{"conversationCode":"044-092","tapeNumber":44,"conversationNumber":92,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-044-092","startDateTime":"1973-03-30T03:19:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1973-03-30T03:23:00.000Z","startDate":"29-Mar-1973","startTime":"10:19 PM","endDate":"29-Mar-1973","endTime":"10:23 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"estimated","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Moorer, Thomas H. (Adm.);","description":"On March 29, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Adm. Thomas H. Moorer talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:19 pm and 10:23 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 044-092 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"WHT","recordingDevice":"White House Telephone","latitudeEstimated":38.89767,"longitudeEstimated":-77.03655,"chronCode":"5.4","chronRelease":"Fifth Chronological Release: Part IV","chronReleaseDate":"8-Dec-2010","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 044-092\n\nDate: March 29, 1973\nTime: 10:19pm-10:23 pm\nLocation: White House Telephone\n\nThe President talked with Adm. Thomas H. Moorer.\n\n       President’s March 29 speech\n             -Prisoners of war [POWs]\n                   -Col. Robinson Risner\n\n       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542\n\n                        -Statement\n                  -Capt. Jeremiah P. Denton, Jr.\n             -Impact\n\n       POWs\n          -Behavior\n\n       President’s March 29 speech\n             -Defense budget\n                   -Moorer’s work with W[illiam] Stuart Symington’s committee\n                   -Mutual Balanced Force Reduction [MBFR]\n                   -Soviet Union\n                         -Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty II [SALT II]\n                         -Meeting between President and Leonid I. Brezhnev\n                   -House committees\n                         -Appropriations\n                         -Armed Services\n                   -President’s position\n                         -Budget cuts\n                         -Arms limitations\n\n       President’s message on Homecoming operation\n\n       [Dwight] David Eisenhower, II’s commanding officer on USS Albany\n                 -Performance\n                 -Promotion","filename":["044-092.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Moorer, Thomas H. (Adm.)"],"prevCode":"044-091","nextCode":"044-093","transcript":[{"start":0.39,"end":0.79,"text":"Hello."},{"start":0.85,"end":3.61,"text":"Good evening, Mr. President."},{"start":3.63,"end":4.73,"text":"Hello, how are you?"},{"start":4.89,"end":8.1,"text":"I just called you to tell you what a wonderful speech you made."},{"start":8.12,"end":10.98,"text":"If that doesn't get every American up on his toes, nothing will."},{"start":11.24,"end":12.88,"text":"Well, you're very good to call, Admiral."},{"start":13.84,"end":15.62,"text":"You and I have been through it all, haven't we?"},{"start":15.79,"end":16.97,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":16.99,"end":25.42,"text":"And I just thought I'd remind him a little of what the hell we went through in Cambodia on May 8th, and then these magnificent men that came back."},{"start":25.8,"end":28.72,"text":"The fellow I referred to, incidentally, will get out."},{"start":28.7,"end":31.3,"text":"It happened to be, it was Reisner."},{"start":31.34,"end":32.21,"text":"Reisner, yeah."},{"start":32.23,"end":32.79,"text":"He was the one."},{"start":32.97,"end":34.31,"text":"He's a very religious man, you know."},{"start":35.03,"end":35.41,"text":"Very."},{"start":35.43,"end":36.59,"text":"So is Denton."},{"start":36.63,"end":43.86,"text":"Well, Denton and Reisner, each said the same thing, but I told Ziggler he could say Reisner said it, because Denton has already said it publicly."},{"start":43.88,"end":44.62,"text":"Right, yes, sir."},{"start":44.78,"end":49.51,"text":"Well, I talked to both of them quite a bit after they really enjoyed talking to you, but they are real solid citizens."},{"start":50.35,"end":51.23,"text":"They're all solid."},{"start":51.35,"end":52.33,"text":"God damn it."},{"start":52.35,"end":55.76,"text":"These prisoners of war have done more for the spirit of America"},{"start":55.73,"end":58.94,"text":"than a thousand speeches by a president, believe me."},{"start":59.18,"end":59.6,"text":"Believe me."},{"start":60.3,"end":60.68,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":60.7,"end":64.61,"text":"They've done great, but your speech tonight is going to do a terrific amount of good, too, sir."},{"start":64.64,"end":65.27,"text":"You think it will?"},{"start":65.51,"end":66.01,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":66.15,"end":74.16,"text":"And you know, those prisoners, I've said many times in the press conference, we didn't select them in advance to get captured."},{"start":74.18,"end":78.56,"text":"They simply are representative of the cross-section of Americans we had down there."},{"start":78.86,"end":79.26,"text":"Right."},{"start":79.61,"end":82.08,"text":"and any of them would have behaved the same way, I feel."},{"start":82.3,"end":86.44,"text":"Oh, they're magnificent men, magnificent men, and they helped the whole spirit of the country."},{"start":86.46,"end":88.9,"text":"How'd you like what I said about national defense, Admiral?"},{"start":88.92,"end":89.91,"text":"That was fine, sir."},{"start":90.17,"end":94.55,"text":"We ended up struggling on... Look, fight like hell for the budget."},{"start":94.59,"end":96.23,"text":"We cannot cut the budget."},{"start":96.25,"end":96.51,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":96.53,"end":101.04,"text":"We spent five days already on it, and we are working hard on the assignment and committee now."},{"start":101.48,"end":105.92,"text":"Put it to them in the basis that if they cut this budget, they will destroy..."},{"start":105.91,"end":110.21,"text":"There's chances for MBFR and for the deal with the Soviet."