{"conversationCode":"043-036","tapeNumber":43,"conversationNumber":36,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-043-036","startDateTime":"1973-02-07T04:57:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1973-02-07T04:58:00.000Z","startDate":"6-Feb-1973","startTime":"11:57 PM","endDate":"6-Feb-1973","endTime":"11:58 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Tkach, Walter R.;","description":"On February 6, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Walter R. Tkach talked on the telephone from 11:57 pm to 11:58 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 043-036 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"WHT","recordingDevice":"White House Telephone","latitudeEstimated":38.89767,"longitudeEstimated":-77.03655,"chronCode":"5.3","chronRelease":"Fifth Chronological Release: Part III","chronReleaseDate":"23-Jun-2009","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 43-36\n\nDate: February 6, 1973\nTime: 11:57 pm - 11:58 pm\nLocation: White House Telephone\n\nDr. Walter R. Tkach talked with the President\n\n       John C. Stennis’s medical condition\n            -Operation\n            -Prognosis\n            -The President’s possible visit","filename":["043-036.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Tkach, Walter R."],"prevCode":"043-035","nextCode":"043-037","transcript":[{"start":0.5,"end":23.09,"text":"hello mr president dr takashi sir yes sir go ahead please hello mr president yeah he has improved slightly yeah uh actually he stopped bleeding through that opening that he's had through the ileostomy and he's more lucid now he recognizes people and the vital signs are good but it's better than the 430 report i guess and over"},{"start":23.37,"end":24.03,"text":"I see."},{"start":24.75,"end":27.07,"text":"Have you heard something to the contrary?"},{"start":27.11,"end":30.02,"text":"Well, I heard he had another operation or something."},{"start":30.66,"end":31.74,"text":"Yes, he did it yesterday."},{"start":32.1,"end":32.54,"text":"Yeah?"},{"start":32.56,"end":33.67,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":33.75,"end":36.73,"text":"But what's the prognosis, and do they think he's going to make it?"},{"start":36.79,"end":38.91,"text":"Well, the prognosis is very bad."},{"start":38.94,"end":39.35,"text":"What do you mean?"},{"start":39.38,"end":39.78,"text":"I doubt if he will."},{"start":39.8,"end":40.68,"text":"They let him down."},{"start":40.7,"end":41.9,"text":"He'll live four or five days."},{"start":43,"end":43.36,"text":"Really?"},{"start":43.66,"end":44.34,"text":"Yes."},{"start":44.4,"end":49.51,"text":"You see, what's happened is that the venous blood in his intestinal system is slowing down."},{"start":50.02,"end":54.4,"text":"Would it be possible for me to go out to see him in the morning?"},{"start":55.66,"end":58.29,"text":"I'll check through that, Mr. President."},{"start":58.67,"end":64.82,"text":"I'll be in in the morning about 8 o'clock, 8.30, and you let me know, and I'll just slip out there and see him in the morning."},{"start":65.22,"end":65.66,"text":"Okay."},{"start":73.11,"end":73.69,"text":"Thank you, Mr. President."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon consulted with his physician, Dr. Walter R. Tkach, regarding the critical post-surgical condition of Senator John C. Stennis. Despite slight improvements in the Senator's lucidity and vital signs, Dr. Tkach offered a grim prognosis, suggesting that the Senator was unlikely to survive for more than a few days. Consequently, the President made plans to visit Stennis the following morning, pending medical clearance.","topics":["John C. Stennis","Medical prognosis","Presidential visit","White House medical staff","Health of public officials"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T06:27:17.168Z"},"topicSlugs":["john-c-stennis","medical-prognosis","presidential-visit","white-house-medical-staff","health-of-public-officials"],"audioDurationSec":79,"audioFiles":[{"file":"043-036.mp3","bytes":1887315,"durationSec":78.51,"bitrate":192321,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:30.085Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/043-036.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/043-036","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/43/conversation-043-036","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}