Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 43 › Conversation 043-182

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on White House furnishings

Friday, February 23, 1973 · 12:32 PM–12:33 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Nixon, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan)Conversation043-182 on Tape 43StartFriday, February 23, 1973 at 12:32 PMEndFriday, February 23, 1973 at 12:33 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 043-182 ↗

AI Summary

President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon coordinate the logistical details of bedroom furnishings and the layout of the President's workspace. The President requests specific modifications to his bedding and the placement of office equipment, including two dictaphones and multiple telephones. He emphasizes that these items must be located on the right side of his bed to accommodate his natural physical habits upon waking.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Did?
Yeah.
Was that mattress comfortable or do you prefer the other one?
Oh, I'm sorry.
I wanted you to change it because the other, it's too hard.
So if you just have the other one made over or put it on and then they can make another one with that same
texture for the bed that they have to make.
Yeah.
Shall we leave the bed up even though... No, leave the bed up and just put the other mattress on.
Well, do you mind having it look bad for a while?
No, leave it up and put it right there.
Right, but use the other mattress because it's so much more comfortable.
And then we'll change your phone and stuff over.
Yeah.
Now, on the phone and thing, though, it has to be on the right side of the bed, so even though it won't look quite as good in the room, if you could get a table that covers it.
You see me?
Because I...
When I wake up, I have to, I always, I turn to the right and dictate to the right and everything you see.
Otherwise, I have to go, I don't, I just, it isn't, I just don't naturally turn to the left, see?
Oh, okay.
I'm glad you told me.
So put it all on the right side of the bed and put a nice table on the right side, a bed stand and one on the other.
You might have two stands.
Yeah, that's what I planned.
Fine.
I'm glad you told me that.
Hang the phone and the dictaphone.
But I don't, I don't need, no, all I need is the two, I need the two dictaphones.
In other words, they could be plugged and a lamp.
That's all.
I don't need anything else.
No music, nothing else.
Just two dictaphones and a lamp.
And lamp and your special telephone.
Your telephone?
Yeah, the telephone has to be there.
The two phones, the two phones, the lamp, and so forth.
Okay?
Mm-hmm.
Okay.
All right, fine, fine.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On February 23, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 12:32 pm to 12:33 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 043-182 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 43-182

Date: February 23, 1973
Time: 12:32 pm - 12:33 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon.

[This is the original beginning of conversation No. 043-182, which has been merged with
conversation 043-181.]

[See Conversation No. 862-13]

*****************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift during
chronological review 2007-2013]

       Furnishings
             -Mattress
             -Telephone
             -Bedstands
             -Dictaphones
             -Lamp
             -Music
             -Special telephone

*****************************************************************

Also recorded on February 23, 1973

  • 862-011 12:30 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:30 pm and 12:31 pm.
  • 862-012 12:31 PM · 24 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:31 pm to 12:32 pm.
  • 862-013 12:32 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:32 pm to 12:33 pm.
  • 043-183 12:33 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:33 pm and 3:02 pm.
  • 862-014 12:33 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:33 pm and 12:51 pm.
  • 862-015 12:51 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John A. Volpe, White House photographer, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:51 pm to 12:57 pm.
  • 862-023 12:55 PM · 1 min — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:55 pm and 12:57 pm.
  • 862-016 12:57 PM · 40 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John A. Volpe, Henry A. Kissinger, Manolo Sanchez, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:57 pm to 1:37 pm.

All 92 conversations from February 23, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 043-182, February 23, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/043-182 (accessed October 1, 2026).