Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 328 › Conversation 328-014

Nixon, Sanchez & Alvarez on Diplomacy and Correspondence

Wednesday, March 29, 1972 · 12:57 PM–3:07 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building ·14 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Sanchez, Manolo;  Alvarez, Luis Echeverria;  Westmoreland, William (Gen.);  Peale, Norman Vincent;  Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation328-014 onTape 328 (tape position 01:37:42–01:52:39)StartWednesday, March 29, 1972 at 12:57 PMEndWednesday, March 29, 1972 at 3:07 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 328-014 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon utilized this time to dictate several letters and a memorandum, assisted by Manolo Sanchez. He drafted correspondence expressing gratitude to Mexican President Luis Echeverria Alvarez for his hospitality, acknowledging the Army chorus's performance for Gen. William Westmoreland, and reflecting on a conversation with Norman Vincent Peale regarding the character of King Hussein of Jordan. Additionally, Nixon dictated a memorandum to Henry Kissinger concerning potential board appointments for Robert Amory, Jr. while recounting historical political anecdotes involving the Eisenhower administration.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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No, just say what's the matter with this machine?
No.
You don't have anything loyal to you?
This is from the President of Mexico, Mr. President.
I wish to express my grateful appreciation to you for the courtesy you have shed this week, not to disappear on this visit, but on a whole new life.
As I said, it's a very, very heavy burden on me these past three years.
This is the first real vacation I've had in my life.
I need all the money in eternity to not appear any better place to go.
as well as the, as well as from the standpoint of the personal hospitality that was extended to the end.
I was particularly glad that we had the opportunity to meet with the governor that I've been talking to in Mexico City.
He gave me a full report, and there are very prospective suggestions about our policies
It was most helpful with the discussions we had in the White House on Latin American problems.
And Mr. Nixon and I are looking forward to welcoming you to this area.
to the United States on June 15th instead of Washington, D.C. We've been working on a new year's schedule.
We'd like to invite everybody to vote, as well as the members of the Republican Party.
We expect a day or two of this at Camp David.
We're hoping to take to a good day at that time.
However,
I have heard of the problem in this organization, and I was on Thursday night when they signed the dinner and all the things that they were saying.
And Stouffer and Ben, as I requested, had a deep emotional impact on everybody who's privileged to be an American president.
We have been in the White House on every case since I was a kid.
It was one of the highlights.
It was one of the moments that I would always remember very clearly.
I wish you the best.
My congratulations and personal appreciation to the members of the group.
They're superb for once, not only in this occasion, but every time.
We have, uh... Jason put on others as well.
That's it.
Boom.
to Dr. Norman, that she paid all her honor.
I have to have my recollection of the conversation I had with Sam's mother, after a lot of effort introduced him into the former Prime Minister of England, who was the senior member of the King's official party.
and also a member of the Bermuda family.
One year, he had served the king's grandfather, his father, and other kings.
One day, he had told him that he was very worried about the fact that the king was a very young man.
had to survive this almost incredible crisis when those herders thought it was impossible for him to do so.
When he was 17 years of age,
His father was unable to control him because of mental illness.
He was 17 for 20 years.
and how I was murdered.
I took the name of the man who sat at my left and stayed there.
I thought it was, uh, Blank, so I asked Mr. Blank if I wanted to achieve this revival of truth for you.
All he wants.
Both.
His late parents.
And his shirt.
It's funny because I've never seen him in his temper.
He's always silly.
And it always comes.
He smiles.
All of those around him.
I then asked him if he liked this unethical kind of character.
He replied, quote, to his mother.
His mother is one of the most remarkable women.
Not as a personal one.
and part of this great, great river token.
I know that I could well, that I could well understand.
There's, as I said,
A father is important.
And a good father is important.
But a good father is indispensable.
Close quote.
Very good.
It was at the conclusion of this conversation that I put my place card, which reads simply, Mr. President,
According to this good character, a father is important.
A good father is important, but a good mother is indispensable.
Close quote.
He was a very good mother's day son.
Why does he serve one of his words to the government?
And that's how I met him.
Very nice of you to do it for me.
Thank you.
On the dinner group campers night, one of the guests was Bob Amherst.
Amherst, you know, we call these women assistants, and I don't call us.
He reminded me of an incident that I had forgotten.
Back in 1954 or 5,
He was under, you know, a very severe attack on a building carpet, because he'd created violent dollars, and we don't hear his defense mind.
He tells us that he was at his mother's funeral, and he told us that he was coming to his house.
Alan spoke to me about it personally.
He told me that he was at his mother's funeral,
And uh, that's the uh,
I went up to the state of the country, told them about my case, and because of my personal intervention, they laid off me from the investigation.
But it was very apparent.
I never gave them any credit for this.
I remember she was living with me because she said, you know, there was no one in my house.
And I was very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very,
The story is that in 1968, George Baldwin, when he was 50, said to everyone in New York, he said, I'm going to give you a letter.
And he wrote a letter to the New York Times.
They were straight together.
He read it after cutting most of the law before he first was done.
And he covered the system.
Great character.
The purpose of this memorandum
It is true that I don't need anybody.
David, he seems to have been proud of you, for his personal reason, is in our department.
I, frankly, have not seen him before, but he cares.
I have not seen him before, but he cares.
He's trying to find somebody to serve him on the way.
I'm going to go over other boards that are related to this network in particular.
I'm going to go over this network.
I'm going to go over this network.
I'm going to go over this network.
I'm going to go over this network.
Hi.
Ah, good morning.

NARA Description

On March 29, 1972, 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. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 328-014 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 328-14

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

The President met with Manolo Sanchez.

     Recording machine
          -Problems with operation
The President dictated a letter to Luis Alvarez Echeverria.

     The President’s appreciation
          -Courtesy to Henry A. Kissinger in Acapulco
               -Kissinger’s work
          -Hospitality of Mexicans

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

     Latin America

     Echeverria’s forthcoming visit to US
          -Invitation
                -Camp David
          -Reception
                -Time of year
                -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon

The President dictated a letter to Gen. William C. Westmoreland.

     Army chorus
         -Performance at a dinner
               -The President’s attendance
               -Singing
                    -Stout-Hearted men
                    -Impact on audience
                          -The President’s appreciation to “The Singing Sergeants”

The President dictated a letter to Norman Vincent Peale.

     The President’s previous conversation with H. E. Ahmad Toukan
          -Former Prime Minister of Jordan
          -Knowledge of Huseein ebn-Talal’s [Hussein, King of Jordan] family
          -Huseein’s early hardships
               -Assassination of grandfather
               -Father’s health
          -Hussein’s achievements
               -Toukan’s view
                      -Hussein’s good temper
                      -Hussein’s mother

     Motherhood
         -The President’s view

     The President’s conversation with Ahmad Toukan

The President replayed part of the dictation.

The President continued dictating.
     Mother’s Day sermon

The President’ dictated a memorandum to Kissinger.

     Robert Amory,Jr.
         -Former assistant to Allen W. Dulles
         -Previous conversation with the President
              -Incident in 1954-44
                    -Joseph McCarthy’s investigation of Dulles
                          -White House staff
                          -The President’s defense of Dulles
                               -Amory’s view
              -George Ball
                    -1968 attack on the President
                          -Amory’s letter to the New York Times
                               -Editing of letter
         -Eastern Establishment
         -Possible appointment to a board

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.
  • 328-012 12:57 PM · 3 min — 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.
  • 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.
  • 328-015 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 328-014, 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/328-014 (accessed September 18, 2026).