Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 489 › Conversation 489-008

Nixon, Baker & Wetmore on Tennessee politics and Winfield Dunn

Monday, April 26, 1971 · 12:26 PM–12:33 PM ET · Oval Office · 7 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Baker, Howard H., Jr.; Baker, LaMar; Wetmore, Gordon; Longley, Bemjamin L.; Nolan, Paul V.; Johnson, Paul L.; Nidecker, John C.; Andrews, John K., Jr.; White House photographerConversation489-008 on Tape 489 (tape position 00:30:25–00:37:40)StartMonday, April 26, 1971 at 12:26 PMEndMonday, April 26, 1971 at 12:33 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 489-008 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417176799 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with a Tennessee delegation led by Senator Howard H. Baker, Jr., which included local officials and artist Gordon Wetmore. The conversation centered on Tennessee state politics, specifically the legislative agenda of Governor Winfield Dunn, and included lighthearted social interaction and photo opportunities. The group also discussed various administrative schedules and upcoming cultural events, such as a performance by the Ohio State Fair Youth Choir.

Audio

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NARA Description

On April 26, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Howard H. Baker, Jr., LaMar Baker, Gordon Wetmore, Bemjamin L. Longley, Paul V. Nolan, Paul L. Johnson, John C. Nidecker, John K. Andrews, Jr., and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:26 pm to 12:33 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 489-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 489-8

Date: April 26, l971
Time: 12:26 pm - 12:33 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Howard H. Baker, Jr., La Mar Baker, Gordon Wetmore, Benjamin L.
Longley, Paul V. Nolan, Paul L. Johnson, A.C. Ball, John C. Nidecker, and John K. Andrews,
Jr.; the White House photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.

     President's schedule
           -Tennessee

     Greetings

     Tennessee Valley Authority [TVA]

     Photos
          -John W. Dean, III
          -Grouping
          -Wetmore

     Wetmore's activities
         -Father
         -Career
         -Office
         -Richard V. Allen

     Photos
          -Posing

     Tennessee
         -Baker's conversation with Winfield Dunn
         -Dunn

                 -Schedule
                 -Republican Governors Conference
                 -Legislation
                 -Message to the President

**********************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 05/21/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
Show the rest of the log (56 more lines)
[489-008-w001]
[Duration: 16s]

     Tennessee
         -Winfield Dunn
               -Election
               -Significance

**********************************************************************

     Tennessee
         -Winfield Dunn
               -Legislative program
         -House
               -Democrats
               -Dunn
                    -Legislative program
               -Republicans

     Presentation of gifts
          -Cuff links

     Tennessee

**********************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 05/21/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]

[489-008-w002]
[Duration: 49s]

      Tennessee
          -Republicans
          -Albert A. Gore
          -Howard H. Baker
          -Albert A. Gore’s possible political activities

**********************************************************************

      Schedule
           -Flowers

      President's schedule
            -Ohio State Fair Youth Choir

      Baker's schedule
           -Winton M. (“Red”) Blount

      Tennessee
          -Delegation

      Farewells

Baker, et al., left at 12:33 pm.

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 5 minutes of this recording (about 63% 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.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Oh, Margaret, how are you?
The rest of them are fine, sir.
We've got a Tennessee here today, haven't we?
Oh, all right.
You've got a hundred and one for me.
That'll have to be called.
Yeah, it'll be all right.
It'll be a happy advantage.
It's a party.
It's a party.
Don't show me the scarf.
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
Well, hold on, sir.
I'll be right there as well.
I can't read it.
I can't read it.
I can't read it.
I can't read it.
I can't read it.
I can't read it.
That's great.
Thank you.
My life, I never had those meetings with him.
You know, it's just that I want a TVA player.
I got a TVA.
I never sold that.
No.
.
.
.
.
.
You picked up a motor out, didn't you?
I think he's such a good man.
Now let's look out.
I won't let it get to me.
I can't.
If I look at it, it'll say I'm a liar.
I can't.
I do appreciate it.
How long ago did you study art in school?
How did you happen to get into it?
Did your father do it?
Did your parents do it?
My father was very talented in it, but I thought he just got a degree in school, and in the last four years, I've been taught a lot, and I just kind of took over my career.
And he did work at a team, primarily, from their own photographs.
No, no, I mean it from one end.
But from one end, of course.
What I do is I have a buddy in Canterbury.
We're either office runs, cameras, et cetera.
I met Richard Allen, who worked with Mr. Tithman when we played in Europe two years ago.
Dick Allen, yeah, he said he did that.
It doesn't work for both of us.
You made the remark you wouldn't pose for a portrait.
And we were not together.
Yeah.
I know.
I lost my head.
I did lose it.
I don't even pose for a bus.
That's worse, I think.
If I may interject your remark, I'm an assistant minority leader for the Tennessee House, and I was talking to Bill McDonough this morning.
He asked me to relay two messages to him.
One is that he joins us as the president of all Tennessee people in our city.
First.
The other is that he regrettably had to leave his vote in Governor's Congress last week because his entire legislative program was on the House calendar.
He said, perhaps on our base office, the new money didn't sound like our federal standards, but he felt that he had to be there lobbying for it.
So he has nice friends.
He was not with me last day.
Look, I particularly appreciate the fact that as one of the fellows there, one of his assistants was there to give me a message.
I'm so glad to see him win.
If Crowe orders a budget for a revenue with a demographic goal of half a city, he might give you point.
I want to vote.
And then modify it and pass it in the House.
It's on the Senate calendar tomorrow, so...
If you have not voted House of Senators yet, that's true.
But you have all the statesmen.
We'd like to think so.
Well, let's see.
What do we want?
This is the ceiling.
This is the ceiling.
All right.
Well, here we go.
I actually think they would like to cover these.
Or you might...
Now, if I may be ready to request a meeting, I'll respond certainly.
All right.
Well, we'll do it.
We were happy to introduce you to the population of Marshall that went with Senator Gore.
He's our neighbor, and of course, we'll be back with him, but you don't need to worry about him.
Well, he said he wasn't gonna run, but he's gonna get somebody to.
I haven't played with that ever since.
You couldn't have fallen into anything better than that.
He might run.
I doubt it.
Congratulations.
Now look, everybody covered.
If you don't get everybody, this is better.
There's flowers here.
You might get one, right?
But they really are this time of the year.
Oh, listen, you're all welcome to go out and hear the Ohio chorus if you want.
I got to go here and write one.
Thank you, sir.
Great success in your work.
Thank you, sir.
Thank you.
I'm sorry.

Also recorded on April 26, 1971

  • 489-003 11:05 AM · 42 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:05 am and 11:52 am.
  • 489-004 11:46 AM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:46 am and 11:52 am.
  • 489-005 11:46 AM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:46 am and 12:57 pm.
  • 489-006 12:07 PM · 1 min — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:07 pm and 12:15 pm.
  • 489-007 12:17 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Cathy ("Mim") Frazier, James Frazier, Mrs. James Frazier, Paul Frazier, Robert P. Griffin, David Laro, Ann Brewer, John C. Nidecker, John K. Andrews, Jr., and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:17 pm to 12:24 pm.
  • 489-009 12:33 PM · 24 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 12:33 pm.
  • 489-010 12:44 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:44 pm and 1:00 pm.
  • 489-011 1:00 PM · 1 hr 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Manolo Sanchez, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm.

All 49 conversations from April 26, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 489-008, April 26, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417176799). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/489-008 (accessed November 2, 2026).