Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 32 › Conversation 032-148

Nixon phone call with Pappas on 1972 presidential campaign and Boston rally

Thursday, November 2, 1972 · 12:07 PM–12:09 PM ET · White House Telephone · 58 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Pappas, Thomas A.Conversation032-148 on Tape 32StartThursday, November 2, 1972 at 12:07 PMEndThursday, November 2, 1972 at 12:09 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 032-148 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417194191 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon called Thomas A. Pappas to express gratitude for his successful organization of a recent campaign rally and dinner in Boston. The two discussed the positive feedback from First Lady Pat Nixon regarding the event's success despite the presence of disruptive protesters. Both men agreed that the unruly behavior of the demonstrators ultimately benefited the campaign's image as they looked toward the final days of the 1972 election.

Audio

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NARA Description

On November 2, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Thomas A. Pappas talked on the telephone from 12:07 pm to 12:09 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 032-148 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 032-148

Date: November 2, 1972
Time: 12:07 pm - 12:09 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Thomas A. Pappas.

[See Conversation No. 390-1A]

         1972 campaign
             -Dinner by Pappas
                 -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon's assessment
                     -Rally
                 -Location
                     -Boston

         Campaign practices
            -Demonstrators
                -Appearance
                -Violence

         Pappas's work on the campaign

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Mr. Tom Pappas.
Hello.
Hello, Mr. President.
Tom, I wanted you to know that my wife just thought you put on a great dinner.
She said it was one of the best rallies they ever had, and I said, well, that's what I expected from you.
She says it was a marvelous show and right in the heart of Boston.
That was fantastic.
And as far as those demonstrators, I think they helped you, don't you think?
They certainly did.
I tell people we had 8,000 inside and we had 7,000 outside.
What does it matter?
They were such nasty-looking people.
Nasty-looking, dirty.
Burned cars and they slashed tires and...
How do you feel, Mr. President?
Fine, fine, fine.
Take care of yourself.
We're just fine.
And how are you feeling?
Wonderful.
Well, we've got four more days.
You keep running.
Yeah, I've been keep running all the time.
I know you do.
God bless you.
Take care.
God bless.

Also recorded on November 2, 1972

  • 390-001 12:04 PM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Thomas A. Pappas met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:04 pm to 12:16 pm.
  • 032-149 12:09 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:09 pm and 2:28 pm.
  • 390-002 12:16 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:16 pm and 2:28 pm.
  • 390-003 12:16 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:16 pm and 2:28 pm.
  • 390-004 12:16 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:16 pm and 2:28 pm.
  • 390-005 12:16 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:16 pm and 2:28 pm.
  • 390-006 12:16 PM · 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:16 pm and 2:28 pm.
  • 390-007 12:16 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:16 pm and 2:28 pm.

All 82 conversations from November 2, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 032-148, November 2, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417194191). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/032-148 (accessed November 2, 2026).