Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 20 › Conversation 020-057

Nixon phone call with Riland on Birthday and PRC trip

Tuesday, February 8, 1972 · 12:28 PM–12:29 PM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Riland, H. WalterConversation020-057 on Tape 20 (tape position 02:03:44–02:04:51)StartTuesday, February 8, 1972 at 12:28 PMEndTuesday, February 8, 1972 at 12:29 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 020-057 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417192795 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon initiated this call to extend birthday greetings to H. Walter Riland, the father of the President's physician, Dr. W. Kenneth Riland, in recognition of his 90th birthday. The two men exchanged brief pleasantries regarding the President's upcoming trip to the People's Republic of China and the President’s appreciation for the Riland family. The conversation served primarily as a personal gesture of goodwill and gratitude.

Audio

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NARA Description

On February 8, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and H. Walter Riland talked on the telephone from 12:28 pm to 12:29 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 020-057 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 20-57

Date: February 8, 1972
Time: 12:28 pm - 12:29 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with H. Walter Riland.

[See Conversation No. 320-9]

     Birthday greetings
          -Dr. W. Kenneth Riland's performance
          -Letter from the President
          -Calls
          -Wish for successful trip to the People’s Republic of China [PRC]

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Mr. President, Mr. Walter Ryland for you.

Yeah.

Hello.

I just called to wish you a happy birthday, Mr. Ryland.

Well, Mr. President, this is a high honor.

Well, your son has been taking good care of us down here, and he told me you were 90 today, and I said, well, that gave him hope to live just that long.

We hope he does and that you live on to 100.

Well, that's my prayer, that he outlives me by many years.

Right.

I got your wonderful letter the other day.

Yes, sir.

And I am very much indebted to you, and I appreciate it very highly.

Well, we like the Rylands, and I just want to hope you have a great day.

I thank you.

I'm having quite a session here with telephone calls.

I bet you are.

And the church.

That's right.

Family and everything.

So I'm going to be taken out to luncheon.

Great.

And I wish you a very successful trip across the sea.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Bye.

Bye now.

Thank you.

Also recorded on February 8, 1972

667-002 12:20 PM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:20 pm and 5:13 pm.
320-007 12:23 PM · 5 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 12:23 pm and 12:28 pm.
320-008 12:23 PM · 23 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 12:23 pm and 12:28 pm.
320-009 12:28 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Dr. W. Kenneth Riland met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:28 pm to 12:29 pm.
320-010 12:29 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:29 pm and 2:31 pm.
320-011 12:29 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:29 pm and 2:31 pm.
320-012 12:29 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:29 pm and 2:31 pm.
320-013 12:29 PM · 6 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 12:29 pm and 2:31 pm.

All 47 conversations from February 8, 1972 →

Nixon & Erleborn on John N. Erlenborn and Birthday February 9, 1972 · 3 min
Nixon with unidentified visitors in his EOB office on Stephen B. Bull August 3, 1971
Nixon, Riland & Tkach on Presidential health and Medical consultation September 22, 1971 · 2 min
Nixon & Haldeman on W. Kenneth Riland and Medical treatment April 13, 1973 · 2 min
Nixon phone call with Brotzman on Birthday and Golf June 28, 1971 · 1 min
Nixon phone call with Dwyer on Birthday and Patriotism July 5, 1971 · 3 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 020-057, February 8, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417192795). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/020-057 (accessed November 1, 2026).