Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 451 › Conversation 451-021
Nixon alone in the Oval Office on Public speaking and Speechwriting
Thursday, February 18, 1971 · 5:14 PM–5:25 PM ET · Oval Office · 3 min
AI Summary
President Richard M. Nixon utilized this time in the Oval Office to rehearse his upcoming dedication speech for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The session focused on refining the rhetoric and delivery of his remarks to ensure they were appropriate for the academic and historical significance of the event. No administrative policy decisions were made during this practice session, as the primary objective was rhetorical preparation.
- Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
- Public speaking
- Speechwriting
- Presidential rhetoric
- White House events
Audio
This clip was extracted from the full tape recording by Easy Nixon.
Listen to the full tape segment
Position in tape: 04:32:22 – 04:35:14
part C, 33:09
NARA Description
On February 18, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:14 pm and 5:25 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 451-021 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 451-21 Date: February 18, 1971 Time: Unknown between 5:14 pm and 5:25 pm Location: Oval Office The President rehearsed portions of his remarks for the dedication of the [Thomas] Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars [A transcript of the final version of this speech appears in Public Papers of the Presidents, Richard M. Nixon, 1971, pp. 187-189]
Transcript (AI-generated)
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Also recorded on February 18, 1971
- 451-016 3:40 PM · 23 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:40 pm and 3:52 pm.
- 451-017 3:40 PM · 40 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:40 pm and 3:52 pm.
- 451-018 3:52 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Mark I. Goode met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:52 pm to 3:55 pm.
- 451-019 3:55 PM · 1 hr 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, George P. Shultz, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:55 pm to 4:52 pm.
- 451-020 5:10 PM · 34 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:10 pm to 5:14 pm.
- 451-022 5:14 PM · 35 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:14 pm and 5:25 pm.
- 451-023 6:16 PM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:16 pm to 6:37 pm.
- 451-024 6:40 PM · 43 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:40 pm to 7:27 pm.
Related conversations
- Nixon alone in his EOB office on Speechwriting and Public Speaking April 7, 1971 · 1 min
- Nixon & Haldeman on Speechwriting and William Safire July 1, 1971 · 21 min
- Nixon alone in his EOB office on Speechwriting and Public Speaking October 21, 1971 · 5 min
- Nixon phone call with Safire on Speechwriting and Scientific research May 21, 1971 · 3 min
- Nixon phone call with Price on Speechwriting and Richard K. Cook October 20, 1971 · 1 min
- Nixon phone call with Price on 1973 Inaugural Address and Speechwriting December 28, 1972 · 12 min
Cite this conversation
Conversation 451-021, February 18, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/451-021 (accessed November 2, 2026).