Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 491 › Conversation 491-030

Nixon, Cohn & Johnson on Federal Civilian Service Awards and Public Service

Wednesday, May 5, 1971 · 12:11 PM–12:23 PM ET · Oval Office · 14 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.; Cohn, Samuel M.; Cohn, Samuel M. (Mrs.); Johnson, U. Alexis; Knipling, Edward F.; Knipling, Edward F. (Mrs.); Leonard, Fred; Leonard, Fred (Mrs.); Willis, George H. (Mrs.); Willis, George H.; Hampton, Robert E.; Connally, John B.; Hardin, Clifford M.; Shultz, George P.; Malek, Frederic V.Conversation491-030 on Tape 491 (tape position 04:44:37–04:58:26)StartWednesday, May 5, 1971 at 12:11 PMEndWednesday, May 5, 1971 at 12:23 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 491-030 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon hosted a Federal Civilian Service Awards ceremony in the Oval Office to honor distinguished public servants, including Samuel M. Cohn, U. Alexis Johnson, Edward F. Knipling, Fred Leonard, and George H. Willis. During the event, the President presented medals and recognized the recipients for their significant contributions to fiscal policy, diplomacy, entomology, medical research, and international monetary systems. Following the formal presentations and a group photograph, the President engaged in general conversation with the attendees regarding the Oval Office décor, his daily schedule, and his auxiliary office in the Executive Office Building.

  • Federal Civilian Service Awards
  • Public Service
  • Oval Office
  • Presidential Awards
  • Federal Government

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 6 minutes of this recording (about 41% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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What we're going to do, if I can get everyone to the side of this.
And so I will continue to .
Excuse me, sir, if I can have your attention, what we're going to do is present here in the press a black story in groups.
I've got Mr. and Mrs. Scone and Mr. Schultz in the first group.
And is Dr. Mrs. .
Is that the .
Dr. .
That's all right.
Then what we'll do, the president will be in just a moment.
And we want to hear your name and you and your wife.
And most of all, the president will present the medal in brief recitation.
And then Colonel Coffey will direct you over to the flags here.
At the very conclusion, we'd like to have the press be given the opportunity to take a group photograph as well as an individual presentation.
So that's almost clear.
Thank you.
That was the President of the Republic.
Thank you, Senator.
Thank you, Senator.
Thank you, Senator.
I appreciate my assistance in taking over the federal budget.
I understand that there's a loss of energy.
The institution is bringing debt to the area and helping make the federal budget a better device for the regulation of problems and problems in the country.
The authority and knowledge of the Secretary of State is with me.
I have an interest in developing improvement and administration of the federal budget process.
This is the second time we're going to be doing this in 12-19 minutes.
It's going to take very few of us to master it.
This award is to Secretary Johnson, career master, and, of course, the high attorney of the president.
He has provided an extraordinary diplomatical role on the scene in moments of world crisis and has negotiated people with the necessary measures to the world.
The police, because they don't have, they don't have U.S. service, they don't have U.S. service, they don't have U.S. service, they don't have U.S. service.
I'm still working on it.
Thank you very much.
I'm very happy for you.
Thank you.
And then I'm researching a model.
It's made of native spray sprues and the evidence is monitored.
It can be used to bury crops, rodents, and adjust food to help slow burrowing.
It is used to carry a child or baby, burrow it in a new decade's water, and allow it to go and settle in a vault.
It's a promise reduction to the environment of the family, food and health, food supply, and the needs of our family.
It's a lot of things to say to the children.
to deal with agriculture in one area or another.
No question about that.
I don't know if we're going to be able to sign anything like that.
You know, this could have been possible without the dedicated careers that we have at the federal level and the state level throughout.
And in order to do that, we need to be able to work and be comfortable with the aid that we can get.
What a big time for us.
Dr. Fred Lundin.
The world-renowned medical research devices are here to develop the advanced technology of medical materials and other techniques.
Devices which have served greatly well with the American soldiers and given them a new hope in the future.
We can pray for the leadership and outstanding ability of the people to use their time and effort to identify and understand the successful, effective, and interdisciplinary medical research efforts which have contributed significantly from the problem to the progress and passage of the health of all mankind.
And to you, and prosperity, and also to many of you, I want to express our appreciation.
All of those are hundreds of thousands of ways to be able to do this.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Now we have George H. Lewis.
Mr. Wilson, your name is recognized in the national statement.
This statement is a parallel contribution to one of the most important states in the United States, where it is stated that the creative movement of the United States is a very special part of the United States.
The strength of the international monetary system is increasing in the interdependent world.
In recent contribution, the line matches a career of responsible representation in the United States of America for every major development.
That's about it.
And like I said, it took me 106, 15 years, and I don't care what you're up to.
You're up to life here.
You need to prove your worth.
You're up to me.
I don't care what I'm up to.
We want to make it real personal.
We want to make it real personal.
We want to make it real personal.
We want to make it real personal.
We want to make it real personal.
Yes, well, the room is nice today.
I think the carpet, you see, the rough carpets always have reflected the
The seal of the floor, which you see, reflects upon the ceiling.
Usually it's been whitened.
This is a better picture.
We always go over there, one of the state gifts, so we don't go to the lawless flights.
Even that is from Korea.
It's a 16th century heirloom of some sort.
Do you spend a lot of time in this office?
Yes, yes, I spend a lot of time.
All foreign locations are down here, but we have another office across the street with a lot of other workers.
Oh, well, somebody wanted to put seals in the chairs and put a lot of that shit in there.
They didn't like the flag.
They just stepped on the lot and that's what she did.
Had them squealed, yeah.
Eagles.
Well, thank you very much.
I wish you the best.
Is this a breast picture?
The man has hooks on both hands.

