Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 353 › Conversation 353-007

Nixon, Colson & Woods on Presidential gifts and White House administration

Thursday, August 3, 1972 · 12:12 PM–12:37 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building ·3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.; Woods, Rose Mary; Sanchez, ManoloConversation353-007 onTape 353StartThursday, August 3, 1972 at 12:12 PMEndThursday, August 3, 1972 at 12:37 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 353-007 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson discuss strategies for presidential gift-giving, specifically focusing on the feasibility of customizing music boxes with the presidential seal to distribute to notable individuals. They also address logistical matters, including the placement of a painting of the President's dog, King Timahoe, and the President's upcoming schedule. The conversation reflects administrative efforts to manage White House promotional items and office decor in consultation with Rose Mary Woods and Manolo Sanchez.

Audio

Download MP3 · 3.9 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 · Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Mary Roebling, she was there doing a lot of work.

Mary Matthews or something like that.

Mary Roebling is the wife.

And then when you moved from your office, I showed her your office.

She was so pleased to have you.

Great admirer of

This is another kind of a music box.

It could be personalized.

It could be a blue with a gold seal on it.

Well, this gives you the name of the box, but this will play.

I have a carousel over there, just bring it over.

But when you look at it again, it looks more like, there's no way to personalize it enough from you, you know.

That's a nice thing, yeah.

Wouldn't that be something they should, and we have a whole list of stars, you know.

That looks like a nice way to get it to the second level, yeah.

I think it does.

Great.

I'll take that much for the best.

Okay, thank you.

That's a great idea.

I think this idea is a little more, you know, to put the seal on, I think it really must be great.

I grabbed that picture, that painting of King over there.

Oh, I have it out here.

It might even be good out on the scenario.

NARA Description

On August 3, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, Rose Mary Woods, and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:12 pm and 12:37 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 353-007 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 353-7

Date: August 3, 1972
Time: Unknown between 12:12 pm and 12:37 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

[Conversation No. 353-7A]

[See Conversation No. 28-57; one item has been withdrawn]

Rose Mary Woods entered at 12:15 pm.

[End of telephone conversation]

       Unknown woman [Mary Matthews?]
           -Chicago Tribune
                 -Interview of Woods
                        -Mary [last name unknown]
           -Visit to the President’s office
           -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon

                                       (rev. Nov-03)

      Possible gift item
            -Music box
                  -Description
                         -Possible personalized message
                               -Presidential seal

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 13m 35s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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

      Gift idea
             -Presidential seal

      Painting of King Timahoe
            -Placement

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 12:15 pm.

      The President's schedule

Woods and Sanchez left at an unknown time before 12:37 pm.

Also recorded on August 3, 1972

028-054 11:49 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:49 am and 12:10 pm.
028-055 12:10 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 12:10 pm to 12:11 pm.
353-005 12:10 PM · 26 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:10 pm to 12:11 pm.
028-056 12:11 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:11 pm and 12:12 pm.
353-006 12:11 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:11 pm to 12:12 pm.
028-057 12:12 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 12:12 pm to 12:20 pm.
029-069 12:20 PM · 11 sec — the recording device engaged at an unknown time between 12:20 pm and 1:10 pm, but the conversation appears to be blank.
353-008 12:20 PM · 13 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 12:20 pm and 12:37 pm.

All 62 conversations from August 3, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 353-007, August 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/353-007 (accessed September 18, 2026).