Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 42 › Conversation 042-061

Nixon phone call with Arends on Vietnam War and Public opinion

Tuesday, April 20, 1971 · 2:45 PM–2:46 PM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Arends, Leslie C.Conversation042-061 on Tape 42 (tape position 01:12:16–01:13:43)StartTuesday, April 20, 1971 at 2:45 PMEndTuesday, April 20, 1971 at 2:46 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 042-061 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon called Representative Leslie Arends to thank him for his supportive remarks during a recent meeting regarding the administration’s handling of the Vietnam War. The two discussed the disparity between the pessimistic outlook of Washington politicians and the underlying stability of the country. They concluded with a mutual agreement on the political necessity of communicating the administration’s strategy for ending the war to the American public, specifically noting that Democrats were worried the President's approach would ultimately succeed.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello.
Congressman Ahrens, Mr. President.
Yeah.
There you are.
Hello.
Hello, Les.
Yes, yes, Mr. President.
Well, I just wanted to thank you for your nice little comment at the meeting today.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Yeah, you sort of kicked the boys off good.
That was good.
You feel all right after your trip?
Yes, sir.
I feel fine.
Good.
Good.
You've been... Yeah, and I think things are better than what a lot of them want the country to believe.
Yeah.
Well, you know, actually, the...
the country's the country usually turns around a little before the folks do you know that's right i mean usually before the the congressman and particularly they sit here in washington and they read these uh you know washington papers and the rest and and you really think everybody's going to hell in the hat yeah but the country's pretty sound isn't it oh yes it is it really is yeah you're going in the right direction well actually you know they all want to get the damn war over with they're beginning to realize we're doing it and you know what i think worries our democratic friends
They're afraid it might work.
Yeah.
Well, I thought your statement this morning of the real reasons why we can't come out of there and just walk home without getting some kind of a reasonable piece are so emphatic and so to the point that if the people would just understand this, like you say about the two great nations over there, hell, it's just wonderful that we could tell the people these things.
And they'd have a better understanding of it and what you're trying to do.
We'll try to get it across.
Well, we'll get it done.
Well, anyway, you keep the voice charged up.
Well, we're going to.
All right.
Stay right with us.
Bye.
Thank you, Mr. President.

NARA Description

On April 20, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Leslie C. Arends talked on the telephone from 2:45 pm to 2:46 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 042-061 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 42-61

Date: April 20, 1971
Time: 2:45 pm - 2:46 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Leslie C. Arends.

[See Conversation No. 251-7]

     Arends’ comment

     Arends’ trip

     State of the nation
           -Mood
           -Winding down of War
                 -Democrats

     President's statement on ending the War

Also recorded on April 20, 1971

  • 042-058 2:38 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 2:38 pm.
  • 042-059 2:38 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:38 pm and 2:39 pm.
  • 251-003 2:38 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 2:38 pm.
  • 251-004 2:38 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:38 pm and 2:39 pm.
  • 042-060 2:39 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 2:39 pm to 2:44 pm.
  • 251-006 2:39 PM · 59 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:39 pm to 2:44 pm.
  • 251-007 2:45 PM · 54 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Leslie C. Arends met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:45 pm to 2:46 pm.
  • 251-008 2:46 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:46 pm and 2:55 pm.

All 51 conversations from April 20, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 042-061, April 20, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/042-061 (accessed October 3, 2026).