NARA Description

On May 5, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Samuel M. Cohn, Mrs. Samuel M. Cohn, U. Alexis Johnson, Edward F. Knipling, Mrs. Edward F. Knipling, Fred Leonard, Mrs. Fred Leonard, Mrs. George H. Willis, George H. Willis, Robert E. Hampton, John B. Connally, Clifford M. Hardin, George P. Shultz, and Frederic V. Malek met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:11 pm to 12:23 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 491-030 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 491-30

Date: May 5, 1971
Time: 12:11 pm - 12:23 pm
Location: Oval Office

Stephen B. Bull met with Mr. and Mrs. Samuel M. Cohn, Mr. and Mrs. U. Alexis Johnson, Dr.
and Mrs. Edward F. Knipling, Dr. and Mrs. Fred Leonard, Mr. and Mrs. George H. Willis,
Robert E. Hampton, John B. Connally, Clifford M. Hardin, George P. Shultz and Frederic V.
Malek.

     Federal Civilian Service Awards ceremony
          -Arrangements
                -Press
                -The Cohns and Shultz
                -The Kniplings
                -Hardin
                -The Leonards
                -The Willises
                -Connally
                -President's role
                -Presentation of awards
                -Group photograph

     [General conversation]

The President entered and the press entered and left at an unknown time after 12:11 pm.

     Presentation of awards
          -[Camera noise]
          -Cohn
                -Contributions
                      -Fiscal policy management
                      -Federal budget process
          -Johnson
                -Contributions
                      -Diplomacy
                            -Vietnam
                            -Okinawa
          -Knipling
                -Contributions
                      -Entomology
          -Leonard
                -Contributions
                      -Medical research
          -Willis
                -Contributions
                      -Financial statesmanship
                      -International monetary systems

     Group photograph

     Presentation of gifts
          -Presidential seal

     Oval Office
          -Decoration
                -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
                -Carpet
                       -Color
                -Ceiling
          -State gifts
                -Korea
          -President's schedule
          -Executive Office Building [EOB] office
          -Seals

     Weather
         -Tulips

     Federal service
          -Years

     [General conversation]

The Cohns et al., left at 12:23 pm.

     Press photograph
           -Robert D. (“Bob”) Lee

Bull left at 12:23 pm.

Also recorded on May 5, 1971

  • 491-027 11:39 AM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:39 am to 11:40 am.
  • 491-028 11:40 AM · 27 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Paul W. McCracken, Ezra Solomon, George P. Shultz, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:40 am to 12:08 pm.
  • 491-029 12:08 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 12:08 pm and 12:11 pm.
  • 491-031 12:23 PM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John G. Tower, Robert D. ("Bob") Lee, Jill Lee, A. J. ("Bob") Blasé, Richard A. Moore, Stephen B. Bull, and Oliver F. ("Ollie") Atkins met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:23 pm to 12:43 pm.
  • 002-087 12:43 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:43 pm and 1:13 pm.
  • 002-088 12:43 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John W. Dean, III talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:43 pm and 1:13 pm.
  • 491-032 12:43 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at 12:43 pm.
  • 491-033 12:43 PM · 25 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), White House operator, and John W. Dean, III met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:43 pm to 1:13 pm.

All 77 conversations from May 5, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 491-030, May 5, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/491-030 (accessed October 22, 2026).