Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 153 › Conversation 153-034

Nixon phone call with Eisenhower on 1972 election and 1973 Inauguration

Thursday, November 16, 1972 · 1:51 PM–1:57 PM ET · Camp David Study Table · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Eisenhower, Julie NixonConversation153-034 on Tape 153StartThursday, November 16, 1972 at 1:51 PMEndThursday, November 16, 1972 at 1:57 PMRecording deviceCamp David Study TableSourceNixon Library record for 153-034 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and his daughter, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, held a personal telephone conversation to discuss family matters, upcoming inaugural preparations, and White House renovations. The President shared updates on his electoral vote margins, the progress of facility improvements at the White House and Key Biscayne, and the receipt of a private gift intended for his daughters. They also discussed plans to refurbish the White House solarium to create a more functional and aesthetically pleasing living space for the family.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Hello?
I have Julie calling you, Mr. President.
Okay.
Thank you.
There you are.
Hello?
Daddy?
Hi, Julie.
Hi.
So how's everything going up there?
It's fine.
We're getting a lot of work today.
It's cold, isn't it?
It is.
It got a little cold.
Not bad.
It's clear, though.
It's clear, and I've been very busy, so I can do yesterday and calmly today.
Good.
I'm getting things sort of...
straightened out, lined up, and everything.
And everything is fine.
And I was so interested that they found that German Adenauer thing in your presence, you know.
Yes, isn't that great?
Mommy's so thrilled.
Who told you that?
Manola and Mommy did, too.
But Manola said that he had searched all over, and he knew he'd packed it.
So he was tickled to death because he knew that he'd packed it.
But there it is.
You know, things do turn up.
Yeah, we were really, oh, it's so beautiful.
I just wish someday they'd ever find that painting the Russians gave me back.
I'm peeing 60 bits, all right.
I wonder what that is.
Oh, well, it's just one other thing.
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That is an inaugural present for you anyway.
Oh, that's great.
And just feel free.
Don't worry.
Well, get enough.
Get enough.
There's plenty available for that purpose ride.
Good.
And we want you to get just the nicest things you want, things you can keep and need and so forth and so on.
Oh, thanks a lot.
So everything is.
There's still a pretty good chance when all the boats come in, of course,
are not, there's still absentees, won't run over for about two or three weeks, that we may exceed, you know, in addition to the margin, which is already bigger, but we may exceed the percentage that Johnson got, because we're now at 61.
We only have to go one-tenth of a point more.
Good heavens.
So to make it the biggest percentage in history, the biggest percentage of all votes cast in history, which Johnson has at this point, we already have the biggest margin in history.
It would have been bigger if people hadn't gotten the news at 6.30.
It could be.
Out west?
A few people, that's right.
More would have voted.
That's right.
Everything's fine.
I guess Mommy's been busy getting Christmas cards and so forth.
And sometime you can talk to her about it.
I mean, I know she's going to think about that chair in Rome.
We'd like to get that.
Yeah, she and Clem were working on it yesterday.
Oval office, right.
And I mentioned to Tricia, too, that I hope that all three of you could take a look at that upstairs room and make that into a beautiful, comfortable room.
The solarium.
Yeah.
We agree.
Rooms, rooms.
It's depressing.
Make it a room like the kind that Bob Applenau had over with pretty furniture.
You might even get that decorator up, you know.
I know.
And decorate it properly.
I agree.
It's so depressing.
And fix that bar so it isn't a corny, horrible-looking thing there.
Isn't it awful?
You could cut off that.
You don't have to have it sticking out in the room.
No.
but have a pleasant bar that looks pretty in the back with glasses up there and everything so that people...
I think we've really used the room a lot.
And then we could use it in...
I go up there quite often to look at football games, you know, so I won't bother people down below.
Yeah.
But I don't...
I can't do it most of the time because you can't cut the light off up there or anything.
Isn't this... isn't it terrible?
But that room can be sort of a second sitting room for us, and we'll use it, Marcus.
The West Hall is more formal, and we're there... Yeah, I used to use it all the time.
But, you know, it isn't nice now, so...
I think that's something we ought to get.
Oh, B.B.
told me that they've gone forward with the pool.
Good.
And he says they're going to have it done right after Thanksgiving.
Good, great.
And he's got everything.
It's going to be about a little bit bigger than the pool down at the 316 house.
Good.
A little wider, that's all.
And they've got a screen with a beautiful kind of a curvature to it.
Oh, did your mother do this?
Not yet, because I want to make it a surprise.
She's already approved.
That's the kind of thing she wanted.
And then when she goes down, but I'll tell you, Julie, it's going to make Florida for her.
Oh, absolutely.
Because, you know, she loves pool.
And this will be one that's got plenty of heat in it, so it can be just what you want it.
And then when she goes down in the wintertime, when the weather's a little bit choppy outside,
Oh, it's going to be great.
Isn't it terrific they're finishing it so quickly?
Good, good.
Oh, wow.
He's been such a good friend, Daddy.
That's right.
He brought up this gift for you and for Tricia, too, so that you can buy what you need for the inaugural.
You know what I mean?
Yeah, but it's not from him, is it?
No, no, no, no, no, no.
There's a major contributor in Florida who doesn't want to give anything to parties because he doesn't want to be on any list, but he just likes to, and so it's not a political gift.
It's just a gift to you from this fellow who's a wonderful fellow.
He has a chain store as a personal gift, and so it doesn't have to be reported or anything of that sort.
Just giving it to you so you can use it any way you want.
That's fabulous.
So it's okay.
Good.
Well, have a wonderful time tomorrow night.
Okay.
It will be fun.
Thank you.
Yeah, we'll just sit around and look at a movie.
Good.
Okay, bye.
Bye.
Julie?

