Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 468 › Conversation 468-012

Nixon, McCarthy & Cashen on Sports Broadcasting and St. Patrick's Day

Tuesday, March 16, 1971 · 12:35 PM–12:42 PM ET · Oval Office · 8 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); McCarthy, Jack; Cashen, Henry C., II; White House photographerConversation468-012 on Tape 468 (tape position 02:42:04–02:51:32)StartTuesday, March 16, 1971 at 12:35 PMEndTuesday, March 16, 1971 at 12:42 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 468-012 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417176199 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with broadcaster Jack McCarthy and Henry C. Cashen, II, for an informal social visit in the Oval Office. The discussion focused on McCarthy’s career in sports broadcasting, his family, and his experiences covering St. Patrick's Day parades. The President concluded the meeting by presenting various commemorative gifts to McCarthy to pass along to his family members.

Audio

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NARA Description

On March 16, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Jack McCarthy, Henry C. Cashen, II, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:35 pm to 12:42 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 468-012 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 468-12

Date: March 16, 1971
Time: 12:35 pm - 12:42 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Jack McCarthy and Henry C. Cashen, II; the White House photographer
was present at the beginning of the meeting

     Introductions

     John A. (“Jack”) Mulcahy
          -Palm Springs

     McCarthy’s career
         -Baseball
         -Saint Patrick’s Day parade coverage
         -Songs taught by mother
               -Father
         -Fights, football coverage
         -National Broadcasting Company [NBC]

     McCarthy’s trip to Ireland
         -Mulcahy’s lodge

     Mulcahy

     McCarthy’s son at Air Force Academy

     McCarthy’s wife
         -Location

     McCarthy’s mother

     Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon’s visit to Ireland

     Presidential gifts
           -Son, mother, McCarthy, younger son
           -Golf balls

     President’s party, March 16, 1971
          -Entertainers

     An unknown man

     President’s party

     New York City’s Saint Patrick’s Day parade

     A joke

McCarthy and Cashen left at 12:42 pm

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 3 minutes of this recording (about 38% 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.

