Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 34 › Conversation 034-131

Nixon phone call with Biden on condolences and grief

Tuesday, December 19, 1972 · 12:21 PM–12:22 PM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Biden, Joseph R., Jr.Conversation034-131 on Tape 34StartTuesday, December 19, 1972 at 12:21 PMEndTuesday, December 19, 1972 at 12:22 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 034-131 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon called newly elected Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. to offer his personal condolences following the tragic automobile accident that claimed the lives of Biden’s wife, Nealia, and their daughter. During the brief exchange, Nixon expressed sympathy for the family's loss and encouraged the grieving Senator to look toward his future career. Drawing on his own experience entering the House of Representatives at a young age, Nixon sought to provide comfort and encouragement to Biden during his period of profound personal crisis.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Senator, I know this is a very tragic day for you, but I wanted you to know that all of us here at the White House were thinking about you and praying for you and also for your two children.
And we know that I understand you were on the hill at the time and your wife was just driving by herself.
So, but in any event, I mean, looking at it as you must in terms of the future because you have the great fortune of being young.
I remember I was two years older than you when I went to the house.
But the main part is you can
Remember that she was there when you won a great victory, and you enjoyed it together, and now I'm sure that she'll be watching you from now on.
Good luck to you.
Thank you very much, Mr. President.
Okay.
I appreciate it.

NARA Description

On December 19, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Joseph R. Biden, Jr. talked on the telephone from 12:21 pm to 12:22 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 034-131 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 34-131

Date: December 19, 1972
Time: 12:21 pm - 12:22 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

[See Conversation No. 826-8A]

       Condolences on death of Nealia (Hunter) Biden [and Amy Biden]
           -Automobile accident, December 18, 1972
                 -Joseph Biden’s location
           -Joseph Biden’s political career
                 -Age
                       -Compared to the President in House of Representatives

Also recorded on December 19, 1972

  • 826-004 11:27 AM · 24 min — President Richard M. Nixon, William D. Ruckelhaus, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:27 am to 11:51 am.
  • 826-005 11:51 AM · 48 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:51 am to 11:52 am.
  • 826-006 11:52 AM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Richard C. Van Dusen, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:52 am to 12:05 pm.
  • 034-130 12:07 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone from 12:07 pm to 12:08 pm.
  • 826-007 12:07 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:07 pm to 12:08 pm.
  • 826-008 12:08 PM · 1 hr 52 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Ronald L. Ziegler, Stephen B. Bull, and Charles W. Colson met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:08 pm to 2:00 pm.
  • 034-132 12:22 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:22 pm and 7:41 pm.
  • 826-009 2:00 PM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Manolo Sanchez, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:00 pm and 2:09 pm.

All 15 conversations from December 19, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 034-131, December 19, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/034-131 (accessed October 5, 2026).