Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 414 › Conversation 414-004

Nixon & Bull on White House logistics and National Governors Conference

Wednesday, February 28, 1973 · 3:30 PM–3:43 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building ·8 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Bull, Stephen B.Conversation414-004 onTape 414StartWednesday, February 28, 1973 at 3:30 PMEndWednesday, February 28, 1973 at 3:43 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 414-004 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met to finalize the logistics and seating arrangements for an upcoming dinner with attendees of the National Governors Conference. The discussion focused on balancing the guest list to ensure proper protocol, specifically managing the ratio of governors and their spouses at the head tables. The President also adjusted his afternoon schedule to accommodate a brief meeting with John D. Ehrlichman, H. R. Haldeman, George P. Shultz, and Roy L. Ash.

Audio

Download MP3 · 3.1 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).

What's he like?
What's his rank?
the National Chairman of the Republican Governors Association.
She has to be on my right.
But Mrs. Mandel, do you want Mandel to do
We've had rock and roll, and I don't want them again.
I don't want them again.
I don't want them again.
... ... ... ... ... ... ...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Except for the two ranking ones, the wives can be scattered.
You might find they don't have to be at the table, but the ranking ones.
So that bond is fine.
And that was fine.
No, no, no.
We have bonds.
We have bonds.
That's two.
And of course, we have .
We have bonds.
I've already got West.
Mrs. Holton.
Get out again.
How many governors have you got?
You've got Holton.
No.
You've got West.
You've got West.
I have three governors.
Plus two wives.
That makes me... We have Mrs. Holton and Mrs. Mandel.
uh, will be the two waters that I have to have there.
Now, now you're putting, uh, uh, you see, you can only have four men.
So who are, who are the men you're going to put?
You only have Evans, Bond, and West, so far.
Evans, Bond, West, Bond.
You're like Governor Love.
That's what I'm going to tell you.
What other women do you know who they are?
Mrs. Mandel and Mrs. Fulton.
Well, I'll tell you.
Just so that you can feel it then.
Just put their... Would you need two more women?
We'll need one more woman, sir.
Oh, you've got three?
Yes.
Mrs. Mandel.
And this is Horton.
Who's the other?
Oh, there it is.
This is Dunn.
Dunn, yeah.
Governor Vandell, Governor Horton.
All of you, the only ones where you have the men in the right of the court, then you've got Governor Dunn right.
You just have the same.
Four governors.
Yeah.
Four governors and three wives.
So she needs three governors and four wives.
Four governors.
I need three governors.
She'll need four governors.
I'm sorry, I may have confused the issue.
At your table, we had governors Evans, Vaughn, West, and Eskey.
We have the wives of those.
That won't work.
That gets five men at my table and three women, so that won't work.
Okay.
You can only have four men at each table and four women at each table.
You've got to can one of those.
So what do you have?
Your table, then.
Governor Bond.
Governor West, that's all right.
Rather than Bond, I'd have him done.
And then over at Mrs. Nixon's table, we have Mrs. in the blue eyes.
And then the governor is with Mrs. Nixon.
Yeah, she has .
What event real quick coming today is the birth of Mr. Schultz .
Make it about 4.15.
They have a court.
But I got to work on some of the parts here.
So 415, we were lost.
Yeah, 415, I'll be able to go outside of that.

NARA Description

On February 28, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:30 pm to 3:43 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 414-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 414-4

Date: February 28, 1973
                                               -14-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                       (rev. Mar.-09)

                                                            Conversation No. 414-4 (cont’d)

Time: 3:30 pm-3:43 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Stephen B. Bull.

       President's schedule
              -National Governors Conference attendees’ dinner
                      -Toast
                      -Linwood Holton
                             -Republican chair
                             -Rank
              -Seating arrangements for Governors' dinner
                      -Mr. and Mrs. Holton, Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Mandel, Thelma C. (“Pat”)
Nixon, Nelson A. Rockefeller, Christopher S. Bond, Winfred Dunn, John C. West, Daniel J.
Evans, John A. Love, Reubin O. Askew
              -Signature
              -Meeting with John D. Ehrlichman, H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman, George P. Shultz,
Roy L. Ash

Bull left at 3:43 pm.

Also recorded on February 28, 1973

  • 037-011 3:20 PM · 51 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 3:20 pm to 3:21 pm.
  • 414-003 3:20 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Thomas Hart, and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:20 pm to 3:28 pm.
  • 414-005 3:43 PM · 36 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:43 pm and 4:22 pm.
  • 414-006 3:43 PM · 39 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 3:43 pm and 4:22 pm.
  • 414-007 3:43 PM · 9 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 3:43 pm and 4:22 pm.
  • 865-026 4:23 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:23 pm and 4:25 pm.
  • 865-027 4:23 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:23 pm and 4:25 pm.
  • 865-028 4:25 PM · 1 hr 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Roy L. Ash, George P. Shultz, John D. Ehrlichman, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:25 pm to 5:46 pm.

All 48 conversations from February 28, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 414-004, February 28, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/414-004 (accessed September 18, 2026).