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Conversation 099-008

TapeTape 99StartThursday, April 20, 1972 at 11:39 AMEndThursday, April 20, 1972 at 3:07 PMParticipantsWhite House tour groupRecording deviceCabinet Room
AI Summary

A guide provides a tour of the Cabinet Room to a group of visitors, explaining the historical significance of the room's decor and furnishings. The discussion highlights President Nixon’s selection of presidential portraits, the history of the Cabinet table, and the specific seating arrangements based on governmental seniority. Additionally, the guide describes the traditions surrounding Cabinet member departures, including the practice of allowing outgoing officials to take their chairs as mementos.

Cabinet RoomWhite House toursPresidential portraitsCabinet traditionsExecutive office history
AudioNARA Description

On April 20, 1972, a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 11:39 am and 3:07 pm. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 099-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 99-8

Date: Unknown between April 20 and May 1, 1972
Time: Unknown between 11:39 am, April 20 and 3:07 pm, May 1, 1972
Location: Cabinet Room

Unknown people [tour group] met

     Cabinet Room
          -Purpose
          -Furnishings
                -First Lady
          -Portraits
                -The President’s choices
                      -Dwight D. Eisenhower
                      -Theodore (“Teddy”) Roosevelt
                      -[Thomas] Woodrow Wilson
          -Table
                -The President’s purchase
          -The President’s chair
          -Seating
                -Order
                      -Seniority
                            -Secretary of Defense
                            -Secretary of State
                            -The Vice President
                -Chairs

                     -Cabinet members
                          -Departures
                               -Ceremonies
                                    -Winton M. (“Red”) Blount
          -Meetings
              -Press coverage
              -Attendance
                    -Heads of committees
                    -Cabinet wives

     White House
          -West Wing
               -Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis

The unknown people left at an unknown time before 3:07 pm, May 1, 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.

This is the cabinet room.
This is where all the decisions are made.
The president, in 1904, had his office.
His wife, normally, would use the merchants with his arms.
Captain Robinson.
It's a tradition that the president uses portraits to win the capitol.
These are his favorite people.
President Eisenhower, Teddy Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson.
And this is a new capitol table.
As a matter of fact, the president bought this for the capitol.
Thank you.
They had a square one.
Oh, that's right.
The president's chair.
The president's chair.
The various cabinet posts go out from him.
As you can see, the government, when they were established, as you can see, the vice president sits right across from him, and then the cabinet posts...
Do they stay here after they go out of office?
No, well, it's... Or are they sort of taken with them as a momentum?
Well, they're taken with them.
The cabinet members all check in.
It's a little ceremony.
You usually have the same dinner for the captain.
Or it's like a secretary blunt.
It's not a chair.
They bring it in for the ceremony.
It's a little ceremony.
Normally the press wouldn't attend.
The heads of committees, they've had four capital B's, official capital B's, the capital Y's.
They participate.
Well, you know, what was it then and how it is?
Well, we have to keep doing that.
Well, I'll tell you what, until it's plain and worthy, it can't go.
I wouldn't say that, but I'll tell you, please.
Do you think so, sir?
I think so, yes.
Well, we can't be proud of it, can we?
Oh, yes.
That's the best way we can do it.
That's all that we want to do, sir.
This is Kennedy.
He started the collection right after that.
This is Tom Stanton.
I don't know if you want to stay in this area.
I don't know if you want to stay here.
I don't know if you want to stay here.
I don't know if you want to stay here.
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