Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 630 › Conversation 630-013

Nixon, Washington & Allott on Most Courageous Junior Olympian and Athletics

Monday, December 6, 1971 · 3:16 PM–3:28 PM ET · Oval Office · 13 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Washington, Gary; Harris, Jane; Allott, Gordon L.; Kelly, John B., Jr.; Sisneros, Joseph; McArthur, Richard W.; Brooks, Sidney; Kline, Richard G.; Cashen, Henry C., II; White House photographer; [Unknown person(s)]Conversation630-013 on Tape 630 (tape position 01:28:23–01:41:33)StartMonday, December 6, 1971 at 3:16 PMEndMonday, December 6, 1971 at 3:28 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 630-013 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Gary Washington, a recipient of the "Most Courageous Junior Olympian" award, alongside Senator Gordon L. Allott and various guests including an NBC film crew. The discussion centered on celebrating Washington's athletic achievements and personal resilience, with Nixon presenting commemorative gifts such as presidential cuff links. The conversation also touched upon broader topics including the role of private industry in youth programming, recent football games, and technical comparisons between offensive and defensive football line play.

  • Gary Washington
  • Most Courageous Junior Olympian
  • Athletics
  • Football
  • Youth Programs
  • Presidential Awards

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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You ready?
Ready.
Just wait a second.
Just wait a second.
I want to put you on this stone here so you can get in a little bit.
Don't rush.
That's right.
Make sure you get in.
That's right.
Take your time.
Well, I want to honor this great ball.
Here it is.
Here it is.
Congratulations.
Joe, how are you?
Good to see you.
How are you?
Well, I'm glad to see you too.
Couldn't have a fine lawyer without a fine lawyer.
Uh-huh.
Mr. President, it's starting to look like there's going to be a death.
The Air Force Academy ran our job at the Academy just this year.
We're going to have to take out that.
You're an amputee too?
Yes, sir.
You're a truckman?
Truck.
Yes, sir.
400?
400 to 227.
Oh, all of them.
Not all of them.
Yeah.
Where did you find them?
That's in Missouri.
In Missouri, yeah.
All right.
All right.
They're still in shape.
They can probably grow up to about 46 more.
All of them.
I thought you were going to do this.
Yeah.
I'm watching it.
I'm watching it.
I'm watching it.
I'm watching it.
Oh, yeah, there it is.
I see it over there.
You're located in Washington.
Well, no, we're in the campus.
All right.
All right.
All right.
You know, it was the Chargers' one yesterday.
East Minnesota?
Yeah, you know all about it.
I was so amazed to hear that.
This is the first time you've ever done that to me.
All right.
You've been a friend of the Chargers?
Yes, sir, I have.
And 440.
442.
So we are.
440 are very strong.
We're going to have to press the press button.
Huh?
It's an honor for us, sir.
It was not as life-impressing as I feel very much, and this is the case.
I can't agree with you at the moment, but I hope you believe in that, and you can continue to do so.
Thank you very much.
The story of one of my old co-studies is that I met with one guy who wanted to talk about it, but I can just say that he hadn't had anything to do with it in his life.
No one had more courage than to prove that we had a hand staff that had overcome this kind of danger.
I don't care at all.
What he does by his hand is to take off.
That's not at the sound of the gun, but we see the other bullet.
You need to be a great defensive lineman.
That's what I'm trying to say.
Well, he played, uh, yeah, well, he was out last year, all right.
He was out last year.
Yeah, but, uh, he didn't have it.
Actually, I believe it was, uh, the 2037 touchdown this year.
It was just a tight end.
So, I played him half-time.
Well, I said, you know, he was a runner on the running base.
I said, oh, I can't.
Running?
Yes.
Well, we've got to get a great runner.
It's a great runner.
Well, we've got to get a great runner.
It's a great runner.
Well, we've got to get a great runner.
It's a great runner.
It's a great runner.
Thank you very much.
Uh, very, very, uh, Senator, uh, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator, Senator,
It's a great school.
They do a Christmas program here.
The most beautiful program we had last year.
I have a cousin.
who is attending, actually, the Wilson program.
And the other thing, you know, this community health care program has been post-conference for many, many years now.
It is a great program to pass a year here today for a private industry to really help the young people.
You know, we have several million young people in the area of these global foundations that we can bring down to the planet.
And it's just a fantastic program that
We should get a little more of this private industry putting money where we could, I think, and we can get more of that money, and we're going to have a chance to do something against the communist countries by such a state.
Yes, sir.
Well, as a matter of fact, we didn't have to go to communist countries.
You know, a lot of people in the free countries now are pretty much so-so after Atlas.
Now look, what happened, you know, it took us years to find out how the Australians were getting some tests.
You know, they turned into, like, a group of venture or what-you-like-it-called-tests.
So if you come over here now, you come in and suppose it's like this.
All right.
All right.
Now we'll look out there.
All right.
Yeah, that's right.
Okay, good.
Thank you.
Okay.
I'm going to give you one more of these presidential copies.
See you.
Now, a couple of these for you.
Another one for you, Martin.
And for you.
Oh, man.
Now, for Mother, we can't use a cup until we do that.
It's a little bowl with a seal, too, so you won't be able to swim in it.
I just had, I guess the reason I said I just had five women generals in the first year.
You've never had, you know, we've got five generals now that are women.
I said, we just said we won't be able to hand it in if I don't give you one of these.
It's our official program.
We're a national tournament and a championship.
And we appreciate you right here.
And thank you.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
We had over $2 million that came up through the 10th of September.
Great program, great program.
We had a nice place out of this academy.
What, the Air Force Academy?
No, not the Air Force Academy.
I visited it when I spoke there.
I'm sorry to interrupt that, Danny.
It's alright.
The captains were down close.
There were only four of us.
So, you'll get back.
You'll get your leg out.
He'll make it.
He'll make it.
He'll make it.
He'll make it.
He'll make it.
He'll make it.
He'll make it.
He'll make it.
He'll make it.
He'll make it.
He'll make it.
He'll make it.
He'll make it.
He'll make it.
He'll make it.
He'll make it.
Because he's quick, very quick.
The reason I think that is, that's why it seems that the action, you know, the defense warms you and so forth.
The offensive lineman moves on force.
The defensive line moves on movement.
And that is why he could play defensive.
He could play defense because he cannot move until he sees that ball move or the offensive line move.
And then he can move.
Bud Wilkinson also points this out.
You know, when he was covering the Oklahoma game, the Oklahoma-Norwegian game.
And he pointed out that the advantage that the offensive lineman has is that he can move on the count, and he knows when the count is going to come, so he gets a little bit of a jump.
But the defensive lineman compensates for getting that jump by the fact that he can use his hands, whereas the offensive lineman can't, unless he cheats.
Play a defensive linebacker.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.

