{"conversationCode":"237-029","tapeNumber":237,"conversationNumber":29,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-237-029","startDateTime":"1972-12-29T22:12:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-12-29T22:15:00.000Z","startDate":"29-Dec-1972","startTime":"5:12 PM","endDate":"29-Dec-1972","endTime":"5:15 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.;","description":"On December 29, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 5:12 pm to 5:15 pm. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 237-029 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"CDHW","recordingDevice":"Camp David Hard Wire","latitudeEstimated":39.648333,"longitudeEstimated":-77.465,"chronCode":"5.2","chronRelease":"Fifth Chronological Release: Part II","chronReleaseDate":"2-Dec-2008","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 237-29\n\nDate: December 29, 1972\nTime: 5:12 pm - 5:15 pm\nLocation: Camp David Hard Wire\n\nThe President talked with Stephen B. Bull.\n\n[See Conversation No. 158-22]","filename":["237-029.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Bull, Stephen B."],"prevCode":"237-028","nextCode":"237-030","transcript":[{"start":0.32,"end":3.36,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":3.38,"end":8.43,"text":"State, with regard to the, I want you to make a check."},{"start":8.45,"end":23.62,"text":"It's really, you may recall that when President Eisenhardt died, I had a reception for the visiting official representatives."},{"start":23.64,"end":24.42,"text":"You know what I'm talking about?"},{"start":25.14,"end":29.67,"text":"Remember, we had the Gall and all the others, of course, came to them, but we had a reception"},{"start":29.93,"end":57.48,"text":"all of these official representatives now i don't think that wasn't the family or anything like that but you recall that's what we did now uh i don't think anybody's got any thinking about this about doing this for good but if you do some just have some discreet checks made uh you know uh i suppose you've got to run through the state department or if you can have uh"},{"start":57.81,"end":62.1,"text":"and Kennedy's office and so forth, but my guess is that I should do it."},{"start":62.22,"end":65.02,"text":"Have it checked first through Kennedy's office."},{"start":65.14,"end":67.75,"text":"Colonel Kennedy says, Kessinger's gone."},{"start":67.77,"end":68.77,"text":"You understand?"},{"start":68.79,"end":76.34,"text":"And then they can check this, and then they can run it by the State Department people and so forth."},{"start":76.38,"end":77.94,"text":"But I'm willing to do it."},{"start":77.98,"end":83.45,"text":"I just want to be sure we do at least offer to do what was done at the time of the Eisenhower business."},{"start":84.95,"end":88.35,"text":"Now, you don't need to get back to me at all."},{"start":88.49,"end":90.21,"text":"Am I going to be here on the 5th?"},{"start":90.33,"end":91.67,"text":"So it doesn't make you there if I'm going to service."},{"start":91.69,"end":95.7,"text":"Now, there's one thing that is slightly different in this case."},{"start":95.72,"end":96.86,"text":"In fact, it's quite different."},{"start":96.88,"end":101.91,"text":"In that case, basically, that was the general."},{"start":101.93,"end":102.85,"text":"Let me explain."},{"start":102.87,"end":106.99,"text":"At that time, that general was held in the National Cathedral."},{"start":107.01,"end":110.52,"text":"And, you see, in this case, the general's already been held."},{"start":110.66,"end":111.64,"text":"It's a memorial service."},{"start":112.48,"end":114.48,"text":"But nevertheless, the number of heads of state"},{"start":114.93,"end":122.58,"text":"former heads of state and so forth are coming to the funeral."},{"start":122.61,"end":130.3,"text":"So it may be that it will be expected that it will be there after."},{"start":130.32,"end":134.26,"text":"I recall, for example, when I went over to Galls, the funeral at Pompidou gave a reception for everybody after it."},{"start":134.28,"end":135.58,"text":"But that was the funeral in that case also."},{"start":135.6,"end":143.56,"text":"Now this is different in that respect, but I'll tell you, why don't you just let the State Department people work on it and give us a recommendation, okay?"},{"start":144.31,"end":146.68,"text":"to have the security come through."},{"start":146.7,"end":147.17,"text":"Okay, thank you."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon directs Stephen B. Bull to coordinate with the Kennedy family and the State Department regarding a potential reception for visiting foreign dignitaries attending the upcoming funeral/memorial services. Drawing a comparison to the protocol followed after Dwight D. Eisenhower's death, Nixon emphasizes the need for discreet inquiries to determine if such a diplomatic gesture is appropriate. He delegates the final recommendation to the State Department while expressing a personal willingness to host the event if deemed necessary.","topics":["protocol","diplomacy","funeral arrangements","State Department","Kennedy family"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T11:18:50.078Z"},"topicSlugs":["protocol","diplomacy","funeral-arrangements","state-department","kennedy-family"],"audioDurationSec":155,"audioFiles":[{"file":"237-029.mp3","bytes":3715202,"durationSec":154.67,"bitrate":192165,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:36.205Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/237-029.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/237-029","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/237/conversation-237-029","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}