Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 397 › Conversation 397-008
Nixon & Price on Second Inaugural Address and Speechwriting
Friday, January 19, 1973 · 11:26 AM–11:52 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 24 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and speechwriter Raymond K. Price, Jr. met to review and refine the content, tone, and specific phrasing of Nixon's upcoming second inaugural address. The discussion focused on balancing policy objectives with themes of personal responsibility, governmental paternalism, and international relations. Henry Kissinger’s input on the foreign policy segments was also integrated into the final drafting process before Price departed for a follow-up meeting with Kissinger.
- Second Inaugural Address
- Speechwriting
- Domestic Policy
- Foreign Policy
- Henry Kissinger
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 6 minutes of this recording (about 26% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On January 19, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Raymond K. Price, Jr., and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:26 am and 11:52 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 397-008 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 397-8
Date: January 19, 1973
Time: Unknown between 11:26 am and 11:52 am
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Raymond K. Price, Jr.
President's Inaugural speech
-Henry A. Kissinger's review
-George P. Shultz [?]
-Content and wording
-Policy references
-Bold move reference
-12-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 397-8 (cont’d)
-Typing
-Content and wording
-Last sentence
-Paternalism reference
-Average person
-Government
-Responsibility
-Foreign policy
-Typing
-Revisions
An unknown person entered and left at an unknown time between 11:26 am and 11:52 am.
President's Inaugural speech
-Wording
-Tone
-Request for prayers
-Tone
-Kissinger's review
-Wording
-Responsibility
-Relations with other nations
President's schedule
Price's schedule
-Meeting with Kissinger
Price left at an unknown time before 11:52 am.Also recorded on January 19, 1973
- 036-003 11:26 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:26 am and 11:52 am.
- 397-009 11:26 AM · 28 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 11:26 am and 11:52 am.
- 397-010 11:26 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:26 am and 11:52 am.
- 036-004 11:52 AM · 42 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:52 am and 11:53 am.
- 397-011 11:52 AM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 11:52 am to 11:53 am.
- 036-005 11:53 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:53 am and 11:56 am.
- 397-012 11:53 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:53 am and 11:56 am.
- 036-006 11:56 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 11:56 am to 11:59 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 397-008, January 19, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/397-008 (accessed October 11, 2026).