Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 42 › Conversation 042-024

Nixon phone call with Richardson on Diplomacy and International travel

Tuesday, April 6, 1971 · 5:20 PM–5:23 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Richardson, Elliot L.Conversation042-024 on Tape 42 (tape position 00:24:17–00:26:36)StartTuesday, April 6, 1971 at 5:20 PMEndTuesday, April 6, 1971 at 5:23 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 042-024 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417187803 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon calls Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Elliot Richardson to offer well-wishes and guidance ahead of his upcoming diplomatic trip to Europe. Nixon encourages Richardson to take time for personal enjoyment, specifically urging him to visit Paris with his wife, while also coordinating potential diplomatic discussions with leaders like Alec Douglas-Home and Edward Heath. They also discuss the political importance of Richardson's attendance at an education conference in Spain, which relates to broader ongoing base negotiations.

Audio

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NARA Description

On April 6, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Elliot L. Richardson talked on the telephone from 5:20 pm to 5:23 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 042-024 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 42-24

Date: April 6, 1971
Time: 5:20 pm - 5:23 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Elliot L. Richardson.

     Richardson's trip to Europe
          -Schedule
          -London
                -Health conference
          -Madrid
                -Education conference
          -Dr. David K. E. Bruce
          -Anne F. Richardson
          -Paris
          -Rome
          -Sir Alexander F. (“Alec”) Douglas-Home
          -Edward R.G. Heath
          -Spain
                -Juan Carlos’ conversation with Richardson

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Secretary Richardson, sir.
Yeah, hello.
Hello, Mr. President.
I wanted to just wish you well before you took off for Europe.
Oh, that's awfully nice.
Are you on your way to the airport now?
In about an hour.
Oh, I see.
I see.
Well, get over there and go to Paris and, you know, sort of drink it up a little while.
I mean, you deserve it.
Actually, you know, I'll be just in London in Madrid at a health conference in London and an education conference.
Don't tell me about the excuses you got to go.
I mean, just have a little fun, you know.
I don't need to know.
The main thing is really enjoy it some, too, you know.
They work the living bejesus out of you over there.
But if you get a chance, do drop over and see Bruce and have a little chat with him.
You might find it interesting.
That certainly would be.
I want a man that's going with me.
Very nice.
my wife ann oh great great oh well then she didn't by all means go to paris you've got to take her to paris but also you know take a little money that would be true no don't want you to just take an extra day and go over to paris be nice tell her that i ordered it fair enough nobody should go to europe with a woman without taking her to paris no if you were going to if you were going to uh where just as a man then i just go to rome but for other reasons
okay yes sir that's very thoughtful thank you very much okay all right give my bet oh elliot yes sir any people you see over there for example if you happen to see people like alec hume or or or heath or of course the government people and of course in spain uh i mean the uh any of those people i i have to be sure that you and i have chatted and i've asked you personally and all that jazz you know yes sir okay i think in spain in fact this does have some
It arose out of the fact that when Carlos was here, he put it on me very hard to attend the conference they were having on education.
As you remember in the base negotiations, the development of a relationship with us in education was one of the big things they wanted.
And so we'll have that at least.
And it will help a lot to be able to say just what you mentioned.
Good.
You say it.
Okay.
Thank you, sir.
You have the complete power of attorney.
Well, I shall do my best.
Thanks very much.
Bye.

Also recorded on April 6, 1971

  • 042-022 1:51 PM · 5 sec — Henry A. Kissinger and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:51 pm and 5:20 pm.
  • 042-023 1:51 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:51 pm and 5:20 pm.
  • 042-025 5:23 PM · 17 sec — Henry A. Kissinger and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:23 pm and 5:43 pm.
  • 042-026 5:23 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:23 pm and 5:43 pm.
  • 042-027 5:43 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 5:43 pm to 5:44 pm.
  • 042-028 7:15 PM · 34 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 7:15 pm to 7:16 pm.
  • 042-029 7:16 PM · 27 sec — Unknown person(s) and the White House operator talked on the telephone on an unknown date, sometime between 7:16 pm on April 6, 1971 and 10:59 am on April 7, 1971.
  • 042-107 7:16 PM · 39 sec — Unknown person(s) and the White House operator talked on the telephone on an unknown date, sometime between 7:16 pm on April 6, 1971 and 10:59 am on April 7, 1971.

All 65 conversations from April 6, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 042-024, April 6, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417187803). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/042-024 (accessed November 1, 2026).