Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 419 › Conversation 419-003
Nixon alone in his EOB office on Foreign Policy and Economic Policy
Monday, March 12, 1973 · 12:46 PM–1:16 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 12 min
AI Summary
President Nixon dictated a memorandum for his files, reviewing a diverse range of administrative and political concerns, including foreign policy analysis, domestic economic challenges, and law enforcement initiatives. He assessed media coverage regarding his trip to the People's Republic of China, discussed the presentation of the Hank Manfredi Award, and deliberated on public perceptions of food prices and integration policies. The recording captures the President’s process of organizing his thoughts on staff management, press relations, and the administrative structure of the White House.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 3 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.
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NARA Description
On March 12, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:46 pm and 1:16 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 419-003 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 419-3
Date: March 12, 1973
Time: Unknown between 12:46 pm and 1:16 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President dictated a memorandum for the file.
*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
Introduction
-Location
-Date
US foreign policy
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-News summary
-Analysis
-President’s trip to People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-Overemphasis on negatives
-Impact on staff
-Domestic issues
-Problem solving
-Observations
-Exploiting opportunities
-Charles W. Colson’s viewpoint
=Domestic policy
-Howard J. Phillips
-Office of Economic Opportunity [OEO] [?]
-3-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 419-3 (cont’d)
-Media
-Overstatement
Law enforcement
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-President’s speech on crime, drugs
-Presentation of Hank Manfredi Award to Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous
Drugs [BNDD]
-Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Tummillo
-Thomas Devine
-Paraplegic
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
-Wheelchair access
-Executive Order
-Mother of slain agent
-Father
-Wives
-Wheelchair
-Louisiana [?]
Food prices
-Possible decline [?]
-Impact on public
-Mothers of Those Who Served in Vietnam [?]
-Middle class
-Character and strength
-Impact on middle and lower middle classes
Public perception of President’s policies [?]
-Need for action [?]
-Meeting with George P. Shultz [?]
-Prices [?]
-Impact on farms
-Budgets
-Relief
-Racial integration
-Suburbs [?]
-4-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 419-3 (cont’d)
Ambassadors
-President’s meeting with Haldeman
-Pakistan
-Germany [?]
US foreign policy
-Meeting with Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft
-President’s exploration
-Qualifications
-Responsibility of White House
Press
-Leverage
Haldeman
Ervin Committee [?]
-Written interrogatories
-Appearances
Republican Party
White House military aides
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************
[This memorandum continues as Conversation No. 419-5]Also recorded on March 12, 1973
- 876-008 12:21 PM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Richard G. Kleindienst, Geoffrey C. Shepard, John E. ("Jack") Ingersoll, Thomas Devine, Mrs. Thomas Devine, Thomas Devine, Jr., Michael Devine, Mary Rita Devine, Lawrence M. Devine, W. Robert Devine, Samuel Tummillo, Clara Tumillo, Mary Ann Tummillo, Connie Fletcher, and Carla Statita met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:21 pm and 12:46 pm.
- 876-009 12:34 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:34 pm and 12:46 pm.
- 876-014 12:34 PM · 34 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:34 pm and 3:06 pm.
- 037-094 12:46 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:46 pm and 1:16 pm.
- 419-001 12:46 PM · 9 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 12:46 pm and 1:16 pm.
- 419-002 12:46 PM · 10 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 12:46 pm and 1:16 pm.
- 419-004 12:46 PM · 11 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 12:46 pm and 1:16 pm.
- 419-005 12:46 PM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:46 pm and 1:16 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 419-003, March 12, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/419-003 (accessed October 5, 2026).