Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 506 › Conversation 506-002

Nixon, Suffridge & Housewright on Retail Clerks International Association

Friday, May 28, 1971 · 12:09 PM–12:13 PM ET · Oval Office · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Suffridge, James; Housewright, James; McGuire, William; Colson, Charles W.; White House photographer; Bull, Stephen B.Conversation506-002 on Tape 506 (tape position 00:08:52–00:15:08)StartFriday, May 28, 1971 at 12:09 PMEndFriday, May 28, 1971 at 12:13 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 506-002 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with leaders of the Retail Clerks International Association, including James Suffridge, James Housewright, and William McGuire, alongside aide Charles W. Colson for a brief, ceremonial visit. The participants engaged in light conversation, exchanged gifts including golf balls and cuff links, and discussed a prayer shared by a local pastor. The interaction concluded with a photo opportunity and a brief discussion regarding a gift received from Saudi Arabia intended for the presidential library.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 5 minutes of this recording (about 74% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Thank you.
We're sorry we're late.
There's a white machine.
We know you have things on the area.
There's a little, it's a little blue.
Don't worry.
We won't even use it in order to do something about the gold problem.
It blows up.
This is part of the people.
I'm very proud of that.
My old one.
I was going to ring the list over.
Did we tell you the list?
I think we did.
So then they make sure Jason and I sit up.
the uh... the uh... the uh... the uh... the uh... the uh... the uh... the uh... the uh...
Well, we're going to be trapped in here, you know, all this money, and we're going to be having a lot of fun, and I'll say to you that they're already hurting.
I was going to take advantage of you when I came to church here two weeks ago, and the excitement I forgot.
This is a prayer that was given by our preacher the week before, and says he may be the only one that's praying this part, but for you, I want you to read this.
Somebody might want to invite him over.
I will.
This is your pastor.
Yeah, the church in Arlington.
I was listening to that.
Do you think he'd be a good impression?
Yes.
Read that.
This is good.
They impressed me.
They recorded everything.
I don't know what they're going to do to you.
No, seriously.
No, no.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
They're the Seagulls.
Yes, the Seagulls.
No name on it, so there's no way you're aware of it.
There you go.
Here it is.
I didn't know.
Here, I'll call it.
These are very nice.
They're made by the...
by Don Kendall, who has PepsiCo, and David Wilson now.
Yeah, so he gave these to me.
I know you can.
I know you have.
You have played this before.
Now, uh, now maybe this deal is August the 23rd.
Oh, his party?
Yeah.
Well, you're going to be able to put that down into the, uh, your, uh, your brain, and, uh, you went through those things, and then, uh, uh, you know, see if there's anyone, uh, thinking, oh, oh, this is all, like, what's going on.
Well, there are these, right?
Yeah.
Somebody's here to control this.
What do you think he'd like?
for that prayer.
I gave the text to John.
I told him, he says, well, I'll write it.
I'll write it.
I'll write it up here.
I'll write it up here.
I'll write it up here.
I'll write it up here.
I'll write it up here.
Yeah, I do.
I do.
And he got a certain song.
I heard his speaker sing for a piece of little dark Armenian.
Armenian.
He was born in this country, but I think his father came in.
And his father was the presbyterian Christian for 50 years.
I want to show you this one.
This is the...
This is the gift from Saudi Arabia.
I'm sure they had some ideas.
I'm afraid it would get me into internal American politics if he were to say that for your library.
Oh, he'll go to the library.
Well, I won't talk to that either.
I've got a thing I can get out of this.
There you go.
That's very good.
I wish you the best.
Thank you.
You see it's got the blue, my wife, the blue record with the gold star.
Good.
All right.
Great.

NARA Description

On May 28, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, James Suffridge, James Housewright, William McGuire, Charles W. Colson, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:09 pm to 12:13 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 506-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 506-2

Date: May 28, 1971
Time: 12:09 pm - 12:13 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with James Suffridge, James Housewright, William McGuire, and Charles W.
Colson; the White House photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.

     Greetings

     Gold

     Retail Clerks International Association
           -Membership

     Retail sales conference
           -Unknown person

     Church
          -Prayer
          -Location

     Presentation of gifts by the President
          -Cuff links
          -Golf balls
          -Donald McI. Kendall
                -Pepsi Cola
                -Wilson Sporting Goods

      Invitation
            -Date

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 12:09 pm.

      Picture

Bull left at an unknown time before 12:13 pm.

      Gifts
              -Preacher
                   -Note by the President
                   -Duke University
                   -Ethnicity

      Saudi Arabia
           -Gift
                 -Presidential library

      Oval Office
           -Decor

Suffridge, et. al., left at 12:13 pm.

Also recorded on May 28, 1971

  • 506-003 12:13 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:13 pm and 12:14 pm.
  • 506-004 12:14 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. John Heinz, III, Harry S. Dent, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:14 pm to 12:18 pm.
  • 506-005 12:18 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:18 pm and 12:20 pm.
  • 506-006 12:18 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:18 pm and 12:20 pm.
  • 003-175 12:20 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and [Dwight] David Eisenhower, II talked on the telephone from 12:20 pm to 12:21 pm.
  • 506-007 12:20 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:20 pm to 12:21 pm.
  • 003-176 12:21 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:21 pm and 2:39 pm.
  • 506-008 12:22 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:22 pm to 12:33 pm.

All 63 conversations from May 28, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 506-002, May 28, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/506-002 (accessed October 11, 2026).