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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I live in New York.
President Jack Parker, how are you?
This is my first day here.
We got to see you here a day early.
Well, I had a little bit of a run in the day.
I had a little bit from Gil Crush, Jackson, Indiana, Seattle, Harris, and Atlanta.
How did you like that place?
It's a little bit, a little bit from the small side.
No, it wasn't.
It wasn't.
And now they've got two sons.
And they walk you down.
I did.
And I didn't dislike Jack because he had a son before.
And he tried to counsel us.
So I'm going to think Jack would probably look at all of his houses.
Good to see you.
He goes, Bob's great.
Well, he, you know, he kept, you know, I'm going to be like, what are you doing?
He just sit there.
And that's all part of the saints.
But you have to remember, I'm jumping into the cold pool with him.
He just takes a little bit more of a shot.
That won't do it.
No kidding.
Just a shot.
Just a shot.
And it's the same.
Just a shot.
Tell me, how many years have you been here?
23.
23 years.
Yeah, how did you happen to start this service here?
Well, I was hired as a sports announcer for WKX.
And they came up the spring and they had the equipment to cover baseball.
And they said, look, let's see what happens when we go outside.
So they decided to do a one-hour parade.
So I stopped to do the parade for an hour, about three quarters of the hour.
I've gone by the coast of the P.O.C.
for an hour.
I'll be on the P.O.C.
in a minute.
Oh, yeah, shut up and sleep.
So I'm listening to this thing, and I'm exhausted by now.
And then they said, what?
Please, if you can, would you hold it?
Well, anyway, I had four more hours.
But as long as my mother taught me, you know, my father was involved with the rebellion.
You know what I mean?
and it all came back, you know, and Emma's speech at the docket, and all these things.
It was like, I don't know, Mr. President, it seemed like it just came down.
I don't know how it just appeared.
It just seemed like it was sent down.
I had no trouble finding the words.
As our poetry came, and it all came with itself from there on in.
Now, I've done six heavyweight championships in France.
I've done football, 25 years of racing for NBC.
And in New York, again, I'm not going to show you here.
That show.
That's right.
I mean, that's right.
That's what I believe.
And you were over there.
You went to Jack's other places, too.
Oh, yes.
Oh, you are.
That's right.
And I didn't know the others, but I...
I hear a lot of them are supposed to be going somewhere.
A lot.
Yes.
He's going to be building a big hotel there.
Yes.
When he's coming over there, I'm going to steal this, but it's still really exciting.
It's not fantastic.
You know what I mean?
He loves the people.
That's why he's a great, good-hearted man.
Always.
That's because I think there are many wealthy people, some wealthier than he is.
That doesn't mean he isn't like that.
He's not having more fun around the world.
He's got more.
He doesn't care about the young kids.
No, he's got more.
He doesn't care about the rich kids.
I told him about my son.
I actually wrote a letter.
I have a son that's an honor student down at the United States Air Force Academy.
This is an American.
I was telling him, you know, I'm honored.
He said, you know,
You know, this is my country.
And, you know, he comes in there and looks around and...
I'm the luckiest man.
I've got a wonderful wife from the Midwest.
I've got... What's your marriage?
Well, it's just advertising.
She gave me up to make her career in advertising.
And now, she had to... She said, now that I'm in this... At that time, I was an Irish guy.
I was doing sports.
I was doing sports at a station.
Yeah.
And I was walking by one of these things.
You had a good life.
I'll try it.
Yeah.
Sports, you know, it was a great life.
It wasn't disappointed.
It was a glorious American Odyssey.
My family came as immigrants.
My mother is 86 years of age.
And one of the big things is when I bring in your picture and put it in your hands, because she's really, oh yes, yes.
When your wife went to me, oh, they don't know you, they don't know you, they don't know you, they don't know you, they don't know you.
You're very busy, and I want to thank you for taking this time.
I appreciate it.
You're very welcome.
Right here.
You've been a poet.
Very good.
That's the official present.
That's just how your son probably is, too.
Yes, thank you.
Now for your mother.
She gets all the wonderful boy in your life.
Thank you.
Now for you.
That's the present.
Thank you.
Now for your son.
Well, I have a younger son, but the younger son, yes, he is 18 years of age, but I think I'll take him.
I'll take him.
Thank you very, very much.
But you might lose that dog also if you want more.
You don't have to ask me.
You have a nice view, aren't you?
You're that funny.
You ever heard these singers before?
Yes, they're great.
You know, they put on a real show, a little show of standing so straight.
You know, they're straight.
Yeah, that's what I have.
They're blocking the water.
It's okay.
We stopped at a plumb place.
Plumb now for a little while.
Oh, I see.
Oh, I see.
Yeah, it's sort of believed to then give them tea.
Yeah, yeah.
And I believe this is just a fraction.
They want to criticize it.
I can't get water.
And one fellow told me, I said, gee, he's a hard man.
He's a hard man.
He's a hard man.
I said, is he a hard man?
He said, is he a hard man?
He said, the softest part of that man is his teeth.
I thought it was a real thing, sir.
What did I say?
Back in 1966 on O'Connell Street they had that.
Well, yes, the Nelson Pillar disappeared.
I have a fellow that is purely a figment of my imagination and what I said.
I was talking to Pierce Tiernan the other day, and it appears I was quite a bit of action when I got there on O'Connell Street the other day.
He says, no, I should know.
I said, I want you to describe it.
He said, that was a couple of fun-forming Irish women with a load of dynamite, building themselves an empty space.
Thank you, Mr. President.
I'm Paul Parker.
God bless you.

Also recorded on March 16, 1971

  • 468-008 10:31 AM · 22 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:31 am and 11:00 am.
  • 468-009 11:00 AM · 1 hr 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John M. ("Jack") Lynch, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:00 am to 12:20 pm.
  • 468-010 12:20 PM · 50 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:20 pm and 12:25 pm.
  • 468-011 12:25 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon, William Brickley, John Kull, Henry C. Cashen, II, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:25 pm to 12:30 pm.
  • 468-013 12:45 PM · 23 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:45 pm to 1:15 pm.
  • 468-014 1:15 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:15 pm and 2:23 pm.
  • 468-015 2:23 PM · 41 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander P. Butterfield, John B. Connally, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:23 pm and 3:06 pm.
  • 050-007 3:06 PM · 53 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Cabinet members as well as staffers, including William P. Rogers, John B. Connally, David Packard, John N. Mitchell, Winton M. ("Red") Blount, Jr., Rogers C. B. Morton, J. Philip Campbell, Maurice H. Stans, James D. Hodgson, George W. Romney, John A. Volpe, George P. Shultz, Robert H. Finch, Donald H. Rumsfeld, George H. W. Bush, John D. Ehrlichman, Robert J. Dole, Alexander P. Butterfield, Clark MacGregor, Robert J. Brown, Dr. Edward E. David, Jr., and Raymond K. Price, Jr., met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 3:06 pm to 4:00 pm.

All 21 conversations from March 16, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 468-012, March 16, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417176199). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/468-012 (accessed October 31, 2026).