Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 336 › Conversation 336-045

Nixon alone in his EOB office on Southeast Asia and Public relations

Monday, May 8, 1972 · 5:55 PM–6:09 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation336-045 onTape 336 (tape position 02:22:08–02:26:48)StartMonday, May 8, 1972 at 5:55 PMEndMonday, May 8, 1972 at 6:09 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 336-045 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon held a working session to rehearse his upcoming televised address regarding the escalating situation in Southeast Asia. The conversation focused on managing the President's schedule and physical exhaustion leading up to the speech and surrounding public engagements. Nixon decided to limit his involvement in cabinet meetings and conventions to brief appearances to conserve energy for his national broadcast.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 112.6 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 112.3 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 49.5 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 02:22:08 into the tape and ends around 02:26:48.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

2:24:08You know, on the cabinet meeting and the convention, I don't think I ought to do it any much more than to come in and spend ten minutes with somebody else free.
2:24:17You know, for me to sit around and be jacked, because I'll be rather tired, and I won't have any change going on.
2:24:25Instead, I'll just spend, I'll just turn over the mower on another street, and I'll leave.
2:24:30That's what I should do.
2:24:31Okay.
2:24:39All right.
2:24:40All right.
2:25:09I'm not hurt.
2:26:20Thank you.

NARA Description

On May 8, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:55 pm and 6:09 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 336-045 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 336-45

Date: May 8, 1972
Time: Unknown between 5:55 and 6:09 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President rehearsed his “Address to the Nation on the Situation in Southeast Asia”.

[This is a continuation of Conversation No. 336-34]

[See Public Papers of the Presidents, Richard M. Nixon, 1972, pp. 583-587]

Also recorded on May 8, 1972

  • 336-040 5:54 PM · 2 min — 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.
  • 336-041 5:55 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:55 pm and 6:09 pm.
  • 336-042 5:55 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:55 pm and 6:09 pm.
  • 336-043 5:55 PM · 9 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 5:55 pm and 6:09 pm.
  • 336-044 5:55 PM · 56 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 5:55 pm and 6:09 pm.
  • 336-046 5:55 PM · 45 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:55 pm and 6:09 pm.
  • 336-047 5:55 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:55 pm and 6:09 pm.
  • 336-048 5:55 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:55 pm and 6:09 pm.

All 94 conversations from May 8, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 336-045, May 8, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/336-045 (accessed September 18, 2026).