Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 499 › Conversation 499-020

Nixon & Rumsfeld on Cabinet performance and Ellen McConnell

Friday, May 14, 1971 · 12:05 PM–12:06 PM ET · Oval Office · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Rumsfeld, Donald H.Conversation499-020 on Tape 499 (tape position 01:36:24–01:37:30)StartFriday, May 14, 1971 at 12:05 PMEndFriday, May 14, 1971 at 12:06 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 499-020 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Donald Rumsfeld met briefly to discuss the swearing-in of Ellen McConnell and the performance of the Cabinet. They specifically reviewed the contributions of cabinet members John A. Volpe, George W. Romney, John B. Connally, and Clifford M. Hardin. Additionally, they coordinated on the President's upcoming schedule, including remarks to be delivered at a tree-planting ceremony involving Senator Charles H. Percy.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 59% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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'm anxious to know two things.
One is Ellen McConnell and her parents are on the left near Chuck.
She was sworn in at 10 o'clock this morning as one of the first female patients.
Oh, yes.
Secondly, your cabinet has done a darn good job.
Hershey had both been romping and cuddling.
So...
What do you want me to say to him?
I've got to give it an awful lot of respect.
I think, uh, he's a nice little person, but if he wasn't a person, you know, he might just, you know, be a good guy.
And, uh, and I think, uh, uh, that's what people think.
Yeah, yeah.

NARA Description

On May 14, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Donald H. Rumsfeld met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:05 pm to 12:06 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 499-020 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 499-20

Date: May 14, 1971
Time: 12:05 pm - 12:06 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Donald H. Rumsfeld

     A call

     A report

     Ellen McConnell
           -Swearing-in, May 14, 1971

     Cabinet's actions
          -John A. Volpe, George W. Romney, John B. Connally, Clifford M. Hardin

     President's schedule
           -Tree planting
                 -President's remarks
                 -Charles H. Percy

The President and Rumsfeld left at 12:06 pm.

Also recorded on May 14, 1971

  • 499-012 11:20 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:20 am and 11:30 am.
  • 499-013 11:20 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:20 am and 11:30 am.
  • 499-016 11:30 AM · 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon, James D. ("Don") Hughes, Jacob A. Preus, Stephen B. Bull, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:30 am to 11:50 am.
  • 499-017 11:50 AM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:50 am.
  • 499-018 11:50 AM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Max M. Fisher, Paul W. McCracken, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:50 am to 12:03 pm.
  • 499-019 12:03 PM · 53 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:03 pm and 12:05 pm.
  • 499-021 12:42 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, M. Jean Robb, Jon M. Huntsman, and Oliver F. ("Ollie") Atkins met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:42 pm to 12:44 pm.
  • 499-022 12:44 PM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Landrum Bolling, D. Elton Trueblood, Oliver F. ("Ollie") Atkins, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:44 pm to 12:53 pm.

All 26 conversations from May 14, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 499-020, May 14, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/499-020 (accessed September 28, 2026).