Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 574 › Conversation 574-011

Nixon, Gonzalez & Luther on Bowling and Physical Fitness

Friday, September 17, 1971 · 12:05 PM–12:14 PM ET · Oval Office

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Gonzalez, Aida L.; Luther, Edwin R.; Luther, Edwin R. (Mrs.); Baker, Frank K.; Crowe, Albert E. (Mrs.); Marrs, Mabel; Davis, Harold; Meek, John; Wilson, Michael; Cashen, Henry C., II; White House photographerConversation574-011 on Tape 574 (tape position 03:15:07–03:21:33)StartFriday, September 17, 1971 at 12:05 PMEndFriday, September 17, 1971 at 12:14 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 574-011 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with representatives from the National Bowling Council to discuss the sport's role in physical fitness and its growing international popularity. During the session, the President engaged in friendly conversation about his personal interest in bowling and his family's involvement, while also posing for photographs with the group. Nixon presented the attendees with presidential cufflinks and autographed programs, encouraging the guests to visit the White House bowling alley before departing.

  • Bowling
  • Physical Fitness
  • National Bowling Council
  • Presidential Gifts
  • White House Bowling Alley

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 168.0 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 167.9 MB

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 03:15:07 into the tape and ends around 03:21:33.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

· Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.
3:16:09Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. Secretary of State, we call on you.
3:16:10How are you?
3:16:11Very good.
3:16:11Where are you from?
3:16:11Milwaukee.
3:16:12Milwaukee.
3:16:12Oh, yeah, that's wonderful.
3:16:12Thank you.
3:16:13This is Mrs. Crowe, President of the Women's International Congress.
3:16:14What city are you from?
3:16:15I'm from Syracuse, New York.
3:16:15Syracuse.
3:16:15I'm from the Big Orange.
3:16:16I'm from the Big Orange.
3:16:16Oh, yeah.
3:16:17Oh, yeah.
3:16:40of the visual in your hands.
3:16:41And the visual champion, he's the perfect host.
3:16:42The perfect host, I'm honored.
3:16:42And here's to the world champion, Dustin.
3:16:43And Mr. Luther, you're a senior in Wisconsin, and he's the man of the visual champion.
3:16:45You have to be kept in Wisconsin.
3:16:46And there's a remark in all the world of the years, the thing that started every 421 years.
3:17:08What do you want to eat in the cold?
3:17:09Come on, you can start over now.
3:17:10Great.
3:17:10And this is Mrs. Lutheran.
3:17:11Yes, I'm here with you both.
3:17:12You're watching.
3:17:12And this is Mrs. Mars.
3:17:13Yes.
3:17:13From Vancouver, Washington.
3:17:14And she's a resident of the National Bowling Council.
3:17:15She also serves in the National Bowling Council.
3:17:33Mr. Davis will then have a morning penicillin on the council desk for the city.
3:17:36And Mr. Tommy Power also has a penicillin on the board.
3:17:39And Mr. Jim McAdams will come here.
3:17:41Oh yes, right, right, good to see you.
3:17:42I'm going to tell them today that you are a John Lee who seems to be working at the council on the city.
3:17:47And this is what it seems.
3:17:48Go back.
3:17:48I'm going to tell the city.
3:18:00real frail, but do you want to recognize?
3:18:01No, I'm not supposed to be here.
3:18:02It's, you know, except when I'm in Washington, for example, except when I go to Florida or California.
3:18:04I mainly, I like to go, like, I play golf on an arcade all the time.
3:18:06But, uh, I'm not going to be here.
3:18:06That's why I'm not going to be here.
3:18:07I'm not going to be here.
3:18:08I'm not going to be here.
3:18:28Well, we think that's wonderful.
3:18:31Hey, look at that.
3:18:32That's a picture of a national installation.
3:18:35There were about 400 participants from 13 countries.
3:18:38And this was the parade of the nations ahead of time.
3:18:42It's like the Olympics.
3:18:43Yes, and the ceremonies done in the Olympic Hall of Fame.
3:18:48Hold it a little tighter so we can get a picture.
3:18:51You've got to get us all on a hit.
3:18:53We want to get each of you a copy of it.
3:18:55One minute.
3:18:56Three minutes.
3:18:59And you know, we're also very thrilled that some of this recognition is of all of us.
3:19:07Oh yeah, and both of our girls, and David, and Patricia, David is a great inventor, to be most of all.
3:19:16But I've been over 200 more often than he is.
3:19:19I can remember the numbers.
3:19:27We want to give you a little remembrance, each of you.
3:19:31There's people who are champions or managed champions.
3:19:34These are the Presidential Conflicts.
3:19:38It has a seal of the office in the Conflicts.
3:19:43And here's the seal in bold in each way.
3:19:47So now, that's why everybody gets their country in there.
3:19:51It's bold to give it all.
3:19:52If you'd like a special treat, if you'd mind going over and see the one I was bowling on.
3:19:54We'd love to.
3:19:54I've had that several times, but I'd like to see it.
3:19:55See the, uh, see the suit on the front, perhaps, down there with the bullet on it.
3:19:57Well, go over there and see if you've got bowling shoes on.
3:20:11they may have managed to roll one.
3:20:12All right, so we'll, I'm looking to say that on the way out, I'd like to leave you these two as well.
3:20:14These are the programs for the first day ceremonies on the second.
3:20:16And, oh yeah, they have a special stamp right now.
3:20:17Yes, they're real thrilled with that.
3:20:18Would it be too much to ask you to autograph one for our Hall of Fame?
3:20:19Of course, we'd like to display.
3:20:46This one.
3:20:46I took it the other time, and I'll leave it up to you.
3:20:47Another one off the video.
3:20:54I want to tell you, too, how thrilled I was to be able to participate in your Council for Physical Pensioners here last year.
3:20:57Oh, yeah.
3:20:57Well, we were really thrilled for that.
3:20:58Bowling is a good exercise.
3:21:17When I go by myself, it's all about, well, anywhere from about 7, 12, just right off the bat.
3:21:27But as soon as you get through, you're not shit.
3:21:32But it's a great sport.

