Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 460 › Conversation 460-006

Nixon, Hitt & Hampton on Oval Office and Presidential decor

Friday, February 26, 1971 · 12:48 PM–12:54 PM ET · Oval Office ·5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Hitt, Patricia R.;  Hampton, Robert E.;  Gunderson, Barbara B.;  Davis, Jeanne Wilson;  Hicks, Florence Johnson;  Moody, Juanita Morris;  Morgan, Essie Davis;  Rapp, Rita M.;  Rosenblatt, Joan Raup;  Bell, George T.Conversation460-006 onTape 460 (tape position 00:31:30–00:36:46)StartFriday, February 26, 1971 at 12:48 PMEndFriday, February 26, 1971 at 12:54 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 460-006 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Patricia R. Hitt and a group of federal officials and associates for a brief, ceremonial visit in the Oval Office. The encounter, which included members of the press, focused on casual conversation regarding the office's furnishings, historical decor, and artwork. Nixon used the opportunity to express his appreciation for the group's ongoing service and contributions to the federal government.

Audio

Download MP3 · 7.2 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 · Click a timestamp to play from that point.

Mr. President, you don't have yet?
Yes.
I'm sorry, I can't do it.
I've got to go to the border.
Mr. President?
All right.
And we're going to wait a minute.
We're going to be ready now.
And we're just going to hop on.
And we're going to wait.
And we're going to wait.
And we're going to wait.
And we're going to wait.
And we're going to wait.
And we're going to wait.
Well, that's quite a...
I had a metal mount on my hand and it's good.
I'm saving three and three.
Right here, here we go.
And, uh, three, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 51, 52, 52, 53, 52, 53, 52, 53, 52, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53
Oh, yeah, that was part of the trail.
.
.
.
.
We just have to carry this plane.
That's all.
I don't have any tennis balls.
Well, we certainly, sorry to keep you waiting, but we had to try to do some things on the schedule this morning.
And now you have it.
That'd be for you, too.
I think you've all been here before.
You are, too.
Yes.
I have to be.
So I'm going to see if you can apply to any services.
I'm going to put her in a simple office.
Yes.
That's the White House in 1937.
That's a very, probably the rarest place to get close to it.
But the main feature of this room, which is probably designed to be as discreet as the seal of the ceiling, which is duplicated in drugs.
That's true through the years.
All the carpets are woven and sealed and duplicated.
That's the White House.
And that's a very famous story, the painting of Washington by the Oldfield Field.
If you remember the concert, it is Washington.
That was probably Washington at a younger time.
Did you clean birds, do you like mushrooms, do you like that sort of thing?
Well, I just want to wish you the best.
Did you give a German son a gift?
So, we thank you for your work for the government.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
We're proud of what you do.
We appreciate your work for the country.
I'll have to look into many more rights.
I saw it with a girl.

NARA Description

On February 26, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Patricia R. Hitt, Robert E. Hampton, Barbara B. Gunderson, Jeanne Wilson Davis, Florence Johnson Hicks, Juanita Morris Moody, Essie Davis Morgan, Rita M. Rapp, Joan Raup Rosenblatt, and George T. Bell met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:48 pm to 12:54 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 460-006 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 460-6

Date: February 26, 1971
Time: 12:48 pm - 12:54 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Patricia R. Hitt, Robert E. Hampton, Barbara Bates Gunderson, Jeanne
Wilson Davis, Dr. Florence Johnson Hicks, Juanita Morris Moody, Essie Davis Morgan, Rita M.

Rapp, Dr. Joan Raup Rosenblatt, and George T. Bell; members of the press were present at the
beginning of the meeting

      Greetings

      Photograph

      Oval Office furnishings and paintings
           -Carpets
           -Presidential Seal
           -George Washington portrait

      Appreciation

      Farewells

Hitt, et al. left at 12:54 pm

Also recorded on February 26, 1971

  • 460-005 12:35 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Melvin R. Laird, Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, Henry A. Kissinger, and Nigel Henderson met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:35 pm to 12:48 pm.
  • 460-007 12:54 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 12:54 pm.
  • 460-008 12:54 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Francis E. White, Frederick C. Wieting, Bonnie Cook, Dennis Conley, Mrs. Dennis Conley, Eva M. Johnson, and George T. Bell met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:54 pm to 1:00 pm.
  • 460-009 1:00 PM · 40 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 1:00 pm.
  • 460-010 1:00 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, T. Harding Jones, Anthony Radd, Charles Kolb, Jeb Stuart Magruder, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:00 pm to 1:08 pm.
  • 460-011 1:08 PM · 26 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 1:08 pm.
  • 460-012 1:08 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Cecil W. Stevenson, Frank G. Wood, George T. Bell, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:08 pm to 1:12 pm.
  • 460-013 1:12 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Thomas L. Lias, Harry S. Dent, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:12 pm to 1:14 pm.

All 30 conversations from February 26, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 460-006, February 26, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/460-006 (accessed September 18, 2026).