Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 335 › Conversation 335-014

Nixon & Andrews on J. Edgar Hoover and Eulogy

Wednesday, May 3, 1972 · 2:30 PM–2:40 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Andrews, John K., Jr.Conversation335-014 onTape 335 (tape position 00:44:53–00:54:20)StartWednesday, May 3, 1972 at 2:30 PMEndWednesday, May 3, 1972 at 2:40 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 335-014 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and speechwriter John K. Andrews, Jr. met to edit the draft of the President’s eulogy for J. Edgar Hoover. They discussed the tone and content of the speech, agreeing to keep it brief while emphasizing Hoover’s historical stature and his role in maintaining law and order. The pair also addressed the political climate surrounding Hoover's legacy, specifically addressing criticisms from figures like Benjamin Spock and Jerry Rubin while refining the text for the President’s final delivery.

Audio

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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 00:44:53 into the tape and ends around 00:54:20.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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44:49Hello, Mr. Reynolds.
44:50Hi, John.
44:50I've decided to cut this down to around...
45:04One thought that is not in here that seems to me to be worth working into, might try, is that one of the ironies or tragedies of life is that many great men, the greatness of many great men, find that they're, that the greatness of many men
45:29It's not recognized until after their death.
45:32You know, it's a nice little gift.
45:54Well, they had a chance to take stock of it.
45:56Take stock of it.
45:57And also, people tend to be more charitable.
45:59I mean, we're at Hoover, which I recognize.
46:02It may be worth it.
46:03I think it is.
46:04I was thinking about the great times today.
46:06I never had an adequate appreciation of it myself.
46:09That was the last couple of days when I tried to decide about it.
46:12Yeah.
46:13But his greatness was recognized.
46:30I didn't try to put in much.
46:31I don't know.
46:32I didn't try to put in much about your personal relationship with him.
46:35I don't think you'd like to answer.
46:36I don't.
46:37I think I've covered that.
46:37I don't think that should be in this one.
46:42You know what I mean?
46:43I covered it.
46:48You know, it's one of the giant things that I wondered.
46:58Do you think it's too trite?
47:02I don't think so, because I don't think it applies to very many men.
47:36One of the real problems that I perceive with a thing like this is that so much will already have been said by the time you get to speak.
47:46That's right.
47:47That's why we ought to make it very brief.
48:08It's good about the children, but I think it's expected to go, you know, and so forth.
48:22So it would move rather nicely here, you can see on it.
48:45I don't think we'll say that it's a more law-abiding country, a bigger country.
48:50I mean, it is more law-abiding than it would have been had he not lived.
48:54But to a hell of a lot of people, it's not a law-abiding country.
48:57It's still a decline overall.
48:58That's right.
48:58So therefore, we won't say it.
49:01That's it.
49:02So would you put off another copy of the...
49:20Do you intend to do it from the, to read it?
49:25As I remember for Whitney Young, you didn't, you spoke on September 8th.
49:29I haven't had the time.
49:36Yes.
49:48He deserves this kind of tribute, and also it's an effective opportunity, I think, for you to put yourself on the side of the angels.
50:13There are a few people that didn't ease up, but Dr. Spock said, what a relief.
50:16Great.
50:16Great.
50:16I'm just delighted.
50:17Jerry Rubin said that's wonderful.
50:20Abby Hoffman.
50:21New York Times.
50:21This one.
50:31Actually worked with him during the House of American Activities.
50:43I'm not one of the troopers.
50:55I'm not one of the troopers.
50:58I'm not one of the troopers.
51:00I'm not one of the troopers.
51:03I'm not one of the troopers.
51:04I'm not one of the troopers.
51:06I'm not one of the troopers.
51:13And Drummond also said Hoover had always vigorously opposed outlawing his party because he didn't want to drag them underground and make more of a problem out of them than they already were.
51:24People don't associate that kind of moderation with burning homes.
51:49The point about Cain is that Cain was basically a very, very eloquent leader, and Cain's net effect has been
52:24Sandy, do you need a job of picking the next band?
53:03I don't think of anything else.
53:05I don't.
53:06I'm tempted to put in.
53:15Something about the person that I...
53:17I think that you covered that yesterday.
53:18I think so.
53:19Right.
53:19It's not particularly favorable to remind people of this game at this point, I don't think.
53:27It's five o'clock.
53:28Thank you very much.
53:29The only thing you can do apart from that is that I can...
53:31The only way I can say it is that I...
53:50I think it's fine.
53:51I tried this way so that it just states it out.
53:54I think the personal relationship will come out in the deliberated.
54:00That's right.
54:00That's right.

NARA Description

On May 3, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and John K. Andrews, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:30 pm to 2:40 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 335-014 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 335-14

Date: May 3, 1972
Time: 2:30-2:40 pm.
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with John K. Andrews, Jr.

     Greetings

     Eulogy for J. Edgar Hoover
          -Length
          -The President’s view
                -Hoover
                     -Recognition
          -Appreciation for Hoover
          -Hoover's greatness
          -Relationship with President
                -Reference
                     -Amount of emphasis
          -Hoover's greatness
                -Addition
                -References
                     -Winston S. Churchill
          -Deletions
          -References to the President's relationship with Hoover
                -Other remarks by columnists and other speakers
          -Length
          -Law and order, permissiveness
          -References to children
                -Deletions
                -Transition
          -Conclusion
                -Law and order in US
                     -Deletion

                                    (rev. Nov-01)

     -Draft of eulogy
          -Deletions
     -Delivery
          -Whitney M. Young funeral
     -Opportunity for President

Attacks on Hoover
     -[Thomas] Hale Boggs
           -The President’s vew
     -Dr. Benjamin Spock
     -Jerry Rubin
     -New York Times

Hoover
    -President's relationship
          -House Un-American Activities Committee
          -The President’s view
    -Civil liberties
          -World War II
                -Roscoe Drummond's comments
                -Franklin D. Roosevelt's request
          -Position on Communist Party
                -Comments of Drummond
    -The President’s view
    -Lyndon B. Johnson
    -Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
          -The President’s view
          -Effect on US respect for law

Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
     -New director
          -Delay
                -Reasons

Eulogy
     -Draft
          -Return to President
               -Time
     -Changes
          -Additions
               -President's relationship with Hoover
     -Draft

                                        (rev. Nov-01)

                -Time
          -President's relationship with Hoover

Andrews left at 2:40 pm.

Also recorded on May 3, 1972

  • 023-136 2:30 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 2:30 pm.
  • 335-012 2:30 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 2:30 pm.
  • 335-013 2:30 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 2:30 pm.
  • 335-015 2:40 PM · 19 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 2:40 pm and 2:41 pm.
  • 335-016 2:41 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, unknown person(s), and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:41 pm to 2:49 pm.
  • 023-137 2:48 PM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 2:48 pm to 2:49 pm.
  • 335-017 2:50 PM · 36 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Richard G. Kleindienst, L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III, unknown person(s), John D. Ehrlichman, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:50 pm to 3:35 pm.
  • 023-138 2:53 PM · 2 min — John D. Ehrlichman, White House operator, and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:53 pm and 3:10 pm.

All 63 conversations from May 3, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 335-014, May 3, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/335-014 (accessed September 18, 2026).