Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 21 › Conversation 021-038

Nixon phone call with Irwin on State Department and Press relations

Wednesday, March 8, 1972 · 2:39 PM–2:40 PM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Irwin, John N., IIConversation021-038 on Tape 21 (tape position 01:19:46–01:20:55)StartWednesday, March 8, 1972 at 2:39 PMEndWednesday, March 8, 1972 at 2:40 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 021-038 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon called Deputy Secretary of State John N. Irwin, II to commend his skillful handling of a critical Washington Star article by George Sherman. Nixon characterized the journalist's report as a deliberate attempt to create discord between the White House and the State Department, a tactic he compared to past efforts against John Foster Dulles. The President praised Irwin's affirmative response to the press, reinforcing their unified stance against media efforts to stir internal departmental conflict.

Audio

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.
Secretary Irwin, sir.
Hello.
Yes, Mr. President.
Hi, how are you?
Very good, sir.
I just wanted you to know that I thought you handled a statement that you gave to that Sherman of the Star who was sort of doing a hatchet job in the State Department.
He's handled it extremely well.
Well, thank you.
What you said, you know, this is...
part of the old game.
Remember, they did it with Dulles, and now they'll do it now, and the whole idea of trying to divide the White House from the State Department and this and that and the other thing.
But the way you took it on in a very affirmative way is the way to do it, and I think it was handled with great skill.
Well, thank you very much, sir.
I feel that way.
A lot of us over here do, sir.
I think the newspaper... Well, they can always find, you know, a few grouses.
They find a few.
A few grouses, and then they'll take, and also they make some of it up.
So, you know, they'll take one guy and then they'll take from that and elaborate a bit and they gossip and they go down to the bar and, you know, I know how these things are written.
But I understand, but I do appreciate the way you handled it.
Well, thank you very much.
Okay.
Great to call.
Good.

NARA Description

On March 8, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Irwin, II talked on the telephone from 2:39 pm to 2:40 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 021-038 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 21-38

Date: March 9, 1972
Time: 2:39 pm - 2:40 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with John N. Irwin, II.

[See Conversation No. 322-38]

     State Department
           -Press relations
                -George Sherman
                       -Washington Star article
                -Attempt to divide the White House and the State Department
                       -John Foster Dulles
                -Irwin’s job
                       -The President’s view

Also recorded on March 8, 1972

  • 021-034 1:48 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 1:48 pm to 1:51 pm.
  • 021-035 1:51 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:51 pm and 1:57 pm.
  • 021-036 1:57 PM · 25 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 1:57 pm to 1:58 pm.
  • 021-037 1:58 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:58 pm and 2:39 pm.
  • 321-021 2:15 PM · 27 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:15 pm to 2:45 pm.
  • 321-022 2:45 PM · 11 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 2:45 pm and 3:55 pm.
  • 321-023 2:45 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 2:45 pm and 3:55 pm.
  • 321-024 3:55 PM · 29 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, unknown person(s), and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:55 pm to 4:35 pm.

All 36 conversations from March 8, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 021-038, March 8, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/021-038 (accessed October 3, 2026).