Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 279 › Conversation 279-049

Nixon & Mahon on Birthday greetings and Political relations

Wednesday, September 22, 1971 · 7:03 PM–7:04 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Mahon, George H.Conversation279-049 on Tape 279 (tape position 03:49:29–03:51:15)StartWednesday, September 22, 1971 at 7:03 PMEndWednesday, September 22, 1971 at 7:04 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 279-049 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon placed a brief, informal phone call to Congressman George H. Mahon to extend birthday wishes. Beyond the social pleasantries, the two exchanged brief words of encouragement regarding the political landscape and the nation's progress. No formal policy decisions were made, as Nixon explicitly stated his intent to avoid discussing official affairs of state.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Yeah.
Hello.
George, I just learned from one of my spies that you had a birthday today and I wanted to send my best to you and Pat sends her best to Helen.
And I can tell you this, you're one of the few guys I know that can shoot your Asian dog.
Larry tells me you do very well.
Well, I didn't want to miss it.
For the good of the country, it will work out.
And it will, it will.
We're making some progress.
Well, of course, you always have to, let me say it on this occasion, pardon the politics, we don't want to bother you with affairs of state.
Just have a good time, right?
Bye.
Good, we got it.
All right.
Bye.

NARA Description

On September 22, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and George H. Mahon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 7:03 pm to 7:04 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 279-049 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 279-49

Date: September 22, 1971
Time: 7:03 pm - 7:04 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with George H. Mahon.

[See Conversation No. 9-135]

Also recorded on September 22, 1971

  • 009-134 6:57 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:57 pm and 7:03 pm.
  • 279-048 6:57 PM · 4 sec — 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 6:57 pm and 7:03 pm.
  • 009-135 7:03 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George H. Mahon talked on the telephone from 7:03 pm to 7:04 pm.
  • 009-136 7:04 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:04 pm and 7:06 pm.
  • 279-050 7:04 PM · 7 sec — 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 7:04 pm and 7:06 pm.
  • 009-137 7:06 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 7:06 pm to 7:09 pm.
  • 279-051 7:06 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 7:06 pm to 7:09 pm.
  • 279-052 7:09 PM · 30 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 7:09 pm and 7:56 pm.

All 84 conversations from September 22, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 279-049, September 22, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/279-049 (accessed October 12, 2026).