Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 633 › Conversation 633-003

Nixon, Woods & Sanchez on Oval Office decor and Abraham Lincoln bust

Thursday, December 9, 1971 · 9:13 AM–10:04 AM ET · Oval Office · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Woods, Rose Mary; Sanchez, ManoloConversation633-003 on Tape 633 (tape position 00:08:35–00:16:56)StartThursday, December 9, 1971 at 9:13 AMEndThursday, December 9, 1971 at 10:04 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 633-003 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with his personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, and personal aide, Manolo Sanchez, to discuss the decor and arrangement of the Oval Office. The group specifically focused on the placement and aesthetic style of an Abraham Lincoln bust within the room. No significant policy decisions were recorded during this informal administrative discussion.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
You know, that's very, very, very good.
Very good.
Very good.
Very good.
Very good.
Very good.
Did I say that this is the tenderest time of the year?
Well, I think that's true.
I think that's right.
I think there's a couple of things going on.
I don't know.

NARA Description

On December 9, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:13 am and 10:04 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 633-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 633-003

Date: December 9, 1971
Time: Unknown between 9:13 am and 10:04 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Rose Mary Woods and Manolo Sanchez.

     Bust of Abraham Lincoln
          -Position in room
                -Style of bust

Woods and Sanchez left at an unknown time before 10:04 am.

Also recorded on December 9, 1971

  • 016-065 9:04 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:04 am and 9:12 am.
  • 633-001 9:05 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:05 am to 9:11 am.
  • 016-066 9:12 AM · 58 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ruth A. Bunche talked on the telephone from 9:12 am to 9:13 am.
  • 633-002 9:12 AM · 58 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ruth A. Bunche met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:12 am to 9:13 am.
  • 016-067 9:13 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:13 am and 11:33 am.
  • 633-004 9:13 AM · 37 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:13 am and 10:04 am.
  • 633-005 10:04 AM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 10:04 am.
  • 633-006 10:04 AM · 56 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Emilio Garrastuzu Medici, and Vernon A. Walters met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:04 am to 11:02 am.

All 44 conversations from December 9, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 633-003, December 9, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/633-003 (accessed October 12, 2026).