Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 226 › Conversation 226-034

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on White House correspondence

Saturday, November 18, 1972 · 9:57 AM–10:25 AM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation226-034 on Tape 226StartSaturday, November 18, 1972 at 9:57 AMEndSaturday, November 18, 1972 at 10:25 AMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 226-034 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon dictated a personal letter to his old friend Eddie Dugan while providing instructions to staff members, including Raymond K. Price, Jr., on managing post-election correspondence. He emphasized the importance of carefully culling mail from celebrities and longtime associates to ensure personalized, accurate responses. The dictated letter to Dugan reflected on their shared history, dating back to a 1934 cross-country trip and their time at Duke University, while acknowledging Dugan’s enduring political support.

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 47% 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.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).
I've been sending these notes to hands up in any room at all.
There'll be a half a dozen of them.
I'm trying to give guidance to, uh, BMW and Ray Price in what I know is the hardest and difficult task of responding to letters from old friends and celebrity types.
I very much hope that, uh,
The mail will be carefully culled in this respect so that we get the proper first names on the old grounds.
And where the letters, where it calls for, where the situation calls for it, we will promote it into one of the letters.
We realize that most of it would be impossible to do so.
Great.
That's kind of my commitment.
But on the other hand, I'm not sure how much personal education we'll get out of it.
I'm surprised at how much personal education we'll get out of it.
We're going to have more, more of it is more.
But at this time, it's pretty perfect.
You ready?
Your letter of November 13 brought back many memories.
I recall that long trip across the country in 1934 in our own Chevrolet.
The work we did at Duke.
And then the occasions when we met over the years since that time.
My dear house went by.
Very kind, very graciously, Circus Ice Cream.
Support has been a great deal.
Thank you.
Support.
Support.
Support.
Support.
regrets that our mutual friend, metal silver, only won the 1968 election.
If I had lunch with him the day I was nominated for vice president in 1952, and again on the day I was nominated for vice president in San Francisco in 1986, if I had lunch with him in 1960,
They might have struck me down as a big jackass.
So, uh, everything worked out all right again.
Our bad judgment is sending our best to Nancy and the group.

NARA Description

On November 18, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:57 am and 10:25 am. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 226-034 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 226-34

Date: November 18, 1972
Time: Unknown between 9:57 am and 10:25 am
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

The President dictated a letter to unknown person.

*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

       1972 election
            -The President’s letters
                   -Ann Duggan, Eddie Dugan
                   -Guidance to Raymond K. Price, Jr.
                        -Old friends, celebrities
                              -First names
                              -Form letters

The President dicated a letter to Dugan at an unknown time after 9:57 am.

             -Dugan’s letter
                  -Memories
                        -The President’s cross country trip in 1934
                        -Duke University
                  -Friendship, support
                  -Mutual friend
                        -Mendel Silverberg
                              -1968 and 1972 elections
                                        -25-

               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                        Conversation No. 226-34 (cont’d)

                          -1952 and 1956 nominations
                                -Vice President
                          -Lunches with the President
                                -1960 election
                                -John Kennedy
               -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
               -Nancy Dugan

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************

Also recorded on November 18, 1972

  • 153-058 9:39 AM · 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone at Camp David from 9:39 am to 9:57 am.
  • 226-031 9:39 AM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 9:39 am to 9:57 pm.
  • 226-032 9:57 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:57 am and 10:25 am.
  • 226-033 9:57 AM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:57 am and 10:25 am.
  • 033-080 11:06 AM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:06 am and 11:44 am.
  • 033-081 11:06 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:06 am and 11:44 am.
  • 033-082 11:06 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:06 am and 11:44 am.
  • 033-083 11:44 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 11:44 am to 11:45 am.

All 50 conversations from November 18, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 226-034, November 18, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/226-034 (accessed October 9, 2026).