NARA Description

On November 16, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone at Camp David from 1:51 pm to 1:57 pm. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 153-034 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 153-34

Date: November 16, 1972
Time: 1:51 pm - 1:57 pm
Location: Camp David Study Table

The President talked with Julie Nixon Eisenhower.

[See Conversation No. 225-35]

******************************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift during
chronological review 2007-2013]

******************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[153-034-w001]
[Duration: 1m 6s]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

******************************************************************************

       Camp David
           -Weather

       The President’s schedule
            -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
            -John B. Connally

       Konrad Adenauer
            -Gift
            -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
                                           -42-

                 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

           -Manolo Sanchez
           -Russian painting

******************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[153-034-w002]
[Duration: 10s]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

******************************************************************************

      1973 Inauguration
           -Clothing

      1972 election
           -Vote count
                  -Absentees
                  -Percentage
                        -Lyndon B. Johnson
                  -Early victory announcement
                        -West

      Mrs. Nixon’s schedule
           -Christmas cards
           -Oval Office
                 -Chair
                 -Clement E. Conger

     White House renovation
          -Solarium
                -Robert H. Abplanalp
                -Football
                -Dwight D. Eisenhower, Mamie G. D. Eisenhower
                                            -43-

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                           Conversation No. 153-34 (cont’d)

       Swimming pool
           -Key Biscayne
           -Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo
           -Mrs. Nixon

       1973 Inauguration
            -Clothing
                  -Gift
                        -Julie Nixon Eisenhower, Tricia Nixon Cox
                        -Rebozo
                        -Unknown contributor

       The President’s schedule
            -Movie

******************************************************************************

Also recorded on November 16, 1972

  • 153-032 1:35 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 1:35 pm.
  • 225-033 1:35 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at 1:35 pm.
  • 153-033 1:36 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 1:36 pm.
  • 225-034 1:36 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at 1:36 pm.
  • 225-041 1:36 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 1:36 pm and 1:51 pm.
  • 225-035 1:51 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 1:51 pm to 1:57 pm.
  • 153-035 1:57 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 1:57 pm and 2:08 pm.
  • 153-036 2:08 PM · 49 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David from 2:08 pm to 2:09 pm.

All 30 conversations from November 16, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 153-034, November 16, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/153-034 (accessed October 9, 2026).