{"conversationCode":"508-014","tapeNumber":508,"conversationNumber":14,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-508-014","startDateTime":"1971-06-02T16:04:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1971-06-02T16:12:00.000Z","startDate":"2-Jun-1971","startTime":"12:04 PM","endDate":"2-Jun-1971","endTime":"12:12 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"estimated","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.; Nixon, Thelma C. (\"Pat\") (Ryan); Hopkins, William J.; Hopkins, William J. (Mrs.); Castell, John N.; Castell, John N. (Mrs.);","description":"On June 2, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Thelma C. (\"Pat\") (Ryan) Nixon, William J. Hopkins, Mrs. William J. Hopkins, John N. Castell, and Mrs. John N. Castell met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:04 pm and 12:12 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 508-014 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"OVAL","recordingDevice":"Oval Office","latitudeEstimated":38.8974,"longitudeEstimated":-77.0374,"chronCode":1,"chronRelease":"First Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"5-Oct-1999","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 508-014\n\nDate: June 2, 1971\nTime: Unknown between 12:04 pm and 12:12 pm\n\n       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542\n\nLocation: Oval Office\n\nThe President met with Stephen B. Bull\n\n     President’s schedule\n           -Certificate\n           -Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon\n\nMrs. Nixon entered at 12:07 pm\n\n            -Medal of Freedom presentation\n                -William J. Hopkins\n                       -Family\n                -Sequence of events\n                -Citation\n                       -Commander Craig S. Campbell\n\nBull left at an unknown time before 12:08 pm\n\n     Oval Office\n          -Furnishings\n\nBull, Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins, Gail Hopkins, and Mr. and Mrs. John N. Castell entered at 12:08\npm\n\n     Introductions\n\n     W. J. Hopkins’ home town in Kansas\n           -President’s home town\n           -High school\n\nBull, G. Hopkins, and Mr. and Mrs. Castell left at 12:10 pm\n\n     Hopkins’ role with administration\n\nBull entered at an unknown time after 12:10 pm\n\n     Arrangements for ceremony\n\n       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542\n\n[An unknown man introduced the participants]\n\n     [Applause]\n\nThe President, Mrs. Nixon, and Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins left at 12:12 pm","filename":["508-014.mp3"],"tapeStart":"02:34:59","tapeEnd":"02:41:07","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Bull, Stephen B.","Nixon, Thelma C. (\"Pat\") (Ryan)","Hopkins, William J.","Hopkins, William J. (Mrs.)","Castell, John N.","Castell, John N. (Mrs.)"],"prevCode":"508-013","nextCode":"508-015","transcript":[{"start":2.87,"end":5.16,"text":"and Jason's on her way in as well."},{"start":32.52,"end":55.8,"text":"Also, Mr. President, I'm listening to this morning's email."},{"start":56.92,"end":58.9,"text":"The first one is that this is a medal of freedom and surprise to you, including Bill Hopkins."},{"start":58.92,"end":59.38,"text":"Did you even know that?"},{"start":59.4,"end":59.96,"text":"Yeah, I was just editing it."},{"start":59.98,"end":60.32,"text":"Yeah, yeah, yeah."},{"start":60.34,"end":61.98,"text":"Bill Hopkins is outside with his wife, and he's got a"},{"start":62.82,"end":81.33,"text":"his wife's cousin, and his daughter."},{"start":81.35,"end":82.23,"text":"We'll just bring them in and introduce them."},{"start":82.25,"end":83.39,"text":"Then we'll bring them to the family and put them outside."},{"start":83.41,"end":84.45,"text":"Thank you, you and Mrs. Nixon and Mr. and Mrs. Bill."},{"start":84.47,"end":86.19,"text":"William J. Hopkin will be announced by the door and will walk out into the steps, sir."},{"start":86.22,"end":86.72,"text":"All right, Tom, let's go."},{"start":86.74,"end":87.12,"text":"There is one thing."},{"start":87.14,"end":88.46,"text":"After your remarks, sir, Craig Cannon will be standing behind you."},{"start":88.48,"end":89.86,"text":"Commander Cannon will be behind you when you're ready for the second."},{"start":103.47,"end":116.02,"text":"I'll give it a position."},{"start":117.56,"end":123.53,"text":"I'll give it a position."},{"start":123.55,"end":124.17,"text":"I'll give it a position."},{"start":124.19,"end":124.67,"text":"I'll give it a position."},{"start":124.79,"end":125.27,"text":"I'll give it a position."},{"start":125.29,"end":125.97,"text":"I'll give it a position."},{"start":136.52,"end":157.22,"text":"Well, it's quite a day."},{"start":157.24,"end":163.82,"text":"Quite a day."},{"start":163.84,"end":165.14,"text":"Well, Mr. President, does it feel like you've been here 40 years?"},{"start":165.16,"end":165.54,"text":"No, it hasn't."},{"start":171.58,"end":174.27,"text":"That's great."},{"start":174.29,"end":187.73,"text":"Yes, it's a children's recovery system."},{"start":188.85,"end":193.66,"text":"In other words, I grew up in a small town of about 150 people."},{"start":193.68,"end":194.6,"text":"That's even smaller than the size of the town."},{"start":194.62,"end":198.48,"text":"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no."},{"start":198.92,"end":219.63,"text":"Well, ."},{"start":222.24,"end":246.91,"text":"This way."},{"start":246.93,"end":247.51,"text":"He's going to keep going out."},{"start":247.53,"end":248.11,"text":"He's going to keep going out."},{"start":248.13,"end":248.71,"text":"He's going to keep going out."},{"start":248.73,"end":249.31,"text":"He's going to keep going out."},{"start":249.33,"end":249.91,"text":"He's going to keep going out."},{"start":249.93,"end":250.51,"text":"He's going to keep going out."},{"start":250.79,"end":268.81,"text":"We can just go to the auditorium, and the president and Mrs. Nixon will be first, and you and Mrs. Hopkins will be behind."},{"start":268.83,"end":272.72,"text":"And down to that middle level of the step, if you present yourself, basically all your friends, Mrs. Nixon to the far right, and Mrs. Hopkins, and the president will be the step in front of you."},{"start":272.74,"end":273.62,"text":"And there you'll be to the president's left."},{"start":273.64,"end":274,"text":"President, just..."},{"start":282.18,"end":307.27,"text":"Late and done."},{"start":307.29,"end":309.67,"text":"The President of the United States and Mrs. Nicholas, Your Honorals and Mrs. Woodrow J. Fauci."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon, Pat Nixon, and Stephen Bull met with William J. Hopkins and his guests to coordinate a Medal of Freedom ceremony. The participants discussed the logistics and sequence of events for the presentation, including the role of Commander Craig Campbell. Following brief social conversation regarding their shared experiences growing up in small towns, the group departed the Oval Office to proceed to the formal ceremony.","topics":["Medal of Freedom","William J. Hopkins","Ceremonial planning","White House staff","Pat Nixon"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T22:36:05.907Z"},"topicSlugs":["medal-of-freedom","william-j-hopkins","ceremonial-planning","white-house-staff","pat-nixon"],"audioDurationSec":340,"audioFiles":[{"file":"508-014.mp3","bytes":13612746,"durationSec":340.13,"bitrate":320177,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:49.685Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:43:52.794Z","transcriptGapSeconds":133,"transcriptGapShare":0.39,"transcriptQuality":"incomplete","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/508-014.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/508-014","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/508/conversation-508-014","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}