Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 37 › Conversation 037-018

Nixon phone call with White on Cancer treatment and Vietnam War

Thursday, March 1, 1973 · 10:57 AM–11:00 AM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White, William L.Conversation037-018 on Tape 37StartThursday, March 1, 1973 at 10:57 AMEndThursday, March 1, 1973 at 11:00 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 037-018 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon called journalist and mutual friend William L. White to offer personal encouragement regarding White's ongoing cancer treatment. Beyond their personal exchange, the two discussed Nixon's hardline diplomatic approach to securing American prisoners of war. Nixon explained that he successfully compelled compliance from North Vietnamese officials by halting U.S. troop withdrawals and minesweeping operations until the prisoner lists were released.

Audio

Download MP3 · 1.1 MB

NARA Description

On March 1, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and William L. White talked on the telephone from 10:57 am to 11:00 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 037-018 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 37-18

Date: March 1, 1973
Time: 10:57 am-11:00 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with William L. White.

[See Conversation No. 866-14]
       William L. White
              -Location
                     -Emporia, Kansas

       President's conversation with Robert B. Docking
              -White’s conversation with Docking
              -Conversations among President, Hobart D. (“Hobe”) Lewis, and White
                      -New York
                      -Reader's Digest

       White's health
              -Treatment
              -Spirit
              -Cancer research

       Vietnam settlement
             -Prisoners of War [POWs]
             -Minesweeping
             -Withdrawal of US forces
             -Bombing

       White
               -Spirit
               -Friends
                                             - 13 -

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY

              -Attire

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Mr. President, Mr. William L. White, Emporia, Kansas.
Yeah.
Hello?
Bill, I wanted to tell you that yesterday I saw the governor's thing, our mutual friend, Governor Docking, and he told me that you had some very kind words to say about me a few days ago when he was talking with you, and that I told him I reciprocated him and I only wish to God you were here in the Washington Corps now because we need you.
Well, you were very sweet to say that.
Yeah.
I remember those times, you know, when I was out of office, when you and Hope Lewis and I would sit around and talk, you remember, in New York.
And let me say that those brilliant articles you wrote for the Digest and so forth, boy, that kind of writing is rare now.
And I just want you to know we're thinking about you and we're praying for you, and you just keep an old spirit up.
You were very sweet to say so.
Yeah.
than I was supposed to be dead before now.
They're treating me.
I'll tell you.
They're treating it, huh?
They're treating me now, yeah.
Right, right.
Well, I'll tell you, the main thing is that that stuff is... You just keep that spirit up, and we're working like the dickens on this cancer thing.
One day it's going to break.
By the way, you're doing...
Well, incidentally, Bill, you'll be interested to know, we got the list today.
I just told them when they started to horse around on these, saying they weren't going to give us the next list.
I just said, all right, we stopped clearing the mines.
We stopped withdrawing forces.
And, boy, they came around in 48 hours.
That's the only way these people can be dealt with.
That's the only way to do it.
That's right.
You remember those goddamn fools who wanted to stop the bombing?
Yeah, well, the bombing is what brought the settlement, Bill.
Of course it is.
Right.
Well, I'll tell you now, you just keep your spirit up and remember you've got just legions of friends that are all with you, boy.
Okay?
Thank God you're in there where we are.
Do you still wear that very, you were the best dressed man with a vest and everything?
Do you still do that?
Oh, yeah.
Okay.
Not in the hospital bed, but.
I know, I know.
But I remember how we always used to.
Now, good luck to you, Bill.
Thank you.
Bye.
Thank you.

Also recorded on March 1, 1973

  • 037-015 10:51 AM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 10:51 am.
  • 037-016 10:51 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:51 am and 10:52 am.
  • 866-006 10:51 AM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 10:51 am.
  • 866-007 10:51 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:51 am and 10:56 am.
  • 037-017 10:52 AM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard G. Kleindienst talked on the telephone from 10:52 am to 10:56 am.
  • 866-012 10:52 AM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard G. Kleindienst met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:52 am and 10:56 am.
  • 866-014 10:57 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William L. White met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:57 am to 11:00 am.
  • 866-015 11:00 AM · 1 hr 38 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Henry A. Kissinger, unknown person(s), Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft, Golda Meir, Simcha Dinitz, and Yitzhak Rabin met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:00 am and 12:39 pm.

All 53 conversations from March 1, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 037-018, March 1, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/037-018 (accessed November 3, 2026).