Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 21 › Conversation 021-056

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Giant pandas and National Zoo

Monday, March 13, 1972 · 5:11 PM–5:12 PM ET · White House Telephone

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Nixon, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan); Nixon, Richard M. (President); Nixon, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan)Conversation021-056 on Tape 21 (tape position 02:07:00–02:08:26)StartMonday, March 13, 1972 at 5:11 PMEndMonday, March 13, 1972 at 5:12 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 021-056 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon discussed the logistics surrounding the arrival of giant pandas at the National Zoo, including potential media coverage and the First Lady's participation in related events. The conversation also touched upon the upcoming swearing-in ceremony for Marina von N. Whitman to the Council of Economic Advisers, specifically noting the reaction of her children. Additionally, the President briefly mentioned his schedule regarding the ongoing issue of school busing, referencing consultations with John Ehrlichman and Edward Morgan.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 111.8 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 71.1 MB

This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 02:07:00 into the tape and ends around 02:08:26.

Transcript (AI-generated)

No transcript is available yet for this conversation. The recording may contain no audible speech, or it may not have been processed.

NARA Description

On March 13, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 5:11 pm to 5:12 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 021-056 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 21-56

Date: March 13, 1972
Time: 5:11 pm - 5:12 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon.

[See Conversation No. 683-20/684-1C]

     Pandas
          -Call to Constance M. Stuart
          -National Zoo
          -Climate
          -The President and Mrs. Nixon
          -Arrival
                -Mrs. Nixon’s possible appearance
          -Possible story
          -Swearing-in ceremony of Marina von N. Whitman
                -Council of Economic Advisors [CEA]
                -Children’s reaction

     The President’s schedule
          -Busing
               -John D. Ehrlichman and Edward L. Morgan

Also recorded on March 13, 1972

  • 684-002 6:03 PM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:03 pm and 6:05 pm.
  • 684-003 6:03 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:03 pm and 6:05 pm.
  • 323-008 6:05 PM · 43 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 6:05 pm and 6:07 pm.
  • 021-057 6:07 PM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 6:07 pm to 6:08 pm.
  • 323-009 6:07 PM · 59 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:07 pm to 6:08 pm.
  • 021-058 6:12 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 6:12 pm to 6:17 pm.
  • 323-010 6:12 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:12 pm to 6:17 pm.
  • 021-059 6:17 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:17 pm and 6:22 pm.

All 72 conversations from March 13, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 021-056, 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/021-056 (accessed October 23, 2026).