:14 am - 9:15 am
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Thomas N. Downing.
[See Conversation No. 664-5]
Birthday greeting
-William E. Timmons
-Charles S. Gubser birthday
William F. (“Billy”) Graham visit to President
Downing’s schedule
-Prayer breakfastAlso recorded on February 2, 1972
- 020-016 8:51 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:51 am and 9:10 am.
- 020-017 9:10 AM · 58 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles S. Gubser talked on the telephone from 9:10 am to 9:13 am.
- 664-002 9:10 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles S. Gubser met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:10 am to 9:13 am.
- 020-018 9:13 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:13 am and 9:14 am.
- 664-003 9:13 AM · 34 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:13 am and 9:14 am.
- 664-004 9:13 AM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:13 am and 9:14 am.
- 664-005 9:14 AM · 46 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thomas N. Downing met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:14 am to 9:15 am.
- 664-006 9:15 AM · 49 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Ronald L. Ziegler, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:15 am to 10:05 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 020-019, February 2, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/020-019 (accessed October 12, 2026).