Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 623 › Conversation 623-007

Kaplow, Woods & Sanchez on White House Social Affairs

Tuesday, November 23, 1971 · 12:20 PM–12:34 PM ET · Oval Office · 17 min

ParticipantsWoods, Rose Mary; [Unknown person(s)]; White House operator; Sanchez, Manolo; Kaplow, Herbert E.Conversation623-007 on Tape 623 (tape position 02:52:56–03:10:39)StartTuesday, November 23, 1971 at 12:20 PMEndTuesday, November 23, 1971 at 12:34 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 623-007 ↗

In this Oval Office meeting, Rose Mary Woods briefs President Nixon on various administrative matters, including his upcoming travel schedule to California and New York. The conversation also touches upon social arrangements, specifically managing house guests and visitors during the holiday season. The President additionally holds a brief telephone call with Mrs. Betty Kaplow to offer condolences regarding her father's death.

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Well, all of a sudden you hear the cow noise.
Do you know Mrs. Capo?
Mrs. Herb Capo, she is the wife of Herb Capo.
But she's, you know, exceptional by now.
I have the latest letter from the chairman of the executive committee of Bausch and Law saying that our, the picture which he had requested the one taken in San Diego, San Fernando, the two of you, because he had one of them.
had arrived, he knew it was there, but hadn't got back to the vacation.
And they just put it up, they're keeping his office as it was.
He allowed a matter of billion views.
And it was just very clear.
So you would have that one level that neither of you like, but the people who are close like.
But it was such a nice letter that they thought about it.
And I saw John Alexander a few minutes, and he was very good.
He looks fine.
He looks very fine.
He's thin, but he looks good.
And that's a letter from Arthur.
It's a letter from, I can't read it, it has to be my phone number.
Okay, he just talked about strengthening the international market by himself.
You know, actually, I was like, Pat did mention that Helene was getting to be a problem because Helene's talking about like she wanted to come here to Thanksgiving and bring her mother just to get out of her own problem.
Come here?
Yeah, I didn't think she'd realize it.
Why?
I didn't say I couldn't believe you.
The other thing she did was she wanted to go to Agatha with her, and she even sent in a resume.
Jesus Christ.
Which Pat said was so embarrassing because she said she sent in a resume.
And see what Pat's saying, she's such a great trainer and all, Pat doesn't want to be stuck with her.
What do you think is the best way to handle it?
Maybe it's because I think she's got to have her doubts.
She's got to have her doubts.
But I guess that's the lesson.
One of those things, but I take it worse even.
They'll come and... Well, I do think that the...
I think they should come.
That's only about Saturday, isn't it?
The dedication.
Yes.
They should come Friday, isn't it?
So they have to get out of there because you're leaving.
I don't think it's Saturday.
Well, you leave Saturday morning, don't you?
I mean, they... No, no, no.
The main thing is you're going to be in the house to begin the movie.
And I think you said that...
I think they should come to dinner.
And I do think you should get on the movie.
I don't know.
That's my problem.
I know, and they won't leave right away.
I want to see.
So put a movie on, and then I'll go to bed.
I'll say, well, it's midnight.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm just not going to allow Jack to say that I'm going to come to you and do, that's when you've got to step in.
I don't know how you're going to do it, but I'm just going to say it.
Well, I will, because I'm just, I'm just certain that... As a matter of fact, I'm not going to step out, but I'm going to step out.
Oh, I think you could say goodnight to me instead of burning the, you know, I could do whatever I wanted to do.
And we can stop you from going there.
And I'll tell Walter, too.
He'll, he's going to, he's going to have to say, but, you know, he really has to leave.
Because we don't have time to talk with Morgan.
We can have drinks.
We can talk about our African trip and that, which is fine.
But Pat and I will see each other.
Which I understand was a real mess she took that Mrs. Razor with her.
Betty, what happened?
Well, you know, I mean, you really, she's sort of a pain in the neck.
I don't know if you know Betty really very well.
She is a pain.
I don't like it.
Well, the rest of them, it was sort of not pleasant for Ray and all of them.
Ray was there?
Ray was there.
He said the Rayers were bad.
They were both oversold.
Oh, my God.
That was just the...
And I think some other widow maybe should come along.
I'm not sure.
But Betty Ritter is, and you have Lane next to Sunrise.
That's a Ritter she ought to be.
Come there soon.
She should.
Anyway, what I was going to say is that this idea of
Well, I think that's what she wants.
That's what they've had on some people.
Well, you see what it is?
It's very like a life-and-parent thing.
And she had an impact on us lately.
I think that's what she got on us.
But anyway, it's great.
Which is all right.
I do.
She's nobody to be worried about.
That's for sure.
She had one hell of a time.
I feel like she had a real problem with her.
She cried her couple off.
And Julie too, same thing.
Julie was there, but Julie didn't go.
Oh, she's jealous of Julie.
She's jealous of Julie.
Because, you know, she's done a competition with me, and last night, then after...
I guess it was Dr. Mayer before.
Then she said, well, you know, Trisha's such a good.
And I said, is she?
This is amazing.
I said, because she does a magnificent job.
Then she started, then she said, well, you know, the whole thing is, who does it?
I have to do the work.
I'm the only one who can do all the work on 2,000,000 ideas.
You know, I can take it.
It's a... Well, she has to do that.
I think you have to stick to that not knowing when to stay overnight because I'm excited to talk.
I'm not going to let these two compete.
It's perfect.
But, you know, I'm not going to have to talk to John.
I'm going to be awesome.
I'm going to stay with everybody overnight.
This guy's on our course.
Well, that's fantastic.
And I'll go see if the university works.
I think we're all trying to do the same thing.
Trying to bust over there sometime.
I just can't get involved.
I mean, the one thing that we just try to have, I don't know, all those people who are there and there, you know, it's on.
And they do it very quickly.
I mean, it's just not cards.
It's the aura of the Lord.
She might write over again in the morning and say something.
She might not.
I don't know.
Well, you should tell her you're involved.
She won't say it.
She probably doesn't.
I had followed an attorney that was attached to her for three years.
He said bye.
And then all of a sudden I had a curse.
And then it just starts to get to me.
Well, maybe I shouldn't know.
A lot of people don't think I know because I don't do that.
But I really do.
And it just didn't seem...
It's exhausting, aside from everyone else.
Yes.
Well, you see, as soon as you have your dates set for your meeting to talk about, you might be meeting with
Didn't you think you might be in, in, uh, the hospital, wherever you're supposed to be?
Uh, here.
I think I'll go to Florida, actually.
And I'm thinking about that.
I'm gonna pick up more times than four, maybe the first, apparently, in three states.
Yeah, now, you come back from California on Wednesday, right?
This time, you will be here.
I don't know if I'm supposed to be in Florida.
I figured I could stay the night.
Hello?
Hello?
Yes, the other day when I...
I didn't see her down there in Miami.
I was asking Gary Warren, you told me about your father's death.
I said, he was simply, yeah.
I know, of course, he was sick for a long time.
That's a very, it's just one of those diseases that comes along and there should be no answer to it.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, he had a good life and he must have been very proud of her being on television all the time.
But anyway, I hope that you certainly take to California with you.
We don't know when it will go yet, but maybe I'll see you at the Senate, you see.
But it could be late tomorrow sometimes, so you ought to be ready any time late tomorrow.
Well, late tomorrow or Thursday.
It'll be one of them, too.
I met with Senator just this morning, and so we'll try to tell him instead of that.
I think it'll be late tomorrow or Thursday.
Well, we wish you well, and hope the weather's good out there.
Got it.
Well, I hope it's good in California.
That's it.
There'll never be any snow in Santa Monica.

