Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 495 › Conversation 495-004

Nixon & Green on Bipartisan support and Civil unrest

Friday, May 7, 1971 · 10:46 AM–10:49 AM ET · Oval Office · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Green, EdithConversation495-004 on Tape 495 (tape position 00:03:50–00:06:08)StartFriday, May 7, 1971 at 10:46 AMEndFriday, May 7, 1971 at 10:49 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 495-004 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Representative Edith Green to express his gratitude for her courageous public defense of the administration's policies. The conversation focused on the necessity of maintaining order in Washington, D.C., with Nixon specifically praising the restraint and firmness displayed by police during recent civil unrest. Nixon acknowledged that his agenda relied on bipartisan support and commended Green for her willingness to break with her party on these contentious issues.

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Yeah.
Yeah.
Hello.
Good morning.
I just want you to know that I thought it would be my new summary that you had stood up on the floor and said some things about some of our little friends over here, and I thought it took a lot of courage, and I want to thank you very much.
Yeah.
I've come along, and let me say that I was talking to some of our
I said, you know, some of you are taking a lot of heat now, but I think you're going to look better later.
That's all.
You know, we're just trying to do the right thing.
Well, I appreciate it, and I know that, you know,
We, of course, we try to keep this on a partisan arena, frankly, without the support of any of our Democrats.
We couldn't do it at all.
But I do appreciate it.
I think that these, that our police people and the rest, they had to, they had to, they had to, of course, keep the city going.
But I agree with you on that.
Because if you slant people, they deserve some commendation for being, you know, they had restraint, and yet they were firm.
Don't you think so?
Yeah.
Sure.
I appreciate it.
Well, I won't... We will call back.
We won't make it happen.
That's true.
But I tell you...
Sure.
Oh, more than some of ours from the other side.
Well, have a good time out there.
Good.
I hope I didn't interrupt you.
It's like I'm standing in friendship.
Okay, thank you.

NARA Description

On May 7, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Edith Green met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:46 am to 10:49 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 495-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 495-4

Date: May 7, 1971
Time: 10:46 am - 10:49 am
Location: Oval Office

The President talked with Edith Green
[See Conversation No. 2-116]

Also recorded on May 7, 1971

  • 002-114 10:40 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:40 am and 10:46 am.
  • 002-115 10:40 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:40 am and 10:46 am.
  • 495-001 10:40 AM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:40 am and 10:46 am.
  • 002-116 10:46 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Edith Green talked on the telephone from 10:46 am to 10:49 am.
  • 002-117 10:49 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:49 am and 10:52 am.
  • 002-118 10:49 AM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:49 am and 10:52 am.
  • 495-005 10:49 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:49 am and 10:52 am.
  • 495-006 10:49 AM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:49 am and 10:52 am.

All 48 conversations from May 7, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 495-004, May 7, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/495-004 (accessed October 3, 2026).