Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 35 › Conversation 035-073

Nixon phone call with Moore on Roberto Clemente Memorial Fund

Wednesday, January 3, 1973 · 2:48 PM–2:52 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Moore, Richard A.Conversation035-073 on Tape 35StartWednesday, January 3, 1973 at 2:48 PMEndWednesday, January 3, 1973 at 2:52 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 035-073 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Richard A. Moore discuss the strategy for managing public and press perceptions regarding the establishment of a memorial fund for Roberto Clemente. Nixon instructs Moore to coordinate a White House staff donation to accompany his own contribution to the fund, ensuring that his personal initiative in the project is clearly communicated to the press. They agree that Moore will brief John Galbreath and reporters on the President's role in spearheading the fund to ensure the administration receives proper recognition for the effort.

Audio

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NARA Description

On January 3, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Richard A. Moore talked on the telephone from 2:48 pm to 2:52 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 035-073 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 35-73

Date: January 3, 1973
Time: 2:48 pm and 2:52 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Richard A. Moore.

[See Conversation No. 831-11]

       The President's schedule
            -Daniel M. Galbreath meeting
                  -Moore’s schedule
                  -Willie Stargell
                  -Steve Blass
                  -The President's contribution to Roberto Clemente Memorial Fund
                         -Symbolism
                         -White House staff contributions
                              -Appropriate figures
                                    -Photographs
                                    -Check
                  -The President’s contribution
                         -Announcement
                              -White House staff contributions
                              -Amount of contribution
                              -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
                                              -69-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                                Conversation No. 35-73 (cont’d)

                                       -Nicaraguan ambassador
                         -Initiative for contributions
                                -The President’s role
                                       -The President’s statement, December 31, 1972
                                       -Charles W. Colson
                                       -Moore’s conversation with John W. Galbreath
                                       -Press relations
                                             -The President’s statement
                                                    -Dictation
                                             -The President’s conversation with Moore
                                                    -John Galbreath

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.
Mr. Moore, sir.
Yes, sir.
Dick, are you coming in with the Galbraith group?
Yes.
I think we ought to give a contribution.
What's the problem?
There's been a disappointment in that Stargill couldn't make it.
Well, that's all right.
And Steve Blass is coming in his place.
He wanted to come.
Well, Steve Blass is great.
Yeah, all right, fine.
But it seems to me we ought to start on the contribution side.
As you know, I set a contribution, but I don't think it can be quite that indirect in the sense you've got to do something symbolic to get it going.
What do you suggest?
Do you think you could pass the head around the White House and get some money, $400 or $500 or something?
Yes, yes.
Why don't you, now let's see, you don't necessarily mean for the photographers, we don't have to show it physically, but no, I'll just, they don't have to do that.
Just so he can say, I'll just hand it to him afterwards, I'll say that...
Here's a contribution that I've already made, a personal contribution, but here's some more we collected around the White House to start this off with.
See what I mean?
Yes, sir.
I'll just write a check, and then I'll hit some of our colleagues, and so you will have it.
and write a check for say what how much yeah whatever you say five hundred dollars or what should it be an odd number is that enough that's enough 550 so it sounds like that all right 550 yeah so right so it represents it right and then get it from somebody around here all right good now mr president one thing yeah your gift yesterday i'd like to have mr galbraith say that that uh
that you let off with a very generous gift yesterday, which, after all, is for the cause, and it was in memory of Roberto.
Yeah.
So they'll say, well, how do you know?
Well, Mr. Moore was describing what's already happened here, and we had a gift for some of the staff, and the president had been the first one who did as he asked others to do.
Is that all right?
I think you may as well... How do we have it?
You'll tell him then?
I will tell him.
I don't want to tell him that I did.
No, but the reporter, he could tell the reporters that one of the things... Why don't you tell him for his information?
Yes.
And you give him the amount.
You could just say that the president sent a... Oh, no, I'd give him the amount.
Oh, yes.
You just say the president gave it from Mrs. Nixon.
She had been a member of the...
sent a check for $1,000 through the Nicaraguan ambassador.
Just put it to him.
Right.
He took it down there yesterday.
Right.
And that we, as a beginning on this, members of the White House staff added to it.
Now, could I take one more point on that?
Yeah.
That is the inspiration for the committee or the memorial fund.
Yeah.
You know, the reporters, they're going to talk to the reporters afterwards.
Yeah.
We'll say, you know, whose idea was it?
And...
Well, they should basically say, it's true that it's mine, actually, because I made the statement, and then I suggested that we have a memorial fund for it.
Now, here's what happened then.
At that point, when Chuck told me about it, I called John Galbraith to inquire if anybody was doing anything to formalize this, and he said, we're trying to find a way to do it.
And I said, well, the president...
suggested a fund.
He said, that's exactly where we went.
We'd like to come in and talk to you about it.
Well, then you go out with them and tell them that.
Yes, exactly.
You go with them at the press to make sure they're covered.
And just say that the president, when he prepared his message early in the morning, you know, which I dictated myself, and I got a hold, you say that I talked to you about it.
You can say that, that I called you about it.
The president talked to me about it and suggested that we get a hold of John Galbraith and see if we
Something could be done about it, a memorial fund.
Okay, exactly.
And you fill them all in.
Yes, sir.
Good.

Also recorded on January 3, 1973

  • 831-011 2:48 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard A. Moore met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:48 pm to 2:52 pm.
  • 035-074 2:52 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:52 pm and 2:59 pm.
  • 831-012 2:52 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:52 pm and 2:59 pm.
  • 831-013 2:52 PM · 29 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and William E. Timmons met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:52 pm and 2:59 pm.
  • 831-014 2:52 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:52 pm and 2:59 pm.
  • 831-015 2:52 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:52 pm and 2:59 pm.
  • 035-075 2:59 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, and Thomas P. ("Tip") O'Neill, Jr. talked on the telephone from 2:59 pm to 3:03 pm.
  • 831-016 2:59 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Thomas P. ("Tip") O'Neill, Jr., and Gerald R. Ford met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:59 pm and 3:03 pm.

All 40 conversations from January 3, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 035-073, January 3, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/035-073 (accessed November 2, 2026).