On November 23, 1971, Rose Mary Woods, unknown person(s), White House operator, Manolo Sanchez, and Herbert E. Kaplow met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:20 pm and 12:34 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 623-007 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 623-007

Date: November 23, 1971
Time: Unknown between 12:20 pm and 12:34 pm
Location: Oval Office

Rose Mary Woods met with an unknown person.

     Thanks

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 12:30 pm.

The President entered at an unknown time after 12:20 pm.

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

     Woods's schedule
         -California

     Mrs. Herbert E. [Betty (Koplow)] Kaplow

The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 12:20 pm and
12:30 pm.

[Conversation No. 623-7A]

[See Conversation No. 15-115]

[End of telephone conversation]

     Mrs. Kaplow

     Letter from chairman of Bausch & Lomb
           -Picture of President and Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon in San Clemente

     [Unintelligible name]

     Letter from Arthur F. Burns
           -Letter from Gustave L. Levy
                 -International Monetary Fund [IMF]

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

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 07/10/2019. 6m
9s segment cleared for release. 6m 22s remain closed as 623-007-w002.]
[Personal Returnable]
[623-007-w002]
[Duration: 6m 9s]

     Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon's schedule
          -Helene (Colesie) Drown
               -Mother

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

     The President's schedule
          -November 27, 1971
               -Dedication of Eisenhower Medical Center
          -Jack Drown and Helene (Colesie) Drown
               -Dinner and a movie
               -Walter R. Tkach

     Betty Ryan
          -Ray [surname unknown]

     Helene (Colesie) Drown
          -Julie Nixon Eisenhower’s opinion
          -Conversation with Rose Mary Woods
                -Tricia Nixon Cox

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[623-007-w002]
[Duration: 6m 22s]

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 12:20 pm.

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 12:30 pm.

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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

     Dedication of Eisenhower Medical Center
          -Guests
                -Jack Drown and Helene (Colesie) Drown
                      -Overnight stay
                -Roger E. Johnson and Louise Johnson
                -Mamie G. D. Eisenhower
          -Transportation logistics

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

     Helene (Colesie) Drown
          -The President's views
               -Visits to Camp David
          -Rose Mary Woods’s opinion

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

     The President’s schedule
          -December 18 and 19, 1971
               -Forthcoming trip to New York

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

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 07/10/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[623-007-w003]
[Duration: 31s]

     The President’s schedule
          -Future plans
               -November 24, 1971
                      -Return from California
               -Florida trip

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

The President talked with Mrs. Kaplow between 12:30 pm and 12:34 pm.

[Conversation No. 623-7B]

[See Conversation No. 15-116]

Woods left at an unknown time before 12:34 pm.

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

[End of telephone conversation]
  • 015-111 11:43 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and William Brock talked on the telephone from 11:43 am to 11:47 am.
  • 015-112 11:47 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:47 am and 11:56 am.
  • 015-113 11:47 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:47 am and 11:56 am.
  • 623-006 11:47 AM · 27 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, and Chalmers P. Wylie met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:47 am to 12:20 pm.
  • 015-114 11:56 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone from 11:56 am to 11:58 am.
  • 015-115 12:20 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:20 pm and 12:30 pm.
  • 015-116 12:30 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Herbert E. Kaplow talked on the telephone from 12:30 pm to 12:34 pm.
  • 623-008 12:34 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:34 pm and 1:13 pm.

Conversation 623-007, November 23, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/623-007 (accessed October 1, 2026).