{"conversationCode":"024-050","tapeNumber":24,"conversationNumber":50,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-024-050","startDateTime":"1972-05-09T15:53:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-05-09T15:56:00.000Z","startDate":"9-May-1972","startTime":"11:53 AM","endDate":"9-May-1972","endTime":"11:56 AM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"estimated","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); White House operator; Rush, [David] Kenneth;","description":"On May 9, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and [David] Kenneth Rush talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:53 am and 11:56 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 024-050 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"WHT","recordingDevice":"White House Telephone","latitudeEstimated":38.89767,"longitudeEstimated":-77.03655,"chronCode":3,"chronRelease":"Third Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"28-Feb-2002","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 24-50\n\nDate: May 9, 1972\nTime: Unknown after 11:53 until 11:56 am\nLocation: White House Telephone\n\nThe White House operator talked with the President.\n\n[See also Conversation No. 338-21]\n\n     Thomas H. Moorer\n         -Location\n              -Meeting with John C. Stennis\n\n     Request for a call to [David] Kenneth Rush\n\nThe President talked with [David] Kenneth Rush between 11:55 and 11:56 am\n\n     Vietnam\n          -Blockade\n               -Rush's television appearance\n                    -The President’s view\n               -Impact\n               -The President's peace offers\n                    -Prisoners of war [POWs]\n                    -Cease-fire\n\n                -Democrats' stance\n                -Rush’s view","filename":["024-050.mp3"],"tapeStart":"01:05:39","tapeEnd":"01:06:57","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","White House operator","Rush, [David] Kenneth"],"prevCode":"024-049","nextCode":"024-051","transcript":[{"start":0.03,"end":1.07,"text":"Hello."},{"start":1.27,"end":6.63,"text":"Mr. President, Admiral Moore is over at a meeting with Senator Sinnes, so I left word to call you, and I do have Secretary Rush for you."},{"start":6.88,"end":7.1,"text":"Fine."},{"start":7.12,"end":9.1,"text":"Fine."},{"start":9.12,"end":9.4,"text":"Benny."},{"start":9.83,"end":10.23,"text":"Hello."},{"start":12.11,"end":12.97,"text":"There you are."},{"start":12.99,"end":13.44,"text":"Hello, Ken."},{"start":13.46,"end":17.64,"text":"I didn't get to see your program, but my spy said you did a hell of a good job."},{"start":17.72,"end":18.62,"text":"I just wanted you to know."},{"start":18.82,"end":20.81,"text":"Well, thank you very much, Mr. President."},{"start":21.63,"end":22.21,"text":"I hope so."},{"start":22.65,"end":23.29,"text":"Of course you did."},{"start":23.31,"end":24.93,"text":"Well, we appreciate it."},{"start":24.95,"end":25.81,"text":"We've done the right thing."},{"start":25.83,"end":30.78,"text":"Now we're going to stick the course, and these bastards are either going to settle or they're going to get devastated."},{"start":30.76,"end":33.85,"text":"This, Mr. President, is exactly the right policy."},{"start":34.51,"end":36.07,"text":"And I'm so pleased that you... What else can you do?"},{"start":36.95,"end":39.08,"text":"And also, we made a damn conciliatory offer."},{"start":39.18,"end":40.08,"text":"Let's not forget that."},{"start":40.52,"end":41.52,"text":"What more could you offer?"},{"start":41.58,"end":45.93,"text":"We said we'll get out in four months if you give us our prisoners in a ceasefire."},{"start":46.13,"end":46.65,"text":"This is right."},{"start":47.34,"end":48.44,"text":"You have been very generous."},{"start":49.12,"end":51.28,"text":"You've exercised great restraint."},{"start":51.58,"end":54.99,"text":"And no right-thinking person can criticize what you're doing."},{"start":55.63,"end":58.27,"text":"Well, our Democratic friends are playing it partisan, but that's okay, too."},{"start":58.52,"end":58.88,"text":"Yes."},{"start":59.56,"end":60.8,"text":"They're on the wrong side of that one."},{"start":60.86,"end":62.82,"text":"No right-thinking person can criticize it."},{"start":63.78,"end":68.91,"text":"Anyone who's proud of his country could not criticize what you're doing, or anyone who has the welfare of his country at heart."},{"start":69.53,"end":69.73,"text":"All right."},{"start":69.75,"end":72.12,"text":"Well, I'm very proud to be associated with you."},{"start":72.14,"end":73.14,"text":"We appreciate your hard work."},{"start":73.6,"end":74.16,"text":"Okay."},{"start":74.18,"end":75.62,"text":"I'm very proud to be associated with you."},{"start":75.68,"end":76.16,"text":"See you tonight."},{"start":76.18,"end":76.66,"text":"Thank you, sir."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon calls Deputy Secretary of State Kenneth Rush to commend his recent television performance defending the administration's decision to blockade North Vietnam. The two discuss the administration’s peace proposal, emphasizing the generosity of the offer to withdraw troops in exchange for a cease-fire and the release of American prisoners of war. Nixon dismisses political criticism from the Democrats, asserting that their position is contrary to national interests and that the administration will remain committed to its current strategy.","topics":["Vietnam War","North Vietnam blockade","Prisoners of war","Foreign policy","Political opposition"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T02:51:40.266Z"},"topicSlugs":["vietnam-war","north-vietnam-blockade","prisoners-of-war","foreign-policy","political-opposition"],"audioDurationSec":77,"audioFiles":[{"file":"024-050.mp3","bytes":1858872,"durationSec":77.4,"bitrate":192142,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:27.841Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/024-050.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/024-050","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/24/conversation-024-050","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}