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Conversation 087-005

TapeTape 87StartMonday, January 3, 1972 at 4:44 PMEndThursday, January 20, 1972 at 2:45 PMParticipantsWhite House tour groupRecording deviceCabinet Room
AI Summary

An unidentified guide leads a White House tour group through the Cabinet Room, providing historical context regarding the room's layout and furniture. The discussion focuses on the history of the Cabinet table and the tradition of departing Cabinet members receiving their chairs as gifts. The guide highlights President Nixon’s efforts to improve the room’s configuration to foster better communication among members.

White House toursCabinet RoomPresidential furnitureCabinet traditionsNixon administration
AudioNARA Description

a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 4:44 pm on January 3, 1972 and 2:45 pm on January 20, 1972. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 087-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 87-5

Date: Unknown between January 3 and January 20, 1972
Time: Unknown between 4:44 pm, January 3 and 2:45 pm, January 20, 1972
Location: Cabinet Room

Unknown people met

     Cabinet Room
          -Seating arrangement
                -The President, Vice President
          -Table, chairs
          -Theodore (“Teddy”) Roosevelt, [Thomas] Woodrow Wilson
          -Seating arrangement
                -Cabinet Secretaries
                     -Stag Party in the White House
                           -Presentation of chairs as gifts to departing Cabinet members
          -Cabinet meeting
          -Table

The unknown people left at an unknown time before 2:45 pm, January 20, 1972
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 Do not cite this transcript as authoritative.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.

These are Preston Dixon's choices.
City Roastwell, after the Roastwell question, couldn't imagine it.
Great Academy, just before the major Preston would come through here, as he sits and tries and tries on this.
And he's watching, he's not going to sit here.
Come on the other side.
A lot of smoking was done.
And they do the same thing all the time here.
It's just the other way around.
Phone, computer.
15th of Monday.
Came in.
Secondary State.
Interior.
What's the first thing?
They're going to need you to take the chair.
What did you leave all the time for the student?
They wanted the chair.
I really don't know.
They did a lot of research on yellow ones and all.
This is the captain's room.
This is the captain's room.
I remember the decision as we were behaving here.
The table was presented to my husband, my president, Nixon.
He used to be sort of a non-long-talker, rather than a long-talker.
Rick Daniels' table.
And it was hard for one person to sit here at the edge to see the speaker who was talking, to see someone who was sitting in this area.
So President Nixon, I hope the table might be a little bit nicer, so we're able to see each other and hear each other and so on.
No, I don't, the kitchener doesn't have, the kitchener doesn't have a camera here.
Who's scared?
By the way, only mine.
Mine's a member, it's a cabinet member, or a cabinet-level officer.
And I'll take these with me when they leave the office.
This one's about to depart.
Is that on speech?
Yeah, it's on speech.
There's two of them.
This one is...
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