Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 493 › Conversation 493-012
Nixon, Johnson & White House photographer on Oval Office meeting
Thursday, May 6, 1971 · 12:15 PM–12:22 PM ET · Oval Office
AI Summary
President Nixon hosted actor and comedian Arte Johnson and his wife for a brief, informal meeting in the Oval Office, which included an initial photo session with a White House photographer. The conversation focused on lighthearted pleasantries, including discussions about Southern California geography, the San Diego Zoo, and the President’s home in San Clemente. Nixon also presented the Johnsons with official presidential gifts and engaged in casual banter regarding their respective backgrounds and professional work.
- Arte Johnson
- Oval Office meeting
- White House photography
- Southern California
- Presidential gifts
Audio
Download MP3 (part 1) · 167.6 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 160.2 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 02:44:38 into the tape and ends around 02:51:50.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.
2:44:03President Max Friedrichsdorf and Tom Perl, Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President,
2:44:27Thank you, Mr. President.
2:44:34Yes, sir.
2:44:44I went to a small, large college in southern Indiana, Franklin College.
2:44:54Right, right.
2:44:57Time is all that matters.
2:45:01All right, we've got you for a while.
2:45:06Oh, we've got a hard laugh here.
2:45:08Let's get you right here.
2:45:10Now you just sit right there.
2:45:13How do you do it?
2:45:14You've got to wear that on Sunday for your wife or girl, whichever you're closer to.
2:45:20Thanks, guys.
2:45:22Don't tell me you're not together.
2:45:25There you go.
2:45:30Oh, yes, it's all right.
2:45:32It's all right.
2:45:36All right.
2:46:13to Archonowski, his wife, and his counselor.
2:46:18How do you do?
2:46:19He's from Germany.
2:46:23All of these centers love people.
2:46:27Yes, yes, you're right on that.
2:46:32All right.
2:46:34All right.
2:46:35All right.
2:46:36All right.
2:46:40All right.
2:46:44All right.
2:46:46All right.
2:46:47All right.
2:46:48All right.
2:46:49All right.
2:46:50All right.
2:46:56This is a dentist in California?
2:46:58Yes.
2:46:59She was such a woman.
2:47:00She got the marriage, the residency of a historian.
2:47:07You have the name?
2:47:08Yes.
2:47:08Thank you.
2:47:20And also it's spelled the way my middle name is and my mother's name is.
2:47:26It's not an easy job.
2:47:28And it's actually, as he told me, he was a waiter.
2:47:30They were all waiters.
2:47:34But I'm very interested.
2:47:39This is from?
2:47:41I'm so glad to have that.
2:47:45I was curious, isn't that nice?
2:47:49I'm sure they've already found some stuff out here.
2:47:51Except for the bridge.
2:47:51I didn't get anything with what they wanted to live with, sir.
2:47:59That's a problem.
2:48:00The smart ones are out.
2:48:25Are you coming too?
2:48:27I don't know.
2:48:28She's going to sit with Julia and David.
2:48:31Oh, you're going to sit with women?
2:48:33They're going to sit with Julia and David.
2:48:35I'm going to sit with Julia and David.
2:48:38You're going to sit with Mr. Affleck now.
2:48:41Oh my goodness, you have a good tie.
2:48:47Oh yes, are you a German?
2:48:51Uh-huh.
2:48:53We accept you.
2:48:56Right.
2:49:05Wait a moment, what is the, what part of the journey is this?
2:49:09I come from Vienna.
2:49:11Oh, yes.
2:49:12What do you mean, the U-boat, you know?
2:49:17Oh, yes.
2:49:17It's good for children.
2:49:18Oh, it's a great story.
2:49:20One of the funnest things about U-boats is that they're all the same.
2:49:23You've been back.
2:49:23You've seen this?
2:49:25Yes.
2:49:25You know, they never really found out the U-boat was this, which is really scary.
2:49:29They're a good thing.
2:49:30I know.
2:49:30The industrial complex is built into all the ideas that I was saying.
2:49:32It's the most valuable thing.
2:49:35Well, was you in charge of the show?
2:49:38Oh, you got me.
2:49:39I'm not giving up.
2:49:40I've been out for three and a half years.
2:49:42Three and a half years of coming out from behind the bush.
2:49:45I have suffered from a form of DDT poisoning since coming out of the bush the other day.
2:49:51We've got an agriculture show up.
2:49:54I was out there checking your weeds.
2:49:56The air station, Mr. President, I was behind that weed.
2:50:00Oh, I see.
2:50:02Do you live in, where do you live?
2:50:06I live in Westwood.
2:50:08Westwood.
2:50:08Oh, you're very close to where you go.
2:50:11Beautiful downtown.
2:50:12No, beautiful downtown is across there.
2:50:14I know, you've got to talk to them.
2:50:16If you chase across the... Not that.