NARA Description

On December 6, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Gary Washington, Jane Harris, Gordon L. Allott, John B. Kelly, Jr., Joseph Sisneros, Richard W. McArthur, Sidney Brooks, Richard G. Kline, Henry C. Cashen, II, the White House photographer, and unknown person(s) from an National Broadcasting Company (NBC) film crew met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:16 pm to 3:28 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 630-013 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 630-013

Date: December 6, 1971
Time: 3:16 pm - 3:28 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Gary Washington, Jane Harris, Gordon L. Allott, John B. Kelly, Jr.,
Joseph Sisneros, Richard W. McArthur, Sidney Brooks, Richard G. Kline and Henry C. Cashen,
II; the White House photographer, members of the press, and a National Broadcasting Company
NBC film crew were present at the beginning of the meeting.

     Introductions

     NBC film crew

     Introductions
           -“Most Courageous Junior Olympian” award

     Gary Washington
          -Congratulations

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

             -Air Force Academy

     Athletics
           -Track and field
                -Event
                      -Missouri
           -San Diego
           -Washington
           -Minneapolis
                -Football game, San Diego Chargers vs. Minnesota Vikings
           -Track events

     Press
             -Photographs

     [General conversation]

     Remarks
         -Football

     Gary Washington
          -College
          -Gallaudet University [?]
                 -The President's cousin
                       -Attendance at Gallaudet
          -Award presentation
          -Gifts
                 -Presidential cuff links
                       -Allott
                 -Mrs. Harris
                       -Five women generals
                             -Significance
          -Air Force Academy

     Sports
           -Football
                -Unknown player
                -Gary Washington’s skill as a football player
                -Offensive line

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

                 -Defensive line
                      -Differences
                 -Charles B. (“Bud”) Wilkinson
                      -University of Oklahoma games
                            -University of Nebraska
                                 -Football technique

Washington, et al. left at 3:28 pm.

Also recorded on December 6, 1971

  • 630-010 3:04 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:04 pm to 3:08 pm.
  • 630-011 3:08 PM · 43 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 3:08 pm.
  • 630-012 3:08 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Mildred C. Bailey, Lilliam Dunlap, Jeanne M. Holm, Anna M. Hays, Elizabeth P. Hoisington, Roger T. Kelley, James D. ("Don") Hughes, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:08 pm to 3:15 pm.
  • 630-014 3:28 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:28 pm and 3:30 pm.
  • 630-015 3:30 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:30 pm to 3:34 pm.
  • 630-016 3:35 PM · 24 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Myles J. Ambrose, John D. Ehrlichman, George P. Shultz, Egil ("Bud") Krogh, Jr., White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:35 pm to 3:58 pm.
  • 630-017 3:58 PM · 58 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:58 pm and 4:01 pm.
  • 630-018 4:01 PM · 2 hr 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John V. Brennan, Pierre E. Trudeau, White House photographer, Henry A. Kissinger, and Ivan Head met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:01 pm to 6:10 pm.

All 62 conversations from December 6, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 630-013, December 6, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/630-013 (accessed October 11, 2026).