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Conversation 067-004

TapeTape 67StartFriday, July 30, 1971 at 9:54 AMEndFriday, July 30, 1971 at 10:10 AMParticipantsWhite House tour groupRecording deviceCabinet Room
AI Summary

A White House staff member provided a tour of the Cabinet Room to a group of visitors, including several children. The guide detailed the room's significance as a site for presidential policy decisions and explained specific features, such as the seating arrangement and the history of the Thomas Jefferson-patterned floor. The conversation also touched upon the maintenance responsibilities of the White House staff and encouraged the children to consider the gravity of the office.

White House toursCabinet RoomPresidential historyPublic relationsBuilding maintenance
AudioNARA Description

On July 30, 1971, a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 9:54 am and 10:10 am. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 067-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 67-4

Date: Unknown between July 30 and August 5, 1971
Time: Unknown between 9:54 am, July 30 and 10:10 am, August 5, 1971
Location: Cabinet Room

Unknown people met

     Cabinet Room
          -Chairs
                -Plaques
                -The President’s chair
          -Uses
                -Policy decisions
                      -Role of the President
          -Maintenance of room
                -Staff
          -Fireplace
          -Floor
                -Thomas Jefferson pattern

The unknown people left at an unknown time before 10:10 am, August 5, 1971
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

I brought my eight-year-old in here with me today.
So I'm in.
Here we go.
So I'm in.
So I'm in.
So I'm in.
She has a plate on the back of each chair where the kettle ever sits.
The vice president sits directly across from the president.
The president sits directly across from the president.
I sit down and my wife won't press any of those buttons.
The first woman president.
The first woman president.
You know, when I graduated from school, I was going to be the first woman president of the United States.
Why not?
I'm a chair.
Certain things.
All right, that's about it.
Well, we always say we have a lady president.
Maybe the daughter of the mayor.
When you go back to school and see, nobody can tell he's had a president.
You just have to believe that there's something special for him.
That's right.
This is where many of the decisions will be made here.
All of these decisions affect you as being the rest of the people of the United States.
So go well, can't you?
Can't you?
You know, we have this small position in your family, but you're hard to make.
You know, when you're sitting here, all these men... Are your terms over?
Mother's always wanted to be president.
This is the mother, yeah, this is the mother.
So you came through here, and I came in here.
You can say that you sat with the president here.
Is it comfortable wearing this present?
Very well.
All right.
Come on, dad, you can do that too.
Ah, that's good.
You can use that to work.
You better take two more weeks off.
You know what's timeless?
This is nice to hear, but they do realize fire.
Fire goes from fireplace.
Is it always heavy?
Yeah.
You have quite a responsibility to maintain this.
Yes, it says so.
What is your staff position so now we can take it?
It's Hilary Boyd Mason Ranch.
I have 283 people now.
We take care of the White House and a bunch of other buildings.
I can feel the fire.
I can feel the fire.
I can feel the fire.
I can feel the fire.
This is something that you would be interested in.
This floor here, this is what they call Thomas Jones.
They had him close to him.
His portrait is more in the center with the knots of trees.
This is the knots.
He cut down a tree and put all the knots in the center of it.
So this was all put down by Thomas Jones.
I don't know what's coming to you.
The president's chair is there, and the secretary of state.
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