Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 399 › Conversation 399-004

Nixon alone in his EOB office on Bob Hope and Christmas special

Monday, January 22, 1973 · 9:10 AM–9:47 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 7 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation399-004 on Tape 399StartMonday, January 22, 1973 at 9:10 AMEndMonday, January 22, 1973 at 9:47 AMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 399-004 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon dictated a letter of appreciation to entertainer Bob Hope following a private screening of Hope’s latest Christmas television special. The President praised the performance, specifically highlighting the contributions of Delores Hope and the program's positive impact on the morale of U.S. servicemen during conflicts in Korea and Vietnam. Beyond this commendation, Nixon briefly touched upon his personal aspirations and goals for his second presidential term.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 27% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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A note to Bob Holt.
Dear Bob, last night, April 22nd, Pat, Julie, and I saw the
And I heard last night, the second floor, we ran your Christmas special for us at the night house.
I have always thought for the years, I have always thought for the years that it would be impossible for you to top the program for the previous years.
But this one, that's your last one.
I hope at Christmas time they have to be the best I can be.
That blue star, Dolores, really sparkly, pretty.
Those are the shots that your crew took.
When they hand the audience to the service man, really tough, but my heart is still in the heart.
But really most impressive of all was her final statement.
It brought back memories of her work to Korea and Vietnam.
And of all the programs she worked on over the years.
to help them flip her off of our service in the broad period.
Above all, it reminds me again of how much this nation owes you, not just for giving us the last
Have a great day.
Thank you.
While this may be your last Christmas special, I'm glad it's not your last for months.
In fact, you look so young later this year.
Actually, I wasn't proud, but it was great.
Great start to life.
That's my second time doing it.
I hope to have microphones over the next four years.

NARA Description

On January 22, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:10 am and 9:47 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 399-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 399-4

Date: January 22, 1973
Time: Unknown between 9:10 am and 9:47 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President dictated a letter to Leslie T. (“Bob”) Hope.

       Hope's Christmas television [TV] special
            -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon' and Julie Nixon Eisenhower
                  -Family viewing
                  -Opinion
            -Performers
                                             -7-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                         Conversation No. 399-4 (cont’d)

                   -Delores Hope
             -Servicemen's response
             -Les Brown's performance
             -Closing
                   -World War II
                   -Korean War, Vietnam War
                   -Morale of servicemen
             -Hope's contribution to country
             -Support for US policy
             -Hope's appearance

       President's goals for second term

       Delores Hope

       Closing

Also recorded on January 22, 1973

  • 036-037 9:10 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:10 am and 9:47 am.
  • 399-003 9:10 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:10 am and 9:47 am.
  • 399-005 9:10 AM · 14 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 9:10 am and 9:47 am.
  • 399-006 9:10 AM · 37 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 9:10 am and 9:47 am.
  • 399-007 9:10 AM · 25 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 9:10 am and 9:47 am.
  • 036-036 9:47 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone from 9:47 am to 9:53 am.
  • 399-008 9:47 AM · 6 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 9:47 am and 9:53 am.
  • 399-009 9:53 AM · 14 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 9:53 am and 10:14 am.

All 49 conversations from January 22, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 399-004, January 22, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/399-004 (accessed October 11, 2026).