Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 23 › Conversation 023-048

Nixon phone call with Ehrlichman on Giant Pandas and Media coverage

Thursday, April 20, 1972 · 11:48 AM–11:52 AM ET · White House Telephone ·4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Nixon, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan); Ehrlichman, John D.; Nixon, Richard M. (President); Nixon, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan); Ehrlichman, John D.Conversation023-048 onTape 23StartThursday, April 20, 1972 at 11:48 AMEndThursday, April 20, 1972 at 11:52 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 023-048 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon, First Lady Pat Nixon, and John Ehrlichman discussed the successful public reception of the giant pandas recently gifted to the United States. Mrs. Nixon provided details regarding the pandas' popular behavior and the extensive media coverage of the event. The conversation also touched upon logistical scheduling for the Nixon family's upcoming visits to Camp David.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello.

Hi.

Just checking to see how the panda thing went.

I've been in a meeting and so I... Oh, they were just darling.

Everybody raved about them.

How did it work?

Were you able to get up to them?

Do you cut them or things like that?

Or they don't allow that?

No, they're glass cage.

But did they get a good picture of it, I hope?

Well, there were an awfully lot of people there.

Boy, it was well covered.

Good, good.

But a lot of interest in how the people seemed to enjoy it.

I just, they got a good, I bet even the press was pleased.

Yeah, I think so.

Yeah.

They all, they're comic little things, you know.

Yeah, yeah.

Do they really?

Oh, yeah.

They had a...

uh structure inside the cage sort of wood you know and one of them climbed up there and sat up there and chewed his toast he had cinnamon toast it was a screen i hope they got it but there were so many i'm just not sure how well oh well they'll come back and get them and i'll have to be great

NARA Description

On April 20, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon, and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 11:48 am to 11:52 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 023-048 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 23-48

Date: April 20, 1972
Time: 11:48-11:52 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon.

[See also Conversation No. 714-11A]

The President conferred with John D. Ehrlichman at an unknown time during the conversation.

[End of conferral]

     Mrs. Nixon's schedule
          -Pandas
               -Picture taking
               -Antics

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

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 03/21/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[023-048-w001]
[Duration: 3m 8s]

       The President's schedule
              -Camp David visit with Tricia Nixon Cox on April 20, 1972

       Tricia Nixon Cox's schedule
               -Visit to Camp David with President
               -Return from Camp David April 21, 1972
               -Upcoming trip to Chicago April 22, 1972

       Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon's schedule
             -Inability to visit Camp David until April 21, 1972

       Julie Nixon Eisenhower's schedule
               -Arrival at Camp David April 21, 1972
       The President's schedule
              -Leaving for Camp David with Tricia Nixon Cox
                      -After reception for American Society of Newspaper Editors
                              -Timing
              -Dinner plans
                      -Camp David
                      -White House
                              -Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon
                      -Decision of Tricia Nixon Cox
                      -Reception
                              -Timing
                      -Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon
                              -General dinner preferences

       Tricia Nixon Cox's schedule
               -Visit to Camp David
                       -Return from Camp David April 21, 1972

       Courier's schedule
              -Twice-daily visits to Camp David

       Tricia Nixon Cox’s schedule

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

Also recorded on April 20, 1972

099-005 11:39 AM — Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., Egil ("Bud") Krogh, and the Domestic Council met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 11:39 am and 3:07 pm.
099-006 11:39 AM — Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., Egil ("Bud") Krogh, Jr., and the Domestic Council met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 11:39 am and 3:07 pm.
714-007 11:43 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Clifford D. Carlson, Carol A. Carson, Max L. Friedersdorf, Stephen B. Bull, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:43 am to 11:46 am.
023-047 11:46 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:46 am and 11:48 am.
714-008 11:46 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:46 am.
714-009 11:46 AM · 48 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:46 am and 11:48 am.
714-010 11:46 AM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:46 am and 11:48 am.
714-011 11:48 AM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:48 am to 12:03 pm.

All 56 conversations from April 20, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 023-048, April 20, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/023-048 (accessed September 18, 2026).