Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 37 › Conversation 037-005

Nixon phone call with Johnson on Health and Hospitalization

Wednesday, February 28, 1973 · 9:01 AM–9:02 AM ET · White House Telephone · 54 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Johnson, Roger E.Conversation037-005 on Tape 37StartWednesday, February 28, 1973 at 9:01 AMEndWednesday, February 28, 1973 at 9:02 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 037-005 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417195157 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon contacted Roger E. Johnson to check on his health status following a surgery and a subsequent hospitalization due to a blood clot. Nixon offered encouragement during the brief call, using a football analogy to motivate Johnson’s recovery. No policy matters were discussed, as the conversation served purely as a personal gesture of concern.

  • Roger E. Johnson
  • Health
  • Hospitalization
  • Personal call
  • Surgery

Audio

Download MP3 · 0.4 MB

NARA Description

On February 28, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Roger E. Johnson talked on the telephone from 9:01 am to 9:02 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 037-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 37-5

Date: February 28, 1973
Time: 9:01 am-9:02 am
                                                 -3-

                             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY

Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Roger E. Johnson.

[See Conversation No. 865-10]

       Health
                -Location
                       -Hospital
                -Surgery
                -Notre Dame
                -Nurses

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Hello.
Mr. President, Mr. Roger Johnson.
Hello.
There you are.
Hello.
Hello.
Roger?
Yeah, how are you, Mr. President?
I just called you the other night, and they said you were still in the hospital, but how are you doing?
Well, I was doing very well, you know, and I went home about three days early from the surgery, but then I had this damned...
Blood clot?
Blood clot in my lung, and that sent me back here last Wednesday, and I...
I think I'll be in another week.
That's the thing that really set the thing, but I'm getting along fine now again this day.
Well, I'll tell you, you just fight it out, boy.
I mean, just figure like you're playing Notre Dame.
Okay?
I'll be in there fine.
I sure appreciate your call.
Well, you take care and don't look too much at the pretty nurses.
Okay.
Fine.
Thank you so much.

Also recorded on February 28, 1973

  • 037-004 8:43 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:43 am and 9:01 am.
  • 865-007 8:43 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:43 am and 9:01 am.
  • 865-010 9:01 AM · 56 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Roger E. Johnson met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:01 am to 9:02 am.
  • 037-006 9:02 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:02 am and 12:30 pm.
  • 865-011 9:02 AM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:02 am and 9:12 am.
  • 865-012 9:02 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:02 am and 9:12 am.
  • 865-013 9:02 AM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:02 am and 9:12 am.
  • 865-014 9:12 AM · 1 hr 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John W. Dean, III, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:12 am to 10:23 am.

All 48 conversations from February 28, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 037-005, February 28, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417195157). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/037-005 (accessed November 2, 2026).