Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 34 › Conversation 034-142

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Edward V. Jones

Wednesday, December 20, 1972 · 12:47 PM–12:48 PM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Nixon, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan)Conversation034-142 on Tape 34StartWednesday, December 20, 1972 at 12:47 PMEndWednesday, December 20, 1972 at 12:48 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 034-142 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon discussed scheduling a brief meeting between the President and Edward V. Jones, a volunteer who worked on White House refurbishing. The First Lady requested the encounter so that the President could meet Jones and his grandchildren. Nixon agreed to accommodate the request in the Oval Office at 2:15 p.m. and requested that a small gift be prepared for the children.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Yeah, hello.
Yeah, yeah.
Did Steve tell you that Mr. Jones is bringing his grandchildren?
You know, he's the one who volunteered on the house.
Yeah.
Have you ever met him?
I think I did once, yeah.
Yeah, but go ahead.
Because I remember he said once that he'd never met you.
Maybe I didn't.
Could you just see them for five minutes?
Yeah, where would that be?
I mean, he'll be now, but what, are they here now?
No, no, no, no, they're not going to come until 2.
Oh, sure.
Two o'clock.
Or anytime between 2 and 2.30.
Yeah.
Sure.
Sure.
All right.
Fine.
Fine.
I'll, shall we say, make it about 2.15 over there.
Okay.
Over here or in the Oval Office.
Let them come in at 2.15 in the Oval Office.
I've got somebody.
I've got something I've got to do at 2 and something at 2.30, but I can work them in about 2.15.
All right, 2.15, and then have a little gift for the little kids.
Yes, we can do that.
Yeah, okay.
All right, fine, fine.
What time will you be through, then?

NARA Description

On December 20, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 12:47 pm to 12:48 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 034-142 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 34-142

Date: December 20, 1972
Time: 12:47 - 12:48 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon.

[See Conversation No. 392-9B]

       The President’s schedule
            -Edward V. Jones
                  -Stephen B. Bull
                  -[Nella and Mara Balling]
                  -Work on White House refurbishing
                  -The President’s location
                         -Executive Office Building [EOB]
                  -Meeting timing
                  -Oval Office
                                               -110-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Also recorded on December 20, 1972

  • 034-139 12:29 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 12:29 pm.
  • 034-140 12:32 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 12:32 pm to 12:33 pm.
  • 392-007 12:32 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 12:32 pm.
  • 392-008 12:32 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:32 pm to 12:33 pm.
  • 034-141 12:33 PM · 36 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:33 pm and 12:47 pm.
  • 392-009 12:33 PM · 60 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, Stephen B. Bull, White House operator, and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:33 pm to 1:30 pm.
  • 034-143 12:48 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:48 pm and 12:49 pm.
  • 034-144 12:49 PM · 36 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 12:49 pm to 12:50 pm.

All 47 conversations from December 20, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 034-142, December 20, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/034-142 (accessed September 28, 2026).