Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 27 › Conversation 027-050

Nixon phone call with Gallagher on Vietnam War and Prisoners of War

Tuesday, July 25, 1972 · 11:00 AM–11:03 AM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Gallagher, Raymond A.Conversation027-050 on Tape 27StartTuesday, July 25, 1972 at 11:00 AMEndTuesday, July 25, 1972 at 11:03 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 027-050 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon telephoned Raymond A. Gallagher to express gratitude for his public support of the administration's Vietnam War policies and its strategy regarding POWs. The two men criticized George McGovern's approach to the conflict, affirming the necessity of maintaining military pressure on the North Vietnamese. Nixon also solicited Gallagher's help in framing his reelection campaign as a non-partisan effort, while discussing the potential appearances of Vice President Spiro Agnew at upcoming veterans' conventions.

Audio

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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?
It's Ray Gallagher, Mr. President.
Hello?
Yes, sir.
Ray, I just called to tell you how much I appreciated your support, which I saw the news summary and so forth, and it's sure good to be on the same team with you.
Well, I appreciate being on there.
You know, a couple of fighters.
I must say, though, when I saw what this fellow did,
Your fellow South Dakota said about the POWs, where he said, just leave things in Thailand as a gesture.
You know, we're dealing with these communists.
Gestures, the only gesture they would understand is something that gets to them.
Otherwise, they're just going to thumb their nose back and return.
Well, they've been doing that.
That's right.
These fellows don't realize it's a constant effrontery.
We've tried time and time again, and now we're doing what we should do.
We're going to keep the pressure on, and there will be more of it if they don't turn them back.
Oh, there's no question about that.
I just got another statement out supporting your recommendation for Agnew.
Right.
Oh, good.
And I think that's great.
You like him, huh?
Oh, I think he's talking people language.
He uses a little better language than the people use.
Okay.
Well, it's sure good, and I must say that you'll be an enormous help.
Be sure that everybody knows, particularly our Democratic friends, that I consider this to be a campaign that's not personal, it's not partisan, it involves the country, and we want them to come aboard on that basis, and everybody's going to be treated exactly that way.
Well, that's great.
Right.
I hope we see you at the VFW convention.
Okay.
I'll do my best.
I don't know what I can do.
I've got to do the Legion this year because I didn't do them last year, but...
If we don't, we'll get Agnew there.
Yeah, I understand.
He'll be a 10-strike, too.
Right.
Okay.
All right, bye.
Thanks.

NARA Description

On July 25, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond A. Gallagher talked on the telephone from 11:00 am to 11:03 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 027-050 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 27-50

Date: July 25, 1972
Time: 11:00 am - 11:03 am

Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Raymond A. Gallagher.

[See Conversation No. 752-8A]

     Vietnam War
          -Gallagher's support for the President's policies
                -News summary
          -Prisoners of war [POWs]
                 -[George S. McGovern's] statement
                     -Thailand
                     -Communists
                 -US tactics

     Gallagher's statement about Vice President Spiro T. Agnew

     1972 election
         -Bipartisan nature

     The President's schedule
          -Veterans of Foreign Wars [VFW], American Legion
                -Agnew

Also recorded on July 25, 1972

  • 198-005 10:07 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:07 am and 10:09 am.
  • 198-006 10:09 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 10:09 am to 10:18 am.
  • 198-007 10:18 AM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:18 am and 10:31 am.
  • 752-007 10:36 AM · 21 min — Stephen B. Bull, Frank C. Coleman, Herbert Stein, Russell E. Train, Arthur F. Sampson, Darrell M. Trent, Donald H. Rumsfeld, John D. Ehrlichman, White House photographer, and President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:36 am to 10:57 am.
  • 027-049 10:57 AM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:57 am and 11:00 am.
  • 752-008 10:57 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and Raymond A. Gallagher met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:57 am and 11:12 am.
  • 752-015 10:57 AM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:57 am and 11:00 am.
  • 752-009 11:14 AM · 1 hr 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, Ronald L. Ziegler, unknown person(s), and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:14 am to 1:33 pm.

All 50 conversations from July 25, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 027-050, July 25, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/027-050 (accessed October 12, 2026).