Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 535 › Conversation 535-013

Nixon, Mizell & Port on Baseball and Pan American Games

Friday, July 2, 1971 · 11:43 AM–11:52 AM ET · Oval Office · 10 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Mizell, Wimer D.; Bane, Eddie; Calufetti, Larry; Castillo, Benny; Ellenberger, Bob; Caneira, John; Ellenberger, Nell; Fraser, Ron; Gerlach, Doug; Harrington, Marty; Helt, Peter; Hewitt, Tony; Holland, Cliff; Lynn, Fred; McClain, Bill; McGill, Roger; Mims, Fred; Patterson, Paul; Port, Jeff; Reed, Ken; Smith, Jay; Smitheran, Jack; Steele, Tim; Todd, Jackson; Torregano, Al; Winkles, Bobby; Winkles, ElinorConversation535-013 on Tape 535 (tape position 02:41:14–02:51:36)StartFriday, July 2, 1971 at 11:43 AMEndFriday, July 2, 1971 at 11:52 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 535-013 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Congressman Wilmer D. Mizell and the Arizona State University baseball team, coached by Bobby Winkles, to discuss their upcoming participation in the Pan American Games in Cali, Colombia. The group outlined plans to conduct baseball clinics for local youth in Colombia as a form of cultural diplomacy, a program the President agreed to support through coordination with the Department of State. During the visit, Nixon offered encouragement to the athletes and distributed presidential mementos, including cufflinks and golf balls.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 6 minutes of this recording (about 64% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Mr. President and Mr. President, well, how are you guys?
I hear you brought a baseball team.
Are you sure you need a guy?
I'm interested in seeing if there are eyes on him.
I heard him say that he used to be an all-star team.
I'm going to see if that's true.
I'm going to see if that's true.
I'm going to see if that's true.
I'm going to see if that's true.
I'm going to see if that's true.
I mean, if you're not here, you can't get it.
I mean, if you're not here, you can't get it.
I mean, if you're not here, you can't get it.
Good to have you here.
Good to have you here.
Good to have you here.
Good to have you here.
Good to have you here.
He's got a baby.
He's got a baby.
He's got a baby.
He's got a baby.
He's got a baby.
He's got a baby.
I don't know what to say to him about it.
I don't know what to say to him about it.
I don't know what to say to him about it.
I don't know what to say to him about it.
I don't know what to say to him about it.
I don't know what to say to him about it.
I don't know what to say to him about it.
All right, now where were you all about?
Down in the city.
All right, down in the town.
I was right in the middle of the place.
I thought you were right in the middle of the place.
I was down in the town.
Down in the town?
Down in the town?
It was a small room.
It was a small room.
It was a small room.
It was a small room.
It was a small room.
It was a small room.
It was a small room.
Thank you.
Oh, that is, that is really not going to work.
We have to be sure, right?
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
This is all Arizona State.
I would be a senator.
He can run pretty good.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Yeah, it's like, we've received a natural, you know, they are really focused.
Of course, he doesn't want them to share the views that they really want, you know.
They're all complaining, so he's, he's there in all ways.
Yeah, that's right.
He's, he's, you know, they've got elevators.
Yeah, that's right.
Yeah, that's right.
I told you, Mr. President, that I was reading down here, there's five or ten weeks.
Yeah, well, they'll tell you in the evening.
All this may be the end.
That's right.
Maybe it's news, Senator.
All right.
All right.
We organized the Pan American Games as kind of a preliminary to the Olympic Games the year before.
We're going to Cali, Colombia.
We organized the 15th of June.
We're going to play 24 games in this area, then go back and leave for Cali on the 29th of July and come back August 15th.
That's a great idea.
Bobby is one of the really great coaches in college baseball.
Probably has the best winning record.
And he has both boys and big leagues and any other college coach that we know too.
What does that say?
All right.
Here we go.
All right.
All right.
Look up here.
Here we go.
Show your dentistry if you have it.
All right.
Thank you.
Well, that's great.
Well, I just wish you the best.
I'd love to go along.
Sit in the back.
Watch you.
Watch you.
Well, I don't know that most, some of these young men went to South America a couple of weeks ago.
I mean, about what was it a month ago, man?
And they played six games against the Colombian team.
We're going to try to, we have talked with the state department.
We're going to try to put on clinics for those kids down there on our days when we are playing, but then and say, if we play at night, we give them in the morning and we hope that might help us.
with the people and... Good.
We'll get that pushed.
You tell, uh... You talk to, uh...
Hey, in our office, General Hayden, come on, we want to push that program to the safety of our state, and push that out of the way.
We'll certainly give rhinings for all the kids in that area.
That's better.
That's better.
That's better.
Well, we've got a little memo for you.
This is the presidential complex.
It's a seal, as you notice.
It's a mark of this office.
It's a seal of whatever.
Here.
Here is the complex.
So all of you, you might have that.
I was kidding.
And I have to tell you,
I'm gonna give you something else.
This is the, this is the person that you're gonna call.
He also has a seal on him.
His name is Wilson.
and a signature.
And I'll tell you what, I gave him a little advice first.
I said, please, get the fuck out of here.
That guy right there can get a right on the desk.
But you're right.
He's the guy.
He's not on the desk.
He's never been on the desk.
He's never been on the desk.
He's never been on the desk.
He's never been on the desk.
He's never been on the desk.
He's never been on the desk.
He's never been on the desk.
He's never been on the desk.
Well, good luck.
Could possibly be representative of a finer group of young men, Mr. President.
I want to thank you guys for not taking our distance.
I couldn't be better than you.
I mean, it's great.
This is what we need.
We're going to be doing a lot of work.
We're going to be doing a lot of work.
We're going to be doing a lot of work.
We're going to be doing a lot of work.
We're going to be doing a lot of work.
Thank you, sir.

