Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 21 › Conversation 021-052

Haldeman & Stuart on Pat Nixon and National Zoo

Monday, March 13, 1972 · 11:21 AM–3:50 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsHaldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Stuart, Constance M.Conversation021-052 on Tape 21 (tape position 02:02:30–02:04:09)StartMonday, March 13, 1972 at 11:21 AMEndMonday, March 13, 1972 at 3:50 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 021-052 ↗

AI Summary

H. R. Haldeman briefs Constance Stuart on the President’s decision to house the two pandas arriving from China at the National Zoo. The announcement is framed to highlight First Lady Pat Nixon's strong recommendation, stemming from her firsthand inspection of the Peking Zoo and her assessment that the Washington climate is suitable for the animals. Stuart is tasked with coordinating a visit for Mrs. Nixon to inspect the zoo’s facilities upon the pandas' expected arrival around April 1.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.
Hello.
Connie?
Hi, Bob Haldeman.
Yes, sir.
The President wants you to know that at the morning briefing we're going to announce that the President and Mrs. Nixon have decided that the two pandas should go to the National Zoo.
Yay!
And this is, of course, Mrs. Nixon.
talked with him about that you should you should cover that that she strongly recommended that they uh be at the national zoo he wants to hang in on her okay to the two of them and and uh then so when uh you ought to work out something that when they arrive she goes out to take a look because she saw their quarters at the uh peking zoo and so she could check out to be sure it's all okay have you now that you brought it up any idea at all when the pandas might arrive
i think around april 1st oh good we're not sure yet that's ducky we're not sure well we don't know exactly what it'll be a slow plane from china yeah okay oh that's fun thank you very much just a second wait a minute
make the point that she had been to see the pandas there, that after seeing them there and talking to the people there and all that, she felt strongly that they should be in the Washington, in the National Zoo in Washington, as they are in the Peking Zoo in China.
And also that the climate thing seemed to be
pretty good here.
The president's saying that, too.
They are at the briefing here.
Okay.
Excellente.
Okay.

NARA Description

On March 13, 1972, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and Constance M. Stuart talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:21 am and 3:50 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 021-052 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 21-52

Date: March 13, 1972
Time: Unknown between 11:21 am and 3:50 pm
Location: White House Telephone

H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman talked with Constance M. Stuart.

[See Conversation No. 683-4D]

     Pandas
          -Briefing
          -Placement
                -National Zoo
                      -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
          -Arrival date
          -Stuart’s reaction
          -Mrs. Nixon’s involvement
                -Previous visit to panda facility in the People’s Republic of China [PRC]
                      -National Zoo
                      -Peking Zoo
                      -Climate of Washington, DC

Also recorded on March 13, 1972

  • 021-049 10:07 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:07 am and 11:16 am.
  • 683-004 10:15 AM · 1 hr 45 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander P. Butterfield, Stephen B. Bull, Ronald L. Ziegler, White House operator, Croby S. Noyes, Constance M. Stuart, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:15 am to 12:01 pm.
  • 021-050 11:16 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Croby S. Noyes talked on the telephone from 11:16 am to 11:21 am.
  • 021-051 11:21 AM · 7 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:21 am and 3:50 pm.
  • 021-053 11:21 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:21 am and 3:50 pm.
  • 683-005 12:02 PM · 1 min — Stephen B. Bull, Alexander P. Butterfield, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:05 pm.
  • 683-006 12:02 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, unknown person(s), Marina von Neumann Whitman, Dr. Robert Whitman, Malcolm Whitman, Laura Whitman, Josephine Pierce, Herbert Stein, Ezra Solomon, George P. Shultz, William L. Safire, Barbara H. Franklin, Paul McArdle, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:17 pm.
  • 683-007 12:18 PM · 50 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald S. Berman, Leonard Garment, William J. Powell, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:18 pm to 1:07 pm.

All 72 conversations from March 13, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 021-052, March 13, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/021-052 (accessed October 3, 2026).