Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 261 › Conversation 261-052

Nixon & Andrews on Presidential speeches and Speechwriting

Friday, July 2, 1971 · 4:02 PM–4:08 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 12 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Andrews, John K., Jr.Conversation261-052 on Tape 261 (tape position 06:15:48–06:28:55)StartFriday, July 2, 1971 at 4:02 PMEndFriday, July 2, 1971 at 4:08 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 261-052 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and John K. Andrews, Jr. reviewed a draft of a forthcoming presidential speech, focusing on refining its thematic content and tone. The discussion involved editing specific phrasing, removing confusing references to a constitutional amendment, and evaluating the inclusion of a high school valedictory address anecdote. Nixon ultimately instructed Andrews to shorten sections of the text and reconsider the use of a literary reference to "John Brown’s Body" to ensure the message remained clear and impactful.

Audio

Download MP3 · 11.3 MB

This clip was extracted from the full tape recording by Easy Nixon.

Listen to the full tape segment

Position in tape: 06:15:48 – 06:28:55

261a.mp3
261b.mp3
261c.mp3
261d.mp3

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
I had put five goals in five years, but Ray mentioned we don't want to get tangled up with the six goals.
Strike H5.
True.
Strike H5.
The bottom of page six.
I agree with that in two sentences.
We see this and it's making us girls in the right period.
We see it in other things, man.
I think it would be easier to see it in other things.
and the flag free, that made me remind myself.
That made me remind myself again.
And then again, that made me remind myself again and again and again.
Reminds me that anyone, that any American,
I did.
I did sign the petition.
But I don't know what I said that line.
That painting reminds us that many Americans make use of it.
No.
I'll put it there just to answer the message that I wanted to give to many Americans.
There's many Americans who did come to the assignment.
Yes, sir.
I wait for the connection.
Take that out.
I shorten that down.
Can I send to your friend?
Yes sir?
I don't mind having a match in the air for the next one.
I don't know, I don't like the pants you've got.
It's too, uh... Maybe just particularize the team up.
Yeah, well, I don't like the pants you've got.
I've never seen it.
It's awesome.
You know what I mean?
That's the best thing I've ever heard in high school.
You wanted to do that high school graduation?
I did that high school.
The high school students.
Follow the trail of your friends and act the spirit.
I think that the John Brown thing has come too much in terms of who's going to come across.
It has to be a little bit, you know, you have to tell the story a little more.
In fact, I wouldn't say we might remember one other story.
I could start off and tell a story at the end, as I did in that speech when I said, 100 years ago,
Do you have the text for that?
I have it here.
I have rewritten this a little longer.
I mean, I rewrite rather than use J.C.'s text.
They have to be forwarded to the store.
I'll start here.
I like this, and I want to get this in.
Let's say, let us love America.
Not because she was rich, not because she was strong, but let us love America.
So you put that in, and then put that in right after that experience, those words.
Let us see, and then say, let us love America.
Let us know if an octopush is breaking, if an octopush is gone, if an American is breaking, and if an American is breaking.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
I'll fix this later.
So the way I would have it closed would be like this.
Let us love America.
Let us love America.
110 years ago, one of the most tragic events in this nation's history got brought to us by a real crime.
A crime that was tried against us.
John Robinson wrote a book called The Science of Humanism.
He wrote it in 1997.
I think it's in the middle of the year or so.
John Robinson said that just before he tried to work on this thing.
And we today, as a business community, as a generation, as a generation, as a generation, as a generation,
It probably takes a little too much for granted as much to make sure of it down.
Yeah.
You said you're 1,500 words.
I think a little over, really.
I just tried the words to pay honor.
I just tried to work on it.

NARA Description

On July 2, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and John K. Andrews, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:02 pm and 4:08 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 261-052 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 261-52

Date: July 2, 1971
Time: Unknown between 4:02 pm and 4:08 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with an unknown person [John K. Andrews, Jr.?]

     Draft of Presidential speech
           -Changes to draft
                -Raymond K. Price, Jr.
                -Cynthia Frink
                      -High School valedictory address
                      -Manchester, New Hampshire
           -Reference to “John Brown’s Body”

               -Test of poem
          -Length
          -Ronald L. Ziegler
               -Possible statement

Recording was cut off at an unknown time before 4:08 pm

Also recorded on July 2, 1971

  • 260-003 4:01 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:01 pm and 4:08 pm.
  • 260-004 4:01 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:01 pm and 4:08 pm.
  • 006-090 4:02 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:02 pm and 4:08 pm.
  • 537-003 4:02 PM · 2 min — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:02 pm and 4:08 pm.
  • 006-091 4:08 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 4:08 pm to 4:12 pm.
  • 260-005 4:08 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:08 pm to 4:12 pm.
  • 260-006 4:12 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:12 pm and 4:14 pm.
  • 260-007 4:12 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:12 pm and 4:14 pm.

All 78 conversations from July 2, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 261-052, July 2, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/261-052 (accessed October 5, 2026).