Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 323 › Conversation 323-027

Nixon alone in his EOB office on School Busing and Education Policy

Thursday, March 16, 1972 · 9:17 PM–9:40 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation323-027 on Tape 323 (tape position 02:15:31–02:18:21)StartThursday, March 16, 1972 at 9:17 PMEndThursday, March 16, 1972 at 9:40 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 323-027 ↗

AI Summary

President Richard M. Nixon utilized this time to rehearse his televised Address to the Nation regarding equal educational opportunities and school busing. During the practice session, he refined his messaging to position his legislative proposals as a balanced alternative to extreme viewpoints on the controversial issue. The primary goal was to project a moderate stance that emphasized stopping busing while prioritizing improved educational quality for all children.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 111.9 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 107.8 MB

This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 02:15:31 into the tape and ends around 02:18:21.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

· Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.
2:15:31I submit these proposals to the Congress, and I commend them to all of you who are listening tonight, mindful of the profound importance and the special complexity of the issues they address.
2:15:35The key is action, and action now.
2:15:38The Congress holds that key.
2:15:41If you agree with the goals I have described, to stop more busing now, and to provide equality of education for all of our children,
2:15:50I urge you to let your congressmen and senators know your views, so that Congress will act promptly to deal with this problem.
2:16:00Let me close with a personal note.
2:16:02This is a deeply emotional and divisive issue.
2:16:05I have done my very best to undertake the way to respect the conflicting ends, to strike a balance which is thoughtful and just, to search for answers that will best serve all of our nation's children.
2:16:19I realize the program I recommended will not satisfy the extremists on the one side, who oppose busing for the wrong reasons.
2:16:27And I realize that my program will not satisfy the extreme social planners on the other side, who insist on more busing, even at the cost of better education.
2:16:37But while what I have said tonight will not appeal to either extremists, I believe I have expressed the view of the majority of America.
2:16:46I believe that the majority of Americans of all races want more busing stopped and better education started.
2:16:55Let us recognize that the issue of busing divides many Americans.
2:17:00Let us also recognize that the commitment to equal opportunity and education unites all Americans.
2:17:08The proposals I have submitted to Congress will allow us to turn away from what divides us and to turn toward what unites us.
2:17:17The way we handle this difficult issue is a separating test of the character, the responsibility, and the decency of the American people.
2:17:25Let us handle it in a way we should be proud by uniting behind a program which will make it possible for all the children of this great and good land of ours to receive a better education and thereby
2:18:04Stop for us now.
2:18:07Stop for them.
2:18:12Stop for us now.

NARA Description

On March 16, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:17 pm and 9:40 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 323-027 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 323-27

Date: March 16, 1972
Time: Unknown between 9:17 pm and 9:40 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President practiced an Address to the Nation on Equal Educational Opportunities and
School Busing, delivered on March 16, 1972.

[A transcript of the final version of this speech appears in Public Papers of the Presidents,
Richard M. Nixon, 1972, pp. 425-429]

Also recorded on March 17, 1972

  • 021-087 8:47 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:47 pm and 9:14 pm.
  • 021-088 9:14 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 9:14 pm to 9:17 pm.
  • 323-025 9:14 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:14 pm to 9:17 pm.
  • 021-089 9:17 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:17 pm and 10:27 pm.
  • 323-026 9:17 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:17 pm and 9:40 pm.
  • 323-028 9:17 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:17 pm and 9:40 pm.
  • 687-001 9:42 PM · 37 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Mark I. Goode, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:42 pm and 10:20 pm.
  • 021-090 10:27 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 10:27 pm to 10:29 pm.

All 55 conversations from March 17, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 323-027, March 17, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/323-027 (accessed October 3, 2026).