NARA Description

On September 17, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Aida L. Gonzalez, Edwin R. Luther, Mrs. Edwin R. Luther, Frank K. Baker, Mrs. Albert E. Crowe, Mabel Marrs, Harold Davis, John Meek, Michael Wilson, Henry C. Cashen, II, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:05 pm to 12:14 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 574-011 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 574-11

Date: September 17, 1971
Time: 12:05 pm - 12:14 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Aida L. Gonzalez, Edwin R. Luther, Mrs. Edwin R. Luther, Frank K.
Baker, Mrs Albert E. Crowe, Mrs. Mabel Marrs, Harold Davis, John Meek, Michael Wilson and
Henry C. Cashen II; the White House photographer and members of the press were present at the
beginning of the meeting.

     Frank K. Baker
          -Position
          -Background
                -Milwaukee, Wisconsin

     Mrs. Albert E. Crowe

     Des Moines, Iowa

Edwin R. Luther

Mrs. Edwin R. Luther

Mrs. Mabel Marrs
     -Vancouver, Washington
     -National Bowling Council

Harold Davis, John Meek

Greetings

Bowling
    -Recognition
    -The President's schedule
          -Washington, DC
          -Florida and California
                -Golf
    -Participants
          -Photograph
                -Number
                -Countries
                      -Number
                -Comparison to Olympics
                -Ceremony
                -Copies
    -The President's family
          -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
          -Tricia Nixon Cox
          -Julie Eisenhower
          -[Dwight] David Eisenhower, II
                -Score
    -The President's score

Presidential gifts
     -Presidential seal
           -Cufflinks
           -Stephen B. Bull

White House bowling alley

           -Bowling

     Programs
          -Bowling ceremonies
          -The President's autograph
               -Hall of Fame
                     -Bowling
               -Pen
          -Council for Physical Fitness
               -Participation by bowling members

     Bowling as sport
         -The President's score
         -Competition
         -Competitors
         -Cost
               -Participation
         -Time
         -Family sport
         -Handicap
               -Number in team

The President, Mrs. Gonzalez, et al. left at 12:14 pm.

Also recorded on September 17, 1971

  • 574-007 11:41 AM · 27 sec — Alexander P. Butterfield and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:41 am and 11:43 am.
  • 574-008 11:41 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, unknown person(s), and Kay Gardella met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:41 am and 11:43 am.
  • 009-061 11:43 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Kay Gardella talked on the telephone from 11:43 am to 11:45 am.
  • 009-062 11:45 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:45 am and 4:28 pm.
  • 574-009 11:45 AM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Jack F. Kemp, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:45 am to 12:01 pm.
  • 574-010 12:01 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:01 pm to 12:05 pm.
  • 574-012 12:14 PM · 3 min — Alexander P. Butterfield and United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:14 pm and 12:34 pm.
  • 574-013 12:34 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ginger Rogers, Alexander P. Butterfield, Manolo Sanchez, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:34 pm to 12:49 pm.

All 48 conversations from September 17, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 574-011, September 17, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/574-011 (accessed October 12, 2026).