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Conversation 104-003

TapeTape 104StartSaturday, July 1, 1972 at 10:40 AMEndFriday, July 21, 1972 at 10:16 AMParticipantsWhite House tour groupRecording deviceCabinet Room
AI Summary

An unidentified guide provides a tour of the Cabinet Room to a group of visitors, detailing the room's historical significance and operational layout. The discussion highlights the seating arrangements for the President, Vice President, and cabinet members, alongside observations about the historical portraits displayed in the room. A significant portion of the tour focuses on correcting public misconceptions regarding the funding of White House upkeep, emphasizing that furnishings are typically acquired through private donations rather than taxpayer dollars.

White House historyCabinet RoomPublic relationsTaxationPrivate donationsPresidential portraits
AudioNARA Description

a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 10:40 am on July 1, 1972 and 10:16 am on July 21, 1972. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 104-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 104-3

Date: Unknown between July 1 and July 21, 1972
Time: Unknown between 10:40 am, July 1 and 10:16 am, July 21, 1972
Location: Cabinet Room

Unknown people [tour group] met

     Cabinet Room
          -History
               -World War II

     Cabinet
          -Seating arrangements
          -Chairs
                -The President
                -The Vice President
                -George P. Shultz
                     -Offices held
                -Upon departure

     American people
         -National traits
               -Attitude toward wealth
                     -Taxes
         -White House
               -Furnishings
               -Upkeep
         -Concern about taxes

     Cabinet Room table

     Presidential portraits
          -Dwight D. Eisenhower

          -Theodore (“Teddy”) Roosevelt
          -[Thomas] Woodrow Wilson

The tour group left at an unknown time before 10:16 am, July 21, 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 Do not cite this transcript as authoritative.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.

No, you really don't realize, the president is just a breath away from the whole question.
Well, he has questions.
Captain Brown, one of the great decisions to come out of here, you can imagine the war conferences during World War II and all those places.
The western moon was buzzing.
There were no tourists in the White House.
They created a journal like that.
And the place was closed.
And of course they had
You think there's a lot of us around that have military all over the place, shooting machine guns on the roof and everything.
In the case of us, some Nazi group tried to attack us.
Spies or something.
It's always the Eastern World like that.
World War I, World War II.
The President's chair was over in the center.
The biggest one there.
Vice President's right across from you.
You see they have the data handed off to us.
Like this was Secretary Shultz.
He was Secretary of Labor at first.
He left there and came director of the budget.
And then just recently took Mr. Connick's place.
Vice President's chair.
Now they can take these chairs with them if they have $40 they have to pay for them.
Well, I think it's so funny the way, you know, um...
Well, you see, the American people are very conscious of this.
There's one thing about it, all the steel-covered walls, and really kind of things like this.
It's very, Americans are very great people.
They're all worried about their dollar assets.
It's one problem with our country, speaking of my own opinion.
Nine out of ten people come through and think that their taxes pay for all this silk.
You might get five out of those that think,
We must keep this reputation like this, okay, and we'll buy this as long as it's used well, and we must have the presidents on looking at us.
And then you get the other half of that, that just bitterly complained, and when it's not even true to begin with, because the tax money does not go like that, it's all private donations.
And a lot of people come in and stick walls in their hands, rub it all over them, and say, please don't handle the walls.
Why?
I pay for it, you know, which they really don't.
They might pay our salary because we're still in service.
And then they pay for the heat and gas, and they pay the salaries of our custodial people.
But all that was private information.
This is just publicity.
They need to be informed about this.
People, you know, they worry about the taxes, you know, and they don't want the politicians taking everything, you know, and so on.
We always emphasize that it's private donations, because so many people are ignorant of that fact, you know.
And I like the chairs in here.
Now, the table's brand new president, Mrs. Nixon, bought that, and gave it to the White House, and they've used it for several years now.
Yes, the table is here.
Call it back.
The president keeps his favorite portraits in here.
President Eisenhower, Dito Roosevelt, President Wilson.
He's most admired.
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