Conversation 616-001

TapeTape 616StartWednesday, November 10, 1971 at 12:45 PMEndWednesday, November 10, 1971 at 12:56 PMTape start time00:00:28Tape end time00:10:31ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Boone, Pat;  Boone, Shirley;  Spina, Jack;  Price, Patrick H.;  Cashen, Henry C., IIRecording deviceOval Office

On November 10, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Pat Boone, Shirley Boone, Jack Spina, Patrick H. Price, and Henry C. Cashen, II met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:45 pm to 12:56 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 616-001 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 616-1

Date: November 10, 1971
Time: 12:45 pm - 12:56 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Pat Boone, Shirley Boone, Cheryl Boone, Linda Boone, Deborah Boone,
Laura Boone, Jack Spina, Patrick H. Price and Henry C. Cashen II; the White House
photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.
[The recording begins at an unknown time while the meeting was is progress]

     Barry M. Goldwater
          -Speech

     Oval Office
          -Theodore Roosevelt
          -Former location of the President's office
                -Abraham Lincoln
          -Presidential seal
                -Ceiling
                -Floor
                      -Carpet

     Presentation of gifts by the President
          -Presidential seal

     Oval Office
          -Uses
               -Josip Broz Tito, Indira Gandhi and Andrei A. Gromyko
          -Old Executive Office Building [EOB] Office

     Presentation of gifts by the President
          -Pens

     Golf balls
          -The Vice President

     West Wing rooms
          -Cabinet Rooms
          -Roosevelt Room
          -Staff meetings
                -Timing

     Oval Office
          -Furnishings
               -Flags
          -Harry S. Truman and Lyndon B. Johnson
               -Presidential libraries
          -Music box

     Children
          -Julie Nixon Eisenhower
     White House
          -Fireplaces

     The President's leadership
          -Pat Boone’s recent conversation with Goldwater
          -Foreign policy
                -The President’s forthcoming trips to Moscow and Peking
          -National economy
                -Wage and price freeze
          -Goldwater's speech

     Goldwater
         -Speech on Lockheed
               -Barry M. Goldwater, Jr.

     Shirley Boone
           -Hometown
           -Father, Red Foley

     Nashville
         -Grand Ole Opry
         -Country-Western music
               -Spirituality

*****************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 03/18/2020.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[616-001-w001]
[Duration: 3s]

     Nashville
         -Country-Western music
               -Spirituality
                     -Jesus

*****************************************************************

     Entertainers

Boone, et al., left at 12:56 pm.

