Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 185-001
Date: Saturday, June 2, 1973 at 12:01 AM
Participants: Nixon, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan); Camp David operator; Winchester, Lucy A.
Recording device: Camp David Study Desk
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/185-001

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] Lucy Winchester, please.
[0:03] Thank you, ma'am.
[1:17] Go ahead.
[1:19] Lucy?
[1:19] Yes?
[1:20] I didn't wake you up, did I?
[1:22] No, I'm out on the porch drying my hair.
[1:25] Oh.
[1:25] Well, I heard that you called yesterday, but it was too late to get to you before I got your message.
[1:32] Oh, I'm so sorry.
[1:33] I have a list.
[1:35] May I get it, please?
[1:35] Sure.
[1:36] Thank you.
[1:55] Thank you so much.
[1:57] NSV sent over a list of people that they would suggest having to pay for Mrs. Tolbert.
[2:02] They have gotten it from the State Department.
[2:05] You know, I was thinking that she'll probably feed so many people at the luncheon and at the dinner.
[2:11] I don't know, you know, can you think of anything else we could do?
[2:15] They found out that the mayor and Mrs. Washington are taking Mrs. Tolbert to them.
[2:23] Yeah.
[2:24] They're having a luncheon for her at the Museum of African Art.
[2:28] That day, that day.
[2:30] Maybe another day.
[2:31] Uh-huh.
[2:32] The Aggies are having a luncheon for her.
[2:34] It might be that the Rogers are having a luncheon for her.
[2:38] Let me see.
[2:53] Mm-hmm.
[2:55] I think this is the funniest thing that I've ever heard, getting a public relations firm.
[2:59] Oh, well, they all are so afraid they won't make the front page if you're Washington Post.
[3:05] Well, they won't when they come to see us.
[3:09] Oh, dear.
[3:10] Well, Lucy, I guess we have to go ahead with it.
[3:12] All right, who's on the list?
[3:14] Well, they have the cabinet rise.
[3:15] Yeah, but they'll all be at the luncheon, won't they?
[3:20] They haven't.
[3:20] But they won't all be at the luncheon.
[3:23] Mm-hmm.
[3:23] and the mayor's wife, and Kathy James, General James' wife, and Mrs. Roy Wilkins, and Mrs. William Carter, whose husband is the president of the African American Institute, and Mrs. John Johnson, who's the... Yeah, I know.
[3:42] I know most of these people, yeah.
[3:44] ...Whitney Young, Ian Wiggins, who's the Washington Afro reporter, Barbara Watson...
[3:52] Ms.
[3:53] Senator Brooks' wife, Mrs. Cooke, the wife of the President of Howard University, Andy Bremer's wife, Jewel LaFontaine.
[4:04] Here's Samuel Johnson.
[4:08] He's the wife of the former assistant of ATV.
[4:14] This is George Haley.
[4:16] He's the wife of the associate director of USIA.
[4:18] Now, Mrs. Howard Jenkins.
[4:20] This is a T-shirt.
[4:21] Constance Newman.
[4:23] This is Norman Houston, her husband, the deputy secretary of ACW.
[4:35] This is William Brown, Stan Scott on the staff, his wife.
[4:40] Dr. Helen Edwards, who was at the U.N. a couple of years ago.
[4:45] Brian Anderson.
[4:46] This is William Thompson, he's a district Supreme Court judge.
[4:49] This is Barrington Parker, another judge in line.
[4:52] This is Forty Rivers Scott.
[4:56] Giovanni.
[4:57] Oh, God.
[4:58] Remember her?
[4:59] That name?
[5:00] Uh-huh.
[5:01] The Lady's Home Journal Award winner.
[5:03] Yeah, but she's so...
[5:05] I think I just crossed her off the list now.
[5:07] All right.
[5:08] Because I hear she's a very bad apple.
[5:11] She even, when they gave her the award, said that she would pick it the many times she felt like it and stuff like that.
[5:18] She probably will, too.
[5:19] Yeah.
[5:20] Okay, we'll take her off.
[5:23] And then the official party
[5:26] This is from Liberia.
[5:30] This is Colbert and her three daughters and the ambassador's wife.
[5:38] Lucy, how are we going to do this?
[5:40] Make it an informal queue and a receding line or what?
[5:46] I think we should have all of the ladies, such as a bunch of them, maybe have them in the blue room and have Mrs. Colbert...
[5:53] Um...
[6:23] What do you think of adding in the wives of ambassadors from African nations?
[6:32] Or is that going to look too one-sided?
[6:34] See, they had a party for me once, remember?
[6:37] So they don't mind getting together.
[6:40] Yeah.
[6:40] Is this list about half and half?
[6:43] Or do you know?
[6:44] Looks like it.
[6:45] More than half and half.
[6:46] The other way.
[6:47] Yeah.
[6:47] Yeah, that's what I thought.
[6:50] The angle might not look too well.
[6:54] I think that he would rather meet the Americans than the other African ambassadors.
[7:01] Well, you know, he tries to be kind of the leader of Africa.
[7:08] Yeah.
[7:09] And it gives them prestige in their country.
[7:15] Yeah.
[7:15] So?
[7:15] But anyway, well, let's just make it a small one like this.
[7:20] I think that's better because at this rate, they get sort of rude to call.
[7:24] But are you going to make your calls today?
[7:26] The secretaries won't be there, so that means you're only called Monday.
[7:30] Well, one of the girls is standing by who would make the calls.
[7:35] Mm-hmm.
[7:36] So I think they can be made today.
[7:38] Well, can you think of anyone else that, you know, like we could have an Armstrong or somebody like that, you know?
[7:48] They're always committed to dropping hats.
[7:50] Yes.
[7:51] To just make it a little half-and-half type of deal.
[7:57] Good.
[7:58] Like Mary Brooks, a few of those.
[8:03] Right.
[8:06] How did that work?
[8:07] Um, the fact that it was one of our duties.
[8:11] Yeah.
[8:13] Mm-hmm.
[8:13] You know, some of our day, because, um... That's just nice.
[8:18] He's the head of the task force division in the State Department, isn't he?
[8:22] You know, I always think of people being so busy because I know how everybody works, but then I guess that maybe they like to come.
[8:44] Oh, you know, they're dying because...
[8:51] Um, we'll get on this right away.
[8:54] All right, and if you think of anyone else to make it more happen, huh?
[8:58] All right.
[8:59] You know, some of our people.
[9:01] Yes, it's a beautiful day here.
[9:02] I hope you are.
[9:03] You know, it is beautiful.
[9:05] I haven't been out this pretty yet.
[9:16] It's just beautiful.
[9:17] I'm glad to be out of that dump.
[9:19] Yeah.
[9:27] Oh, good.
[9:29] That's fine.
[9:31] Okay, Lucy.
[9:32] Thank you so much, Mrs. Nixon.
[9:33] Oh, unless you've got else for us, I was going to ask you.
[9:39] We will have a music board, of course.
[9:41] Yeah.
[9:42] I think it'll be fine.
[9:43] Oh, you'll have a good time.
[9:45] Good.
[9:46] Thank you so much.
[9:51] Bye.