Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 416 › Conversation 416-038

Nixon alone in his EOB office on Republican Party strategy

Thursday, March 15, 1973 · 1:18 PM–2:48 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation416-038 on Tape 416StartThursday, March 15, 1973 at 1:18 PMEndThursday, March 15, 1973 at 2:48 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 416-038 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon dictated a letter to Republican Representative Robert C. Wilson to express gratitude for his long-standing leadership and service to the party. The discussion reviewed past political challenges, including the economic downturns of 1958 and 1970, while analyzing the party’s historical performance in congressional campaigns. Ultimately, the President used the correspondence to foster morale and set an optimistic strategic foundation for potential Republican gains in the 1974 midterm elections.

  • Republican Party strategy
  • 1974 midterm elections
  • Robert C. Wilson
  • Campaign history
  • Economic policy

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 37% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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We appreciate you for all the good times, for our party, for the summer, for Christmas, and, uh, for other things.
We wish all the best to you today.
We love you.
We love you.
We love you.
It's hard to realize.
And then even more exciting.
We're working on the 1936 campaign.
We're trying to usher in that period.
We're working on the campaign schedule in 1960.
to the body of Christ, in a sense.
Relationship, which varies from that.
To a fully relationship, which varies from that.
That we have never quite been elected to a republic.
And we said that our candidates that we have done better and can be done better.
Results for the House that has been used over the summer period.
Politics and
In America, they're just running against us.
They're too young for us to, you know, relate to each other.
The recession made it too big for us.
One, there was a difficult economy in 1970.
We had to go on, which thwarted our efforts to overcome through the pandemic.
I believe we can lay this on the foundation to win the House in 1974.
We're in the same boat now.
We wish the Republican members of our Republican candidates all the best.
And I'm sure life is very easy to see if you're as successful as your chance will be.
We wish you the best.
I have a wish for more scientists to be in the department.
It's a wonderful leadership, which I'm so proud of.
I'm very proud of it.

NARA Description

On March 15, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:18 pm and 2:48 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 416-038 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 416-38

Date: March 15, 1973
                                              -45-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                               Conversation No. 416-38 (cont’d)

Time: Unknown between 1:18 pm and 2:48 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President dictated a letter to Robert C. (“Bob”) Wilson.

******************************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift during
chronological review 2007-2013]

       Answer to letter of March 14
           -Appreciation for work for Republican Party
                  -1950 campaign
                  -1956 campaign
                  -1960 campaign
                  -Contribution to party
                         -Congressional races
           -Fortunes of Republican Party
                  -Congressional majorities
                  -1958 recession
                  -1970 economic downturn
                         -Impact on election
                  1974 election
                         -Republican gains
           -Wilson’s role
                  -Leadership

*****************************************************************************

Also recorded on March 15, 1973

  • 880-009 12:35 PM · 46 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:35 pm to 1:02 pm.
  • 880-010 1:02 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:02 pm and 1:04 pm.
  • 880-011 1:04 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:04 pm and 1:16 pm.
  • 037-119 1:18 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:18 pm and 2:48 pm.
  • 416-036 1:18 PM · 34 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 2:48 pm.
  • 416-037 1:18 PM · 8 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 1:18 pm and 2:48 pm.
  • 416-039 1:18 PM · 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 1:18 pm and 2:48 pm.
  • 416-040 1:18 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Manolo Sanchez, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:18 pm and 2:48 pm.

All 83 conversations from March 15, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 416-038, March 15, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/416-038 (accessed October 1, 2026).