Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 560 › Conversation 560-003
Nixon, Dent & Graham on Religious leaders and White House church services
Tuesday, August 10, 1971 · 5:20 PM–5:45 PM ET · Oval Office
AI Summary
President Nixon met with Billy Graham and a large delegation of religious and civic leaders, including representatives from the First Baptist Church of Dallas and various educational and charitable organizations, to engage in general conversation and group introductions. The discussion touched upon the President’s recent travels, potential future visits, and coordination for a White House church service. Additionally, the President and Graham briefly discussed the importance of foreign policy briefings and the influence of religious figures in public life.
- Billy Graham
- Religious leaders
- White House church services
- Foreign policy
- Public relations
Audio
This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 01:05:29 into the tape and ends around 01:28:25.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data
NARA Description
On August 10, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Harry S. Dent, William F. ("Billy") Graham, Roy Gustafson, Arthur Smith, Fred Rhodes, Paul Harvey, David McConnell, Nelson Bell, George Rideout, Porter Routh, Tom Phillips, Robert Van Kampen, Charles Crutchfield, Bill Mead, Ben Hayden, Ed Johnson, Stan Mooneyham, Tom Lake, Alan Bell, W. A. Criswell, Theodore Epp, Pat Zondervan, Alan Emory, Bill Walton, Maxy Jarman, Bill Bright, Robert Denny, James Jeffrey, T. W. Wilson, Harold Lindsell, Don Gaeblein, White House photographer, and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:20 pm to 5:45 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 560-003 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 560-3
Date: August 10, 1971
Time: 5:20 pm - 5:45 pm
Location: Oval Office
Stephen B. Bull met with Harry S. Dent and William F. (“Billy”) Graham.
General conversation
The President entered at 5:21 pm.
Arrangements for meeting
Roy Gustafson, Arthur Smith, Fred Rhodes, Paul Harvey, David McConnell, Nelson Bell,
George Rideout, Porter Routh, Tom Phillips, Robert Van Kampen, Charles Crutchfield, Bill
Mead, Ben Hayden, Ed Johnson, Stan Mooneyham, Tom Lake, Alan Bell, W. A. Criswell,
Theodore Epp, Pat Zondervan, Alan Emory, Bill Walton, Maxy Jarman, Bill Bright, Robert
Denny, James Jefferey, T.W. Wilson, Harold Lindsell, and Don Gaeblein entered at 5:22 pm; the
White House photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.
Bull left at 5:22 pm.
Introductions and general conversation
-Bible
-Hannah Milhous Nixon
-Criswell
-First Baptist Church of Dallas
-Veterans of Foreign Wars [VFW]
-Baptists
-Walton
-Holiday Inn
-President’s visit
-Signs
-Kansas City
-Manchester
-Jeffery
-Fellowship of Christian Athletics
-Dallas Cowboys
-Lake
-Lilly Company
-Indianapolis
-President’s visit
-Mayor Richard G. Lugar
Baptists
President’s schedule
-Forthcoming helicopter ride
Photograph
Bull entered at an unknown time after 5:22 pm.
President's schedule
-Peter M. Flanigan
Dent, et al. except Graham, left at 5:38 pm.
Foreign policy briefing
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Harvey
White House briefings
-Labor, business, professors, Congress
-Foreign policy briefing
-Baptist leaders
-Influence
-Criswell’s conversation with Graham
-People’s Republic of China [PRC] policy
-Criswell's conversation with Graham
Dr. Nelson Bell
-Health
President's schedule
-Kissinger
-Sequoia
-White House church service
-Invitation
-Graham's mother [Mrs. W.F. Graham]
-Health
-President’s visit
-Lucy A. Winchester
The President talked with Rose Mary Woods at an unknown time between 5:38 pm and 5:45 pm.
[Conversation No. 560-3A]
President's schedule
-White House church service
-Timing
-California
-Invitation
-Mrs. Graham and companions
Photograph of President
[End of telephone conversation]
Foreign policy briefing
-Location
-Cabinet Room
-Purpose
-Lindsell
-Editorial
-J. Howard Pew
-Pew
-Bell
-Health
Dorothy Sayers
-President’s recent trip to Maine
-Background
-British
-Unknown book
-1941
-Relevance
-Background
-Conservatism
-British
-World Council of Churches
-Unknown book
-Harcourt, Brace publishing company
-Lectures
-Age
-Meeting with Graham
-Book
-Lectures
-World War II
President's schedule
-Flanigan
Graham left at 5:45 pm.Also recorded on August 10, 1971
- 559-022 3:19 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:19 pm and 3:21 pm.
- 559-023 3:21 PM · 53 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Thomas R. Shepard, Jr., H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:21 pm to 4:14 pm.
- 560-001 4:14 PM · 1 hr 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Paul W. McCracken, Herbert Stein, Stephen B. Bull, George P. Shultz, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:14 pm to 5:19 pm.
- 560-002 5:19 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 5:19 pm.
- 560-004 5:45 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Peter M. Flanigan, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:45 pm to 6:00 pm.
- 560-005 6:00 PM · 1 min — Stephen B. Bull and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:00 pm to 6:01 pm.
- 560-006 6:01 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:01 pm to 6:14 pm.
- 560-007 6:14 PM · 39 sec — Unknown person(s) [likely custodial staff] met in the Oval Office of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 6:14 pm on August 10, 1971 and 8:53 am on August 11, 1971.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 560-003, August 10, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/560-003 (accessed October 9, 2026).