Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 022-127
Date: Saturday, April 15, 1972 at 12:25 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Arbuthnot, Raymond J.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/022-127
National Archives Catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/417193219 (NAID 417193219)

This transcript was made by an AI model listening to the recording (google/gemini-3.8-flash) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Speaker names are the model's inference. Verify against the audio before citing.

[0:00] OPERATOR: [unintelligible] I'll place the call.
[0:04] NIXON: Ray?
[0:07] ARBUTHNOT: Yes, Mr. President.
[0:09] NIXON: Listen, I just got back from Canada and learned about Zelda. I'm so sorry.
[0:14] ARBUTHNOT: Well, thank you. Thank you. She had been failing so long.
[0:18] NIXON: Yeah. It's tough.
[0:20] ARBUTHNOT: It's a blessing. It really is. She was totally incapacitated.
[0:25] NIXON: Yeah. Where are you? Out at the ranch?
[0:28] ARBUTHNOT: Yes, I'm out at the ranch, and we're getting along fine.
[0:31] NIXON: Good. How's the ranch looking?
[0:33] ARBUTHNOT: Pretty good. We had an inch and seven tenths of rain a couple days ago.
[0:37] NIXON: Oh, boy! That really helps, doesn't it?
[0:39] ARBUTHNOT: Well, that greened it right up. It's really wonderful. We're proud of what you're doing. Give them hell over there in Vietnam.
[0:46] NIXON: Don't worry, we're giving it to them.
[0:47] ARBUTHNOT: I see you bombed Haiphong and-
[0:50] NIXON: We bombed a lot of other things.
[0:52] ARBUTHNOT: Good.
[0:53] NIXON: They have no right to march into the south like that.
[0:55] ARBUTHNOT: Well, that's what we all feel. There's so much sentiment for you out here you just can't imagine.
[0:59] NIXON: Well, good. Pat and the girls wanted to be, to send their very best to you, and-
[1:03] ARBUTHNOT: Well, God bless them.
[1:04] NIXON: -Bebe was, Bebe told me when I arrived. He's here.
[1:08] ARBUTHNOT: Well, good. You know, he and I were both born the same day.
[1:11] NIXON: I know that, but he's not quite as old as you, is he? Or a year older?
[1:15] ARBUTHNOT: No, I'm, oh, I'm a year older, yeah. He was born, well, two years older.
[1:19] NIXON: Well, anyway, Ray-
[1:20] ARBUTHNOT: I'm coming back East pretty soon. I want to see you.
[1:23] NIXON: Fine, and we'll give you a room, give you a bed.
[1:26] ARBUTHNOT: All right, sir. [laughs]
[1:28] NIXON: Give my best to the girls, will you?
[1:30] ARBUTHNOT: I sure will. You tell the folks hi for me.
[1:32] NIXON: Okay, my friend.
[1:33] ARBUTHNOT: Thanks so much for calling.
[1:34] NIXON: Bye.
[1:35] ARBUTHNOT: Bye-bye.