Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 385 › Conversation 385-020
Nixon & Eisenhower on White House residence and Home renovations
Monday, December 11, 1972 · 5:42 PM–7:10 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 6 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower discuss domestic living arrangements and renovations within the White House residence. The conversation centers on the practical necessity of installing a refrigerator in the President's bedroom to provide late-night convenience and privacy, away from the custodial staff and potential intruders. They also evaluate ongoing modifications to the kitchen, dining areas, and bathroom facilities to improve the comfort and security of the First Family's private quarters.
- White House residence
- Home renovations
- Domestic security
- Family privacy
- Executive Mansion infrastructure
Audio
NARA Description
On December 11, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 385-020 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 385-20
Date: December 11, 1972
Time: Unknown between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Julie Nixon Eisenhower.
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[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
The President’s Christmas gifts
The President’s foot
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
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The President talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10
pm.
[Conversation No. 385-20A]
White House
-Refrigerator in bedroom
-Plan
-Executive Office Building [EOB]
[End of telephone conversation]
Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and
7:10 pm.
[Conversation No. 385-20B]
Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
-30-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 385-20 (cont’d)
[End of telephone conversation]
RefrigeratorShow the rest of the log (33 more lines)
-Hotel room
White House
-Residence
-Changes
-Mrs. Nixon
-Family dining room
-Serving pantry
-Blue Room, Red Room
-Breakfasts
-State dinners
-Restrooms
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower’s grandmother
-Escorts
-Kitchen
-Solarium
-Edward V. Jones
-Kitchen
-Renovation
-Bar
-The President’s schedule
-Nights
-Refrigerator
-Speeches
-Mornings
-Custodial staff
-Unknown person
-Range cleaning
Julie Nixon Eisenhower left at an unknown time before 7:10 pm.
-31-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUMTranscript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 3 minutes of this recording (about 40% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.
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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Also recorded on December 11, 1972
- 034-047 5:37 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 5:37 pm to 5:42 pm.
- 034-048 5:42 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:49 pm.
- 385-017 5:42 PM · 27 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
- 385-018 5:42 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
- 385-019 5:42 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
- 385-021 5:42 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
- 385-022 5:42 PM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
- 385-023 5:42 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Manolo Sanchez, and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:42 pm and 7:10 pm.
Related conversations
- Nixon, Rogers & Haldeman on China and Foreign Policy May 26, 1971 · 4 min
- Nixon & Colson on FBI and Law Enforcement January 30, 1973 · 4 min
- Nixon, Agnew & Haldeman on Anti-war protests and Media bias April 27, 1971 · 8 min
- Nixon phone call with Eisenhower on White House residence and Bowling alley March 27, 1973 · 1 min
- United States Secret Service agents on White House residence November 3, 1971 · 2 min
Cite this conversation
Conversation 385-020, December 11, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/385-020 (accessed November 15, 2026).