},{"start":110.33,"end":115.08,"text":"The Soviet, Brezhnev, I know I'm going to meet the son of a bitch this summer, and he'll be there."},{"start":115.24,"end":117.31,"text":"And if we've already cut, he won't give me a damn thing."},{"start":117.59,"end":118.27,"text":"You're right, sir."},{"start":118.29,"end":119.03,"text":"That's exactly what I'm saying."},{"start":119.05,"end":120.29,"text":"I think I got that point across."},{"start":121.01,"end":122.72,"text":"The rule of diplomacy is that"},{"start":123.35,"end":126.94,"text":"one unbreakable rule that you can't get anything unless you've got something to give."},{"start":127.62,"end":128.04,"text":"Exactly."},{"start":128.28,"end":128.7,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":128.74,"end":130.32,"text":"Well, we're doing our best, Mr. President."},{"start":130.34,"end":133.03,"text":"We've got the, we've finished with the Senate now."},{"start":133.09,"end":137.79,"text":"We've got the House Appropriation Committee and then the Armed Services Committee."},{"start":138.27,"end":139.07,"text":"Just make the point."},{"start":139.53,"end":139.86,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":140,"end":147.25,"text":"Those who cut the budget will destroy the chances for reduction of armaments or limitation of armaments and for peace."},{"start":148.05,"end":148.57,"text":"Right, sir."},{"start":149.04,"end":149.72,"text":"Okay."},{"start":149.8,"end":151.38,"text":"Well, we'll lay it on them as hard as we can."},{"start":151.76,"end":152.12,"text":"All right."},{"start":152.26,"end":153.02,"text":"Thank you, Admiral."},{"start":153.04,"end":153.92,"text":"Again, thank you, sir."},{"start":154.26,"end":160.13,"text":"Did you get my message I sent it over for you to convey to all the people that have handled the homecoming operation?"},{"start":160.17,"end":161.24,"text":"Did you get the word on that?"},{"start":161.29,"end":162.78,"text":"Yes, sir, and I'll take care of it."},{"start":162.8,"end":165.44,"text":"And be sure that it goes in the files of everybody that worked on it."},{"start":165.46,"end":167.38,"text":"They did a splendid job and they wanted to get something."},{"start":167.76,"end":168.54,"text":"I certainly will, sir."},{"start":168.95,"end":178.14,"text":"One other thing that I mentioned to you briefly, David had a remarkable man as his commanding officer, you know, the commander of the Albany."},{"start":178.16,"end":178.74,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":178.94,"end":180.08,"text":"He's a captain."},{"start":181.04,"end":182.75,"text":"Do you know who he is?"},{"start":182.78,"end":184.01,"text":"Captain..."},{"start":184.03,"end":184.77,"text":"I can't think of his name."},{"start":185.77,"end":188.77,"text":"I can't think of his name right now, but I know that... You check his name."},{"start":188.83,"end":190.55,"text":"He's a sundowner."},{"start":190.63,"end":191.22,"text":"He's tough."},{"start":191.31,"end":192.66,"text":"He's a son of a bitch."},{"start":192.68,"end":194.46,"text":"But he's a great commander."},{"start":194.52,"end":200.17,"text":"And when he comes up for Admiral, would you watch for him and see that he gets special attention?"},{"start":200.19,"end":203.85,"text":"I certainly will, because as a young officer, you know, I've always said that..."},{"start":204.25,"end":210.75,"text":"It's really not those that you work for, it's those that work for you that really count."},{"start":211.51,"end":218.19,"text":"This guy is not all that popular with the little guys in the crew, but he's a guy that"},{"start":218.54,"end":223.29,"text":"insisted he didn't go with all this crap about letting everybody go off."},{"start":223.33,"end":225.15,"text":"He made him shape up and the rest."},{"start":225.75,"end":228.18,"text":"And be sure you check that captain."},{"start":228.26,"end":230.56,"text":"I can't think of his name, but he's a hell of a guy."},{"start":230.64,"end":232.84,"text":"I was very impressed by him when I visited the Albany."},{"start":232.86,"end":233.96,"text":"The captain of the Albany."},{"start":234.36,"end":234.58,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":234.62,"end":235.58,"text":"Remember that name."},{"start":236.75,"end":241.51,"text":"You as a Navy man will be proud of him and be sure he gets the proper consideration."},{"start":241.79,"end":246.44,"text":"I don't want to interfere, of course, with the promotion thing, but you can do something about that, I'm sure."},{"start":246.66,"end":247.52,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":247.54,"end":247.88,"text":"All right."},{"start":248.16,"end":253.65,"text":"Well, good night, son, and thank you again."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"Admiral Thomas H. Moorer called to commend President Nixon on a nationally televised speech regarding the homecoming of American prisoners of war and the state of national defense. Nixon urged Moorer to lobby Congress vigorously against defense budget cuts, arguing that a strong military posture was essential for successful negotiations with the Soviet Union on arms limitations. Additionally, the President requested that Moorer track the career advancement of a captain on the USS Albany who had served as the commanding officer for his son-in-law, David Eisenhower.","topics":["POWs","Defense budget","SALT II","Soviet Union","Military promotions"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T06:53:20.923Z"},"topicSlugs":["pows","defense-budget","salt-ii","soviet-union","military-promotions"],"audioDurationSec":254,"audioFiles":[{"file":"044-092.mp3","bytes":10156032,"durationSec":253.78,"bitrate":320149,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:30.404Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:42:44.253Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/044-092.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/044-092","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/44/conversation-044-092","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}