Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 456 › Conversation 456-010

Nixon, Waters & Ehrlichman on Oval Office and Photo opportunity

Tuesday, February 23, 1971 · 12:02 PM–12:06 PM ET · Oval Office

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Waters, John B., Jr.;  Waters, Patsy (Temple);  Waters, Cynthia;  Waters, John B., III;  Ehrlichman, John D.;  Ziegler, Ronald L.;  Huebner, Lee W.;  White House photographerConversation456-010 onTape 456 (tape position 02:11:39–02:16:24)StartTuesday, February 23, 1971 at 12:02 PMEndTuesday, February 23, 1971 at 12:06 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 456-010 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon hosted John B. Waters, Jr. and his family for a brief social visit and photo opportunity in the Oval Office, during which he presented them with gifts and discussed the office's surroundings. The meeting served primarily as a gesture of goodwill toward the Waters family, including informal conversation regarding Tennessee politics and previous speaking engagements. Outside of the family visit, the recording includes brief, fragmented discussion regarding strategy for a separate event, emphasizing the President's desire to control media access and minimize public exposure during specific political sessions.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 167.9 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 168.0 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 165.9 MB

This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 02:11:39 into the tape and ends around 02:16:24.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 · Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.

2:11:39I ought to say that there's talk for the effective.
2:11:42Let's understand.
2:11:43But when I say action, I don't mean...
2:11:47I'll say that we've thought this through.
2:11:50We've considered all the alternatives.
2:11:51I don't think any of them are any good.
2:11:54There are a lot of small rooms around that hall.
2:11:56Why don't we get one of those rooms that will accommodate you and the Governor and the Vice President, you know, and Senator Tom.
2:12:03But you can make your pitch in there, exclude the press from it, then come into the big room and, uh, for pictures if you want.
2:12:11But, uh, you can leave.
2:12:13They can get the pictures for them.
2:12:15Sure, that's right.
2:12:16Okay.
2:12:16Why don't you assume we'll do it that way unless we get back?
2:12:21Yeah, but if you have to go open, then I'll go open.
2:12:24I think Agnew and the rest of them.
2:12:26But these assholes are playing for their own publicity.
2:12:30And actually they want to play off of me, but that does not help our HBO.
2:12:35Okay, we'll set it.
2:12:36I just don't want to be there in front.
2:12:42I don't like to have a picture taken.
2:13:04Why are you speaking for the others?
2:13:06Let them see the picture tonight.
2:13:09Let them see the picture tonight.
2:13:11No, we haven't planned to have a picture of the toast.
2:13:15We're not going to make the toast.
2:13:17But I just wondered if they want a picture so that we can prove that we had them there.
2:13:23And then they can cover some of the entertainment.
2:13:26Yeah, you're breaking our standards.
2:13:29What does that mean to this panel?
2:13:31What does it mean to this committee?
2:13:57Mr. Grayson?
2:13:58Yes, how are you?
2:13:59How are you?
2:13:59Nice to see you again.
2:14:02My daughter's standing.
2:14:04How are you?
2:14:05Nice to see you again.
2:14:08Why don't we go over here and get a picture of the wall?
2:14:14Do you like to do that?
2:14:16That's good.
2:14:17I know it's not very much there, but you'll get on this side, right?
2:14:24This side.
2:14:24Right on this.
2:14:25Okay.
2:14:25Ah, there we are.
2:14:25You look out there.
2:14:39Thank you all for that spirit.
2:14:40I'm glad to see you.
2:14:41I was also very, very glad to hear your letter.
2:14:42I appreciate it.
2:14:42I appreciate your willingness to speak a lot because we love you.
2:14:44Let's say we believe in this program.
2:14:45We just want to give our students a chance to make their own decisions.
2:14:47And they probably will keep it.
2:14:48And I'd like to put it on the back of your ears and
2:15:04You know, I told you in my head, you know, the president went to the session, and all that in my head, and people get blanked, and I don't see, you know, all of them.
2:15:16And he told me, he just asked me to vote, and I said, I did.
2:15:19We had to double, we had to double.
2:15:20You know, when you spoke in Chattanooga in 65, 64, 65, I walked out of the greenhouse and of course the ambulance came in there and took you out of the toilet.
2:15:35And this fellow jumping out of this room is going to say, Mr. Dixon, how old are you?
2:15:4713.
2:15:4713.
2:15:47It's been a long few years then.
2:15:50Sure.
2:15:53I remember 100% where it was for you, but we gave you 87%.
2:16:13Thank you.
2:16:15Thank you.
2:16:15Thank you.
2:16:16Thank you.
2:16:17Thank you.
2:16:17Thank you.

NARA Description

On February 23, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, John B. Waters, Jr., Patsy (Temple) Waters, Cynthia Waters, John B. Waters, III, John D. Ehrlichman, Ronald L. Ziegler, Lee W. Huebner, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:02 pm to 12:06 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 456-010 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 456-10

Date: February 23, 1971
Time: 12:02 pm - 12:06 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with John B. Waters, Jr., Patsy (Temple) Waters, Cynthia Waters, John B.
Waters, III, John D. Ehrlichman, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Lee W. Huebner; the White House
photographer was present during the meeting

      Arrangement for photo

      [General conversation]
           -Speaking engagement by the President
           -Children
           -Howard H. Baker, Jr.

      Presentation of gifts by the President

      Description of Oval Office

      Tennessee politicians

J. B. Waters, Jr., et al. left at 12:06 pm

Also recorded on February 23, 1971

  • 456-006 11:30 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:30 am and 11:36 am.
  • 456-007 11:36 AM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Milton R. Young, Mark Andrews, Lee W. Huebner, unknown person(s), and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:36 am to 11:48 am.
  • 456-008 11:48 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:48 am.
  • 456-009 11:49 AM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John R. ("Jack") Williams, Jr., John D. Ehrlichman, Lee W. Huebner, White House photographer, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:49 am to 12:02 pm.
  • 456-011 12:06 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:06 pm to 12:07 pm.
  • 456-026 12:06 PM · 10 sec — Stephen B. Bull and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:06 pm and 12:16 pm.
  • 048-001 12:16 PM — President Richard M. Nixon and the President's Science Advisory Committee, including Dr. Edward E. David, Dr. John D. Baldeschwieler, David Z. Beckler, Dr. Ivan L. Bennett, Jr., Dr. Detlev W. Bronk, Dr. Solomon J. Buchsbaum, Dr. Theodore L. Cairns, Dr. Lee A. DuBridge, Dr. Val L. Fitch, Dr. Herbert Friedman, Dr. Richard L. Garwin, Dr. Murray Gell-Mann, Patrick E. Haggerty, Philip Handler, Dr. Hubert Heffner, Dr. Donald F. Hornig, Kenneth Harry Olsen, Dr. Herbert A. Simon, Dr. Lloyd H. Smith, Jr., Dr. Gerald F. Tape, Dr. Harland G. Wood, Dr. John Truxal, and Frank R. Pagnotta, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:16 pm and 11:59 pm.
  • 048-002 1:03 PM — Unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 1:03 pm on February 23, 1971 and 11:45 am on February 25, 1971.

All 27 conversations from February 23, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 456-010, February 23, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/456-010 (accessed September 18, 2026).