Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 23 › Conversation 023-122

Nixon phone call with Gandy on J. Edgar Hoover and Condolences

Tuesday, May 2, 1972 · 6:06 PM–6:07 PM ET · White House Telephone · 43 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Gandy, HelenConversation023-122 on Tape 23StartTuesday, May 2, 1972 at 6:06 PMEndTuesday, May 2, 1972 at 6:07 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 023-122 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417193529 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon called Helen Gandy to offer his personal condolences following the recent death of J. Edgar Hoover. The President emphasized the deep respect and close friendship he and his family held for the late FBI Director. During the brief exchange, Nixon also acknowledged Gandy's indispensable role as Hoover's longtime secretary, affirming the high regard in which the Director held her.

Audio

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NARA Description

On May 2, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Helen Gandy talked on the telephone from 6:06 pm to 6:07 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 023-122 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 23-122

Date: May 2, 1972
Time: 6:06-6:07 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Helen Gandy.

[See also Conversation No. 334-36K]
     J. Edgar Hoover
           -Respect for Gandy
                -The President's sympathy

     Gandy

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.
Ms. Gandy is on the line, Mr. President.
Yes, Mr. President.
Well, Ms. Gandy, I know that how very, very much the director...
had his confidence and respect in you over these years, and Mrs. Nixon and I wanted to extend our sympathy to you.
As you know, I considered him and we all, all of our family, one of our dearest and closest friends in and out of office, and I know how you must have felt about him, and I just wanted you to know that we were thinking of you today.
I know how much he thought of you, Mr. President.
Yes, and he was a great man, but there's never a great man without a great secretary.
Well, thank you so much.
And that's you.
Goodbye.

Also recorded on May 2, 1972

  • 023-114 4:49 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 4:49 pm to 4:51 pm.
  • 023-115 4:51 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:51 pm and 4:57 pm.
  • 023-116 4:57 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 4:57 pm to 4:58 pm.
  • 023-117 4:58 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:58 pm and 5:26 pm.
  • 023-118 5:26 PM · 48 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Clyde A. Tolson talked on the telephone from 5:26 pm to 5:27 pm.
  • 023-119 5:30 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:30 pm and 5:35 pm.
  • 023-120 5:35 PM · 3 min — John D. Ehrlichman, Ronald L. Ziegler, and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 5:35 pm to 5:37 pm.
  • 023-121 6:03 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 6:03 pm.

All 74 conversations from May 2, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 023-122, May 2, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417193529). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/023-122 (accessed November 2, 2026).