Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 328 › Conversation 328-012

Nixon & Butterfield on Presidential Medal of Freedom and Jose A. Mora

Wednesday, March 29, 1972 · 12:57 PM–3:07 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building ·3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation328-012 onTape 328 (tape position 01:29:28–01:33:56)StartWednesday, March 29, 1972 at 12:57 PMEndWednesday, March 29, 1972 at 3:07 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 328-012 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met to coordinate the arrangements for an upcoming Organization of American States (OAS) dinner. The discussion centered on finalizing the schedule for the event and planning the presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Jose A. Mora. Nixon approved a proposal to honor Mora during the ceremony and established the specific guest list and logistical sequence for the award presentation.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Thank you.
Hold it.
Now, wait a minute.
It's done.
Very good.
I think we're gonna wind up rough here this time.
You know, Tim, what's the order this time?
It's five.
Sir, someone's got you.
Mrs. Hoffman?
It's about 80, Mrs. Fitts.
right at the conclusion of the thing i'll walk and say that these
He's a very distinguished man.
He's here for so forth and health.
This is the highest civilian award I've ever had.
Awards are often given to state judges.
Would you give a medal for your inclusion in this department?
A few of his close friends are 10 o'clock groups.
Yeah, the 10 o'clock group, the 10 o'clock group, most of his close friends, in other words, about 100 of them.
Well, you've got 40 or 50 of his close friends there.
Fair enough.
Let's do it that way.
Let's do something different.
Let the foreign man through.
And let's give him the Medal of Freedom at the end of it.
You should know it will be right after this play.
Everybody will be... Who is the next?
The next?
I don't know.
I like the Medal of Freedom.
It's something different.
I think it's a good idea.
Come on.

NARA Description

On March 29, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:57 pm and 3:07 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 328-012 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 328-12

Date: March 29, 1972
Time: Unknown between 12:57 pm and 3:07 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.

[Recording begins while the conversation is in progress]

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

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 10/09/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[328-012-w001]
[Duration: 13s]

       The President's schedule [?]

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

     Signing documents

     Instruction
     Forthcoming Organization of American States [OAS] dinner
          -Entertainment
          -Possible presentation of Presidential Medal of Freedom to Jose A. Mora [?]
               -Format
               -The President’s statement
                     -Number
               -Time

Butterfield left at an unknown time before 3:07 pm.

Also recorded on March 29, 1972

  • 022-043 12:18 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:18 pm and 3:07 pm.
  • 328-013 12:57 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Luis Echeverria Alvarez, and Gen. William Westmoreland met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:57 pm and 3:07 pm.
  • 328-014 12:57 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Manolo Sanchez, Luis Echeverria Alvarez, Gen. William Westmoreland, Norman Vincent Peale, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:57 pm and 3:07 pm.
  • 328-015 12:57 PM · 17 sec — 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 12:57 pm and 3:07 pm.
  • 328-016 12:57 PM · 22 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 12:57 pm and 3:07 pm.
  • 328-017 12:57 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 12:57 pm and 3:07 pm.
  • 328-018 12:57 PM · 14 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 12:57 pm and 3:07 pm.
  • 696-002 12:57 PM · 58 sec — United States Secret Service agents and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:57 pm and 4:48 pm.

All 21 conversations from March 29, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 328-012, March 29, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/328-012 (accessed September 18, 2026).