Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 455 › Conversation 455-010

Nixon, Kunzig & Rhoads on Presidential libraries and Presidential papers

Monday, February 22, 1971 · 12:46 PM–12:49 PM ET · Oval Office ·5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Kunzig, Robert L.;  Rhoads, John B.;  Spence, A. N.;  Price, Raymond K., Jr.;  Bellinger, Cecelia D.;  Parker, David N.;  White House photographerConversation455-010 onTape 455 (tape position 03:27:10–03:31:41)StartMonday, February 22, 1971 at 12:46 PMEndMonday, February 22, 1971 at 12:49 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 455-010 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with General Services Administration officials, including Robert L. Kunzig and John B. Rhoads, to receive a book presentation and discuss the management of his presidential papers. The participants touched upon the development of his future presidential library, noting a prior conversation Rhoads held with Edward C. Nixon regarding the project. Additionally, the group briefly discussed the administration's initiative to demolish specific buildings on the National Mall.

  • Presidential libraries
  • Presidential papers
  • General Services Administration
  • National Mall
  • Historic preservation

Audio

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Excuse me, we don't have a black house in here, sir.
Well, you've got to understand something to me.
You're not going to be able to do this.
It's an act of introduction, Mr. President, for the first volume and the last volume, which we attended in 1977, to be given to you.
Just in person, Mr. President, we've got you in person.
We've got all of this.
That's a typical time.
Now, this is just an old year.
Yes.
You can get it all in one room.
Thank you.
You can sit down.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
You're going to sell this?
Yes.
Well, this wouldn't have been done without the very excellent assistance of .
I had a very interesting conversation with your brother.
out there, and they should have seen it.
And he and I have a partner.
And he and I have a partner.
And he and I have a partner.
It's got to be pulled together in America.
We try to find something here, find the things that I know of and say, well, we might hurt some of them.
But I think that we're both, we are bad at that.
So we're not going to stand alone.
We're not going to stand alone.
We've got to get it organized or something else.
And I gather your experience of the church and your other novels, the garage, and that's going to take a lot more than a year.
Well, it's very nice to see you.
These are pleasant to wear.
We started out in those buildings out there in the fall.
It's one of the best things we've done in this administration.
One of the good things.
I really feel that you're so lovely.
I used to stare up at you in World War II.
Down.
Most of the kids are down, but I feel it's the best thing we've done in this administration.
And thank you.
You've cost us a lot of money, too.
We're expecting you to handle it very well.

NARA Description

On February 22, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Robert L. Kunzig, John B. Rhoads, A. N. Spence, Raymond K. Price, Jr., Cecelia D. Bellinger, David N. Parker, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:46 pm to 12:49 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 455-010 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 455-10

Date: February 22, 1971
Time: 12:46 pm - 12:49 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Robert L. Kunzig, James B. Rhoads, A. N. Spence, Raymond K. Price,
Jr., Cecilia D. Bellinger, and David N. Parker; the White House photographer was present at the
beginning of the meeting

     Presentation of book to the President

     The President’s papers
          -Presidential Library
                -Rhoads’ conversation with Edward C. Nixon

     Presentation of gifts by the President

     Demolition of building on the Mall

Kunzig, et al. left at 12:49 pm

Also recorded on February 22, 1971

  • 455-006 12:23 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Oswald Hoffman, George T. Bell, Raymond K. Price, Jr., and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:23 pm to 12:33 pm.
  • 455-007 12:33 PM · 56 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at 12:33 pm.
  • 455-008 12:34 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Harold S. Geneen, Leonard H. Goldenson, Rusell McFall, Patrick E. Haggerty, Samuel E. Wyly, Walter D. Scott, Milledge A. Hart, Frank Stanton, Peter M. Flanigan, James G. Boatner, David N. Parker, Raymond K. Price, Jr., and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:34 pm to 12:40 pm.
  • 455-009 12:41 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, James Udall, Murray M. Chotiner, David N. Parker, Raymond K. Price, Jr., and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:41 pm to 12:45 pm.
  • 455-011 12:50 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Carl W. Haley, Mrs. Carl W. Haley, Rose Mary Woods, David N. Parker, Raymond K. Price, Jr., and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:50 pm to 12:56 pm.
  • 455-012 12:57 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, David H. Popper, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., David N. Parker, Raymond K. Price, Jr., and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:57 pm to 1:01 pm.
  • 455-013 1:01 PM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 1:01 pm.
  • 455-014 1:01 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. E. Sanders, Mrs. H. E. Sanders, Henry C. Cashen, II, David N. Parker, Raymond K. Price, Jr., and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:01 pm to 1:12 pm.

All 25 conversations from February 22, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 455-010, February 22, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/455-010 (accessed September 18, 2026).