2:50:18Not that.
2:50:18Depends on how you shake.
2:50:20What's the word?
2:50:21You don't have much longer to do.
2:50:23When we get it.
2:50:24It's now.
2:50:25I see it.
2:50:26You're close to the sea now.
2:50:28Well, we can see it below here.
2:50:29We can see it right there.
2:50:30That's where the lights are now.
2:50:31No, we don't have that.
2:50:33We only do it this way.
2:50:34We go to San Diego.
2:50:35We go to San Diego.
2:50:37You drive down.
2:50:37We drive down most of the inches and then you fly down.
2:50:43What's the matter with you?
2:50:44That's her.
2:50:45What do you do when you get out there?
2:50:48To the zoo.
2:50:49The zoo is probably the dangerous stuff.
2:50:50But if you go to walk the beach, you're not leaving my own time.
2:50:54I said that to me.
2:50:55You go to the zoo, the zoo is everything.
2:50:56Of course, it's a great zoo.
2:50:58I'm told it's one of the places where the pines can grow.
2:51:02I have to correct that.
2:51:05The time is around the time.
2:51:09Around the time.
2:51:10I can't say it in English.
2:51:13You are right.
2:51:14And around the time, I knew I was...
2:51:15I was there.
2:51:16You go by the... You go by the...
2:51:18You go by our place and send one.
2:51:19Oh, we'd like to get you an answer.
2:51:20That's what I hear from some of the days.
2:51:22Next time you ever get it, I know you can drive it.
2:51:24I love the chance to be on the beach.
2:51:26There's a beautiful beach.
2:51:27Last time I had the beach, it was lovely because it's not as big.
2:51:29That's six miles from it.
2:51:30It's big and it's trampled into some time.
2:51:32Walk on the beach.
2:51:32It's super nice to be on the beach.
2:51:35Thank you for speaking so much.
2:51:36We were very thrilled when the net opened up.
2:51:44This is the seal that the president's in the floor.
2:51:50That's the mark of this room.
2:51:53You get one of these bows.
2:51:54But you don't have to wear shirts.
2:51:58You don't have to wear shirts.
2:52:00They look very expensive, but you don't have to report them.
2:52:12But that's not probably what makes you human.
2:52:16Did you have a parent?
2:52:17Yeah, you were supposed to have a parent.
2:52:20Anybody that gets in here gets a gift.
2:52:23It's good that you make so many people happy.
2:52:26I mean, I always say that to my old people, friends of the older generation.
2:52:33I mean, you make a lot of people who you care about the most happy.
2:52:42Do you like it?
2:52:43Do you like it?
2:52:44I enjoy the sound of it.
2:52:48I enjoy seeing people smile and everything.
2:52:52Do you like the light?
2:52:54I like the light.
2:52:56I like the light.
2:52:57I like the light.
NARA Description
On May 6, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Arte Johnson, Mrs. Arte Johnson, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:15 pm to 12:22 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 493-012 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 493-12
Date: May 6, 1971
Time: 12:15 pm - 12:22 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler and Mr. and Mrs. Arte Johnson; a photographer was
present at the beginning of the meeting
Introductions
Photo session arrangements
President’s autograph
-Spelling of a name
-President’s mother’s name
Mr. Johnson
Publishers and editors
A photo of Julie Nixon and [Dwight] David Eisenhower, II
Mrs. Johnson’s background
Industrial complex
“Laugh-in”
-Mr. Johnson’s work
Agriculture exhibit
Mr. Johnson’s life in California
-Westwood
-Malibu
-San Diego
-Beach, zoo
-San Clemente
-President’s home
-Beach
-Photos of President
Gifts from President
-Cost
A picture
Gifts from President
Mr. Johnson’s work
-Value
-Richard (“Red”) Skelton
-Leslie T. (“Bob”) Hope
Ziegler and the Johnsons left at 12:22 pmAlso recorded on May 6, 1971
- 493-009 11:00 AM · 24 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Mohammed Ayub Khan, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:00 am and 11:26 am.
- 002-106 11:06 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Mohammed Ayub Khan talked on the telephone from 11:06 am to 11:07 am.
- 493-011 12:10 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Thomas C. Korologos, Max L. Friedersdorf, William E. Timmons, Richard A. Moore, Clark MacGregor, White House photographer, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:10 pm and 12:15 pm.
- 493-013 12:22 PM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 12:22 pm.
- 493-014 12:22 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John B. Connally, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:22 pm to 12:32 pm.
- 493-015 12:32 PM · 31 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, Stephen B. Bull, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:32 pm and 1:06 pm.
- 493-016 1:06 PM · 37 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:06 pm and 2:30 pm.
- 493-017 1:06 PM · 17 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:06 pm and 4:15 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 493-012, May 6, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/493-012 (accessed October 3, 2026).