{"conversationCode":"336-040","tapeNumber":336,"conversationNumber":40,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-336-040","startDateTime":"1972-05-08T21:54:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-05-08T21:55:00.000Z","startDate":"8-May-1972","startTime":"5:54 PM","endDate":"8-May-1972","endTime":"5:55 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Woods, Rose Mary;","description":"On May 8, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:54 pm to 5:55 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 336-040 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"EOB","recordingDevice":"Old Executive Office Building","latitudeEstimated":38.897567,"longitudeEstimated":-77.039147,"chronCode":3,"chronRelease":"Third Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"28-Feb-2002","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 336-40\n\nDate: May 8, 1972\nTime: 5:54 - 5:55 pm\nLocation: Executive Office Building\n\nThe President met with Rose Mary Woods.\n\n     [Unintelligible]\n\nWoods left at 5:55 pm.","filename":["336a.mp3","336b.mp3","336c.mp3"],"tapeStart":"02:15:22","tapeEnd":"02:17:43","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Woods, Rose Mary"],"prevCode":"336-039","nextCode":"336-041","tapeTranscriptFile":"336a.mp3,336b.mp3,336c.mp3","transcript":[{"start":8108.96,"end":8126.54,"text":"Another point that I didn't want to mention very clearly, you know, where we say throughout the war in Vietnam, the United States has exercised a degree of restraint on the war, this is a right for us to carry ourselves under restraint."},{"start":8126.66,"end":8133.48,"text":"I'm just wondering if you believe that."},{"start":8135.05,"end":8136.05,"text":"You know what I mean?"},{"start":8136.07,"end":8144.88,"text":"I wonder if you will come up with an experiment on the M-79 to run a gradual escalation, you know?"},{"start":8144.91,"end":8145.19,"text":"Absolutely."},{"start":8145.26,"end":8145.44,"text":"I do."},{"start":8145.56,"end":8150.26,"text":"I think what I'll do is just strike with the right foot on the inner side."},{"start":8150.32,"end":8152.8,"text":"And, you know, that would be strengthened."},{"start":8153.04,"end":8155.68,"text":"So if you fall apart, just say, go here."},{"start":8155.78,"end":8157.88,"text":"If you breathe, turn around and touch it."},{"start":8158.12,"end":8161.11,"text":"That was our responsibility as a great nation."},{"start":8162.78,"end":8166.87,"text":"then we don't stick it to the people that say what we've done."},{"start":8166.89,"end":8168.41,"text":"You see what I mean?"},{"start":8168.43,"end":8175.6,"text":"I think that's a small thing to say."},{"start":8175.68,"end":8187.33,"text":"One other thing I have to ask you about, you know, is whether or not we talk about"},{"start":8194.41,"end":8195.02,"text":"I'm just kidding."},{"start":8195.05,"end":8196,"text":"I don't know what that is for."},{"start":8196.02,"end":8196.67,"text":"I'm just kidding."},{"start":8196.69,"end":8197.85,"text":"I don't know what that is for."},{"start":8197.87,"end":8198.59,"text":"I'm just kidding."},{"start":8198.63,"end":8199.75,"text":"I don't know what that is for."},{"start":8199.79,"end":8200.59,"text":"I'm just kidding."},{"start":8200.63,"end":8201.83,"text":"I don't know what that is for."},{"start":8201.85,"end":8202.33,"text":"I'm just kidding."},{"start":8202.37,"end":8203.41,"text":"I don't know what that is for."},{"start":8203.43,"end":8203.91,"text":"I'm just kidding."},{"start":8203.93,"end":8205.07,"text":"I don't know what that is for."},{"start":8205.09,"end":8206.01,"text":"I'm just kidding."},{"start":8206.03,"end":8207.27,"text":"I don't know what that is for."},{"start":8207.29,"end":8207.91,"text":"I'm just kidding."},{"start":8207.93,"end":8208.83,"text":"I don't know what that is for."},{"start":8208.89,"end":8209.23,"text":"I'm just kidding."},{"start":8209.25,"end":8210.35,"text":"I don't know what that is for."},{"start":8210.43,"end":8211.17,"text":"I'm just kidding."},{"start":8211.19,"end":8212.25,"text":"I don't know what that is for."},{"start":8212.27,"end":8212.85,"text":"I'm just kidding."},{"start":8212.97,"end":8213.91,"text":"I don't know what that is for."},{"start":8213.93,"end":8214.49,"text":"I'm just kidding."},{"start":8214.51,"end":8215.43,"text":"I don't know what that is for."},{"start":8215.45,"end":8215.85,"text":"I'm just kidding."},{"start":8215.91,"end":8216.87,"text":"I don't know what that is for."},{"start":8216.95,"end":8217.53,"text":"I'm just kidding."},{"start":8217.55,"end":8219.01,"text":"I don't know what that is for."},{"start":8219.05,"end":8219.83,"text":"I'm just kidding."},{"start":8219.87,"end":8220.83,"text":"I don't know what that is for."},{"start":8220.85,"end":8221.51,"text":"I'm just kidding."},{"start":8221.53,"end":8222.51,"text":"I don't know what that is for."},{"start":8224.85,"end":8227.14,"text":"But I think it's strong enough just to say, you know, I don't think we need that."},{"start":8227.16,"end":8228.44,"text":"Otherwise, we'd be glad if you could say that."},{"start":8228.46,"end":8228.62,"text":"OK. Fine."},{"start":8228.64,"end":8229.88,"text":"Are you coming on any other questions?"},{"start":8229.9,"end":8230.02,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":8230.04,"end":8230.12,"text":"Fine."},{"start":8230.14,"end":8230.72,"text":"Everybody on the board?"},{"start":8230.74,"end":8232.08,"text":"OK. See, maybe with this, sir, if you just take it down."},{"start":8255.4,"end":8259.26,"text":"Do you think you can do anything about the Germans over there?"},{"start":8259.3,"end":8259.58,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":8259.6,"end":8264.25,"text":"Germans?"}],"transcriptBoundary":{"start":8099.5,"end":8264.25,"startMethod":"silence","endMethod":"silence"},"transcriptConfidence":"high","transcriptSource":"bigtape","aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and his personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, discuss the framing of U.S. restraint in the Vietnam War, specifically debating how to articulate the nation's policy of gradual escalation. The conversation shifts toward internal administrative or logistical concerns, with the President questioning the necessity of specific documentation or statements. The brief interaction concludes with the President inquiring about diplomatic coordination regarding Germany.","topics":["Vietnam War","Military policy","Gradual escalation","Foreign relations","Diplomacy"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T15:52:07.177Z"},"topicSlugs":["vietnam-war","military-policy","gradual-escalation","foreign-relations","diplomacy"],"audioDurationSec":141,"audioFiles":[{"file":"336a.mp3","bytes":118106903,"durationSec":7399.18,"bitrate":127697,"missing":false},{"file":"336b.mp3","bytes":117742978,"durationSec":7375.91,"bitrate":127705,"missing":false},{"file":"336c.mp3","bytes":51899404,"durationSec":3251.1,"bitrate":127709,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":true,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:41.909Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:43:22.410Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/336a.mp3","https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/336b.mp3","https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/336c.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/336-040","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/336/conversation-336-040","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}