NARA Description

On July 2, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Wimer D. Mizell, Eddie Bane, Larry Calufetti, Benny Castillo, Bob Ellenberger, John Caneira, Nell Ellenberger, Ron Fraser, Doug Gerlach, Marty Harrington, Peter Helt, Tony Hewitt, Cliff Holland, Fred Lynn, Bill McClain, Roger McGill, Fred Mims, Paul Patterson, Jeff Port, Ken Reed, Jay Smith, Jack Smitheran, Tim Steele, Jackson Todd, Al Torregano, Bobby Winkles, and Elinor Winkles met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:43 am to 11:52 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 535-013 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 535-13

Date: July 2, 1971
Time: 11:43 am - 11:52 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Congressman Wilmer D. Mizell, Eddie Bane, Al Bannister, Larry
Calufetti, Benny Castillo, John Caneira, Bob Ellenberger, (Mrs. Bob) Nell Ellenberger, Ron
Fraser, Doug Gerlach, Marty Harrington, Pete Helt, Tony Hewitt, Cliff Holland, Fred Lynn, Bill
McClain, Roger McGill, Fred Mims, Paul Patterson, Jeff Port, Ken Reed, Jay Smith, Jack
Smitheran, Tim Steele, Jerry Tabb, Jackson Todd, Al Torregano, Bobby Winkles, (Mrs. Bobby)
Elinor Winkles.

     Baseball team

     Introductions

     July 1, 1971 defeat of the New York Yankees

     Pan American games

           -Pre-Olympic games in Colombia
           -Coach Bobby Winkles' record
           -Colombia
                -Plans for baseball clinics for Colombian youth
                     -Department of State
                     -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

     Presidential gifts
           -Cufflinks
           -Golf balls
                -Spiro T. Agnew

Mizell et al. left at 11:52 am

Also recorded on July 2, 1971

  • 535-007 11:29 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Robert G. Houdek, Robert G. Houdek, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Ronald L. Ziegler, and Oliver F. ("Ollie") Atkins met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:29 am to 11:32 am.
  • 535-008 11:32 AM · 26 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:32 am.
  • 535-009 11:32 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Lane Dwinell, Elizabeth (Cushman) Dwinell, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Oliver F. ("Ollie") Atkins met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:32 am to 11:36 am.
  • 535-010 11:36 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield [?], Eleuterio Mendozo, Mrs. Eleuterio Mendozo, Elizabeth Mendozo, and James D. ("Don") Hughes met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:36 am to 11:39 am.
  • 535-011 11:39 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Robert J. Newbrand, Mrs. Robert J. Newbrand, Janice Newbrand, Patricia Newbrand, Michael Newbrand, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:39 am to 11:41 am.
  • 535-012 11:41 AM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:41 am and 11:43 am.
  • 535-014 11:54 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Roman C. Pucinski, Orlando Rivera, and Arthur Fagan met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:54 am to 11:57 am.
  • 535-015 11:57 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:57 am.

All 78 conversations from July 2, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 535-013, July 2, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/535-013 (accessed October 13, 2026).