Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 23 › Conversation 023-019

Nixon phone call with Cox on University of Maryland and Student demonstrations

Tuesday, April 18, 1972 · 11:55 AM–11:58 AM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Cox, Tricia NixonConversation023-019 on Tape 23StartTuesday, April 18, 1972 at 11:55 AMEndTuesday, April 18, 1972 at 11:58 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 023-019 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417193323 ↗

AI Summary

Tricia Nixon Cox recounts her experience attending a table tennis match at the University of Maryland, where she and Secretary of State William P. Rogers were subjected to intense boos and hostile demonstrations from students. President Nixon expresses frustration with his staff for scheduling the event at a known "radical" campus, ultimately blaming Henry Kissinger’s team for the poor planning. The pair concludes the call by briefly discussing the logistics of Tricia’s potential role in leading a tour for the visiting Chinese table tennis team.

  • University of Maryland
  • Student demonstrations
  • Table tennis diplomacy
  • William P. Rogers
  • PRC-US relations

Audio

Download MP3 · 5.4 MB

NARA Description

On April 18, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 11:55 am to 11:58 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 023-019 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 23-19

Date: April 18, 1972
Time: 11:55-11:58 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Tricia Nixon Cox.

[See also Conversation No. 711-9]

     Tricia Nixon Cox's schedule
           -Attendance at table tennis match
                -William P. Rogers
                -Demonstrations at University of Maryland
                     -Nationalist Chinese
                            -Mao Tse-tung
                     -Ho Chi Minh
                     -People's Republic of China [PRC] response
                -Crowd reaction
                     -Demonstrations and arrests
                     -Rogers
                     -The President's schedule vis-a-vis universities
               -White House staff
                     -David N. Parker
                     -Henry A. Kissinger's staff
          -Mike Douglas Show
               -Trip to Philadelphia in mid-May

     University of Maryland
          -Demonstrations
          -Students

     The President's schedule
          -Tricia Nixon Cox’s possible role as tour leader
          -Meeting with PRC and US table tennis teams
                -Tricia Nixon Cox's possible role as tour leader

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.
Hello.
Daddy, it's me.
Hi.
Hi.
How did it go last night?
Oh, did you hear?
Well, Bill Rogers told me he saw you there.
He said there were a few demonstrators around, but he said it went all right.
How did you feel?
Oh, he thought it went all right.
That's interesting.
Yeah.
Well, yeah, he called this morning.
There were quite a few demonstrators because it was held at the University.
Well, they were demonstrating on all sides.
That's right.
The Nationalist Chinese were out, and then they were shouting down with Mayo, and then the other people were shouting, you know, Ho Chi Minh.
Ho Chi Minh.
But we were very loudly booed when we walked in.
You were?
Very loudly, yeah.
You and who?
You and Rogers?
And Rogers, yeah.
Do you think you should not have gone?
It was a bad one to do.
It was a good idea, but we shouldn't have gone to the University of Maryland for it.
It was the motleyest crew you've ever seen.
Well, that's my view about going to the universities.
Well, I hope it didn't bother you too much, though.
No, it didn't.
It was just, I know, I was just embarrassed because the Chinese issued a complaint.
Complaint about what?
Oh, you know, that they were being rude to Chairman Mao.
They were insulting Chairman Mao.
There's nothing we could do.
They blew the Chinese, too?
No, they didn't blow the Chinese.
No, they didn't.
What they mean, did they announce you as secretary when you went in?
Yeah, first they announced me, and then they raised loud boos.
Oh, it was incredible.
Of course, our people are very vociferous, so it just sounded much louder, and that's what, you know, was carried on the news.
And then carried on the news.
But anyway, yeah, and of course they didn't even say that later rocks would have been, you know, there was rocks.
throwing by these people.
Was there?
Who did they throw at?
The authorities.
A number were arrested.
And then they introduced Rogers.
They booed him, too?
Yeah, they booed him, too.
And then they had chants.
There was a chant about me.
But they didn't really take on Rogers.
That was good.
Well, they wouldn't because he didn't do it.
Yeah.
Well, I was concerned about the thing myself.
Yeah, well, see, you were so much smarter than he is.
Because I'm always of the view that you don't go to university where they have a chance to.
Well, I called today and said that never again, you know, that there were so many others.
Well, our people were a little stupid.
They were stupid.
Who arranged this?
Well, David Parker.
But apparently Kissinger's people thought it was a good thing to do.
Yeah.
They were the ones who recommended it, and I think, I said, well, the idea was fine, but there were half a dozen other things that they did, like going to Williamsburg and all, that would have been better.
if they wanted me to do something at all.
How did you go?
Have you done the Mike Douglas show yet?
No, I'm going to do that, I think, in May.
Oh, good.
When I go to Philadelphia.
I'm going to Philadelphia for a couple of things.
When are you going to Philadelphia?
Oh, you're going to do it?
Fine.
Yeah, I think it's about the middle of May.
Well, don't let the booing bother you.
The thing to do is that our... Daddy, these people are horrible.
Our people are just too goddamn stupid to have any brains to even think of... You know, I thought of the University of Maryland thing.
You know, the only thing is, I thought of it, but that was yesterday.
I thought the University...
I said, well, there were demonstrations there.
It was a horrible hotbed.
Radicalism.
This university has always been that way.
And I thought, well, maybe it's all right because students aren't radical anymore, but I don't know.
Okay.
Where are you going to be today?
Here.
Just here.
You're going to meet the team, right?
Yeah, I'm going to see right now.
Right this minute.
Yeah, what else did you want to tell me?
Was there something else?
No, they wanted me to take them on a tour, but I didn't, you know.
Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm going to take them, and then you can take them on the tour.
But what time do you see them?
Well, I'm just walking out this minute, and I'll be rid of them in 10 minutes, 15 minutes, I hope.
Oh, well, then I guess I'm not taking them on the tour because no one got back to me about it.
Okay, good luck.
Well, no, I think you are taking them on the tour, but I don't know.
I don't know how they...
We'll see.
Just hang around.
Yeah, okay.
Yeah.
Okay.

Also recorded on April 18, 1972

  • 023-018 11:52 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:52 am and 11:56 am.
  • 711-007 11:52 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander P. Butterfield, and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:52 am and 11:55 am.
  • 711-008 11:52 AM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:52 am and 11:55 am.
  • 711-009 11:55 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:55 am to 11:58 am.
  • 711-010 11:58 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:58 am and 12:04 pm.
  • 711-011 11:58 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:58 am and 12:04 pm.
  • 711-012 11:58 AM · 36 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:58 am and 12:04 pm.
  • 711-013 12:04 PM · 22 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:04 pm and 12:21 pm.

All 57 conversations from April 18, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 023-019, April 18, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417193323). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/023-019 (accessed October 29, 2026).