Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 158 › Conversation 158-039

Nixon phone call with Bull on Harry S. Truman and Memorial Services

Saturday, December 30, 1972 · 10:54 AM–10:56 AM ET · Camp David Study Table · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.Conversation158-039 on Tape 158StartSaturday, December 30, 1972 at 10:54 AMEndSaturday, December 30, 1972 at 10:56 AMRecording deviceCamp David Study TableSourceNixon Library record for 158-039 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon consulted with Stephen B. Bull regarding the logistical planning and protocol for the upcoming memorial service for former President Harry S. Truman. The discussion centered on managing the attendance of international dignitaries and heads of state, specifically contrasting the scale of this event with the more elaborate funeral arrangements for Dwight D. Eisenhower. Nixon expressed concern over the time-consuming nature of reception lines and requested that the State Department ensure clear communication regarding the expectations for these visiting delegations.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 38% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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Yeah.

I don't even know, even though they're a little out of line, I didn't have to see any of it, but, uh, one of them comes to my party party, uh, reception for them.

Right now, the rest of the base has been traded, but it's not going to change.

Instead of having to re-examine it, uh, we're going to be having to re-examine it on the base and then re-examine it.

In fact, it appears to me, the more I'm going to have to make a decision, the more it's going to get to me.

And, uh, it's going to be a lot of patients that are gone.

And I have no objection to doing it at all.

I just, let me put it this way, I wouldn't have been able to do as much of a treatment as we did for Eisenhower, because we would be in a situation where we would inevitably be drawn otherwise.

We have a war that we have to fight and try to make, and I know that you and I have connected this action in general to the service which I've made to you.

But you've got to be sure that the state understands it.

If they want to take that area after the gun, that's what they're going to do.

It's a hard over here to travel just to have them all be through the reception line on coffee or whatever it is.

It's a lot of that all over there.

It's a typical ride.

It's very time-consuming to travel.

You see all that stuff.

And then, um, it would be very well to, you know, stay because if they have any hits, it's not great.

Thank you.

NARA Description

On December 30, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone at Camp David from 10:54 am to 10:56 am. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 158-039 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 158-39

Date: December 30, 1972
Time: 10:54 am - 10:56 am
Location: Camp David Study Table

The President talked with Stephen B. Bull.

[See Conversation No. 237-50]

       Harry S. Truman’s memorial service
            -Guests
                  -Rank
                       -Low level delegations
                  -Head of state
                                               -48-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                            Conversation No. 158-39 (cont’d)

                        -Edward R. G. Heath
            -Reception
                  -Guests
                       -Attendance
            -Dwight D. Eisenhower’s funeral
                  -Comparisons
            -State Department
            -Reception
                  -Guests
                       -Heads of state, prime ministers

Also recorded on December 30, 1972

158-038 10:12 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:12 am and 10:54 am.
237-047 10:12 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and William Hirsch met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:12 am and 10:54 am.
237-048 10:12 AM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:12 am and 10:54 am.
237-049 10:15 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:15 am and 10:54 am.
237-050 10:54 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 10:54 am to 10:56 am.
158-040 11:06 AM · 37 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, and John A. Scali talked on the telephone at Camp David from 11:06 am to 11:42 am.
237-051 11:06 AM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, and John A. Scali met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 11:06 am to 11:42 am.
238-001 11:06 AM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 11:06 am and 11:42 am.

All 64 conversations from December 30, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 158-039, December 30, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/158-039 (accessed October 11, 2026).