Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 397 › Conversation 397-024
Nixon & Yates on 1973 Inauguration and Vietnam Peace Negotiations
Friday, January 19, 1973 · 1:18 PM–3:07 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 28 min
AI Summary
President Nixon met with Nellie L. Yates to review administrative details and preparations surrounding his second inauguration and the concurrent Vietnam peace negotiations. The discussion touched upon public relations strategies, including the President's potential television address regarding the peace settlement, as well as logistical coordination for inaugural events and staff roles. Additionally, the President engaged in long-term strategic planning for second-term government reorganization and executive branch personnel appointments.
- 1973 Inauguration
- Vietnam Peace Negotiations
- Executive Branch Reorganization
- Press Relations
- Henry Kissinger
- White House Administration
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On January 19, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Nellie L. Yates met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:18 pm and 3:07 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 397-024 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 397-24
Date: January 19, 1973
Time: Unknown between 1:18 pm and 3:07 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President dictated a memorandum for the files. This is a continuation of Conversation No.
397-17.
*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
Dictation
-Testing
-Previous recording
1973 Inauguration
-Promises [?]
-Press relations [?]
Nellie L. Yates entered at unknown time after 1:18 pm.
Greeting
Yates left at an unknown time before 3:07 pm.
1973 Inauguration
-Photograph opportunity
-Press relations
Vietnam settlement [?]
-Spiro T. Agnew [?]
The President’s schedule [?]
-John D. Ehrlichman [?]
-Stephen B. Bull [?]
-Leslie T. (“Bob”) Hope
[Pause]
-22-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 397-24 (cont’d)
Vietnam settlement
-Negotiations [?]
-Ambassador [?]
-President’s possible television [TV] appearance
-Bombing [?]
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Signing [?]
-Possible travels
Second term reorganization [?]
-John N. Mitchell
-H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman [?]
-Federal government
-Relations with states
-Unknown person
-Personal ambition
Vietnam settlement
-Kissinger
-William P. Rogers
-Congressional relations
-Announcement
-Bombing
-Kissinger’s return [?]
Bryce Felder [?]
-Organization
-Spending [?]
-Charles W. Colson
-Response
Inaugural Committee
-Chairman
Lyndon B. Johnson
-John F. Kennedy
-Robert F. Kennedy
Press relations [?]
-23-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 397-24 (cont’d)
1973 Inauguration
-Attendance
-Sammy Davis, Jr.
-Secret Service
-Lewis Powell
-President’s Inaugural speech [?]
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************
Conversation No. 397-25/398-1
Date: January 19, 1973
Time: Unknown between 3:07 pm and 4:10 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Raymond K. Price, Jr.
President’s Inaugural speech
-Draft
-Vietnam settlement
-Announcement by President
-Word count
-Content and wording
-Sharing
-Revisions
-Price’s suggestion
-Great powers reference
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Balance of power
-Possible use of figures
The conversation was cut off at an unknown time before 4:10 pm.
[Continued as Conversation No. 398-1]Also recorded on January 19, 1973
- 397-016 12:15 PM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Raymond K. Price, Jr., and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:15 pm to 12:30 pm.
- 397-017 12:30 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:30 pm and 12:37 pm.
- 397-018 12:30 PM · 17 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 12:30 pm and 1:13 pm.
- 397-019 1:13 PM · 36 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:13 pm and 1:16 pm.
- 397-020 1:16 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Oliver F. ("Ollie") Atkins met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:16 pm to 1:18 pm.
- 397-021 1:18 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 1:18 pm and 3:07 pm.
- 397-022 1:18 PM · 29 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:18 pm and 3:07 pm.
- 397-023 1:18 PM · 8 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 1:18 pm and 3:07 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 397-024, 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/397-024 (accessed October 11, 2026).