Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 322 › Conversation 322-053

Nixon alone in his EOB office on People's Republic of China and Busing

Sunday, March 12, 1972 · 8:35 PM–9:25 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation322-053 on Tape 322 (tape position 03:30:33–03:33:56)StartSunday, March 12, 1972 at 8:35 PMEndSunday, March 12, 1972 at 9:25 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 322-053 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon dictates a memorandum reflecting on the positive international reception to his recent trip to the People's Republic of China, specifically noting praise from an Iranian official regarding his efforts toward global peace. He subsequently addresses domestic political strategy regarding mandatory busing, expressing his intent to implement a moratorium to align with public sentiment. Nixon also notes his coordination with aides H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, and William Safire to ensure a unified administrative stance on the busing issue.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 66% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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The client used to call Butterfield when he said he got an aide, and said that he greatly appreciated my little coat.

Okay, and he gave it to me back from all the way, and I gave it to Chet the first year, and he gave it to Chet to see where I was going.

This must be a grueling experience for him to consider a terrible pattern in his life.

So many of them already testified that he had already gone to the Hill High and said he was going to make a plan.

Secretary General Alessandro, who is from Iran, said something like this.

He said that, uh, he had always admired the effect that had on the United States of China, and he now believes in it.

He believes that I have taken a giant step that no one else could possibly take to make it possible for the world to be more peaceful in the future.

He said to go forward on a more important

I go home, this wasn't good, but I believe it's a good solution, but it may have been on the merits.

It would probably be a good subject to be seen in the whole country, though the White House wasn't.

I gave Sapphire a chance to tell you that all of them.

And as I said earlier, we must speak to the majority.

This is against us and I'm trying to cover everything that people are no longer taking.

We turned back the clock and said, we should stay.

And they declared on the top of my mind, on our front page, we had to go on the same page and stay on the same page and stay on the same page.

This is a strong personal example of what people would like to do.

Another child hadn't been carried by bus for an hour, and their next child would walk away.

It must be stopped, and what I have proposed today will stop it.

Easy.

NARA Description

On March 12, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:35 pm and 9:25 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 322-053 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 322-53

Date: March 12, 1972
Time: Unknown between 8:35 pm and 9:25 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President dictated a memorandum for the file.

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

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 10/10/2019.

Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[322-053-w001]
[Duration: 3m 4s]

       The President's note
              -Richard G. Kleindienst
                      -Telephone call to Alexander P. Butterfield

       Alexander P. Butterfield
             -Testimony
             -Conversation with unknown person from Iran
                     -Admiration for the President
                     -People’s Republic of China [PRC] trip
                              -Only the President could go to China
                              -More peaceful world

       Busing
                -Moratorium
                -John D. Ehrlichman
                -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
                        -Talk with the President
                -William L. Safire
                        -Telephone call from the President
                               -Position on busing
                        -Segregation
                -Transportation difficulties
                -American people’s viewpoint
                        -John Cardinal Krol
                        -Nelson A. Rockefeller [?]

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

Also recorded on March 13, 1972

021-045 7:46 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:46 pm.
021-047 8:05 PM · 30 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 8:05 pm to 8:35 pm.
322-048 8:05 PM · 25 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:05 pm to 8:35 pm.
322-049 8:35 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:35 pm and 9:25 pm.
322-050 8:35 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:35 pm and 9:25 pm.
322-051 8:35 PM · 13 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 8:35 pm and 9:25 pm.
322-052 8:35 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:35 pm and 9:25 pm.
322-054 8:35 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:35 pm and 9:25 pm.

All 72 conversations from March 13, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 322-053, March 13, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/322-053 (accessed October 3, 2026).