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Yes.
Stop, stop, stop.
He said it's a new, he said it's a new country.
The last three weeks of the new country.
And you're very gold when I say that.
You know, they say he wants to gather the cover flags and the circle and all that.
And you hear him say this.
He has a huge event.
You know, he's going to be doing this all across the country.
He said it's a new country.
You're very gold when I say that.
I carry the whole weight, you know, from the key in.
Well, let me tell you, this is the famous Oval Office.
And it was built at the time of Theodore Roosevelt.
Before that, the office of the president was in the White House, you see, and on the second floor.
For example, Lenin's office was on the second floor of the White House.
But here it is.
This office has been the office of the president for about 65 years.
And the special mark of the office is that seal, the seal of the museum.
And the same on the floor, right down below, which is always, all the carpets change, but they always have the seals, both.
And we're going to give you mementos that have the seal on it, too, so that you can have something.
These are little things.
I keep you covered.
No, you got it now.
And these are, uh, these are the same.
This is all we have for her.
It's a seal and a bow.
Oh, you're a seal.
And this is not what you would buy for food.
Oh, a jacket would be enough.
Right.
I have to have you here.
I do some work here.
I see most, all states, yes, a lot of them you see.
People like Tito, Mrs. Goddard, etc.
I see them here.
Make sure all farmland suits are not here.
I do my work over across the street in a husband's park.
Well, lately I've been in my house.
But many cousins have been here all the time.
I don't have to work here.
These are for the girls.
This is the president's book.
The boxes were more than the pen.
But anyway, we give these to congressmen and senators when I sign a bill that has a signature like that.
It's a good thing.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Now, the golf ball.
You're a golfer.
Yes, sir.
That's a seal, isn't it?
That's a golfer.
We've got to get you something in here.
It must be a vice president's mouthwash.
Oh, sure.
Oh, man, I like that.
That's right.
Here we go.
Go straight down.
Here we go.
To the vice president.
We call this public.
Yeah.
This is another event discussion.
It has the ceiling.
Sure.
Right here.
What a significant job.
I mean, to see that big building across, it's great.
Yeah.
All in one, only.
That's all we can do.
All Mr. President will do is continue to ask for a show.
Now, yes.
And we also, as a church, we want you now to see the captain room.
We want you to see the captain.
Now, that's where we're working.
And, yes, there are people getting together there now, and also the restaurant room, where
About 7.30 in the morning.
About 7.30 in the morning.
That's 7.30 we get dispatched.
And sir, call back.
And if anything else you want.
And your special agencies.
And they may take you to the market.
Also, those are the flags.
Those are the only things that leave the room with the President.
Well, the flags.
The flags, yes.
Those flags always occurred at all presidential offices.
They were at Anne Potter's presence.
We used to go to Potter's presence, too.
That's very true.
And when he had his office duplicated, his library did.
Yes.
And Nathan Johnson did, too.
Oh, yeah.
Like a cat.
He had an old wife.
Mark.
Mark.
Did he take some of the stuff with him?
No, he didn't.
She's beautiful, sir.
Well, this is me.
She can cry, but I can cry out loud.
What are you doing?
Music box is always a good thing.
I'm not supposed to hear that.
You're all a little counter.
Of course you do.
Of course you do.
I should be able to pick out the melody.
We're out.
We're out.
We're out.
We're out.
We're out.
We're out.
We're out.
Yeah, we'll never make it, never.
Never be in that kind of to-do line.
That was her line, you know?
Yeah, yeah.
No, that's her.
They leave home.
But the girls always come back, even after they marry.
They come home.
That's what Julie was trying to tell you.
I'm sure it's preceded you.
Another nice part of this room are the fireplaces.
There are many fireplaces in the White House.
There's one in the White House that's proper.
There are fireplaces in every room.
Every room except for the third floor.
The third floor, which of course is right there.
I want you to know we just greatly admire the leadership that you bring, I think, in the decision you've made.
Like this very outlaw last night, you made a decision that two years ago, I'm sure you never dreamed that you would make.
But the situation comes, and you have to make it.
Nobody knows how they will come out, but you have to make these great moves because of the options on the other side of the border.
You really have a choice in regard to going to Moscow and maintaining a continued confrontation with an unacceptable risk of war somewhere down the track.
Not next year, but 10 years from now.
Or you negotiate, not with the idea of going to settle everything or even very good things, but with the chance
But you might have to be, so you don't take the chance.
You don't wage price to make a decision that you wanted to make, but it had to be made, so do it.
But as Barry said, I think he's right that more and more people are beginning to feel that there's at least somebody who is going to lead the way, rather than just get pushed and prodded and forced into it.
you know, some kind of nebulous sort of, not even a decision, just that he's pushed into something.
So you make the decision, you make the clean-cut thing, you explain it, and you move on, you know, and it's good.
It's good that you get him right.
Also, he's an honest man.
Yeah.
Honest man.
He didn't, you know, go out on a pedestal.
He survived.
Yeah.
He voted his son, and the vote came up on that.
I guess it was Lockheed issue.
And he was speaking on the floor of the Senate.
His son was standing back, he said, Dad, can't you try above principle once in your life?
All of you on this way, and all of you on that way.
Well, goodbye.
Thank you very much, very much.
Thank you very much, very much.
Tell me, where are you from, say?
I'm from Chicago.
Oh, you are.
I'm from here, from Nashville.
I was there when I was 12.
My dad was a gran in law school.
Oh, they're very old.
They're both his daughters, of course.
The girls come out of Nashville, so famous, of course.
Yeah, they're very old.
And girls.
Questions?
Yeah, country westerns.
Sure, country westerns.
And they have a lot of students.
At least it's good, clean, not sick.
It is amazing, that country.
It really is.
Right.
It is amazing.
It has a spiritual content, too.
It does.
I know.
I know.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.