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Conversation 642-016

TapeTape 642StartMonday, January 3, 1972 at 10:05 AMEndMonday, January 3, 1972 at 10:14 AMTape start time03:12:35Tape end time03:21:52ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Woods, Rose Mary;  Sanchez, Manolo;  White House operator;  Warren, Gerald L.;  Bull, Stephen B.Recording deviceOval Office
AudioNARA Description

On January 3, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, Manolo Sanchez, White House operator, Gerald L. Warren, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:05 am and 10:14 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 642-016 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 642-16

Date: January 3, 1972
Time: 10:05 am - unknown before 10:14 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Rose Mary Woods.

     Woods's schedule

     Weather

     Woods’s schedule
         -Trip to California
               -Unknown items
                    -Plane

     Painting

     Misplaced papers

     Painting
           -Owner
                -Fred Sutter
           -Value
                -Artist
                      -Death

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 10:05 am.

     Misplaced papers

          -Roosevelt Room
          -The President's name

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 10:10 am.

     The President's previous interview with Dan Rather, January 2, 1972
          -Woods's friends' opinions
               -Rather
          -Rather
               -Appearance
          -Camera angles
               -Shot from outside of Oval Office
               -Focus on the President
          -The President's demeanor
          -The President's performance
               -Paul Garvey's views
          -Rather's performance
          -Question on use of "Ms."
               -The President's subsequent calls to Julie Nixon Eisenhower and Tricia Nixon
                      Cox

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 3s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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               -The President's response
          -Rather's performance
          -Accusation concerning the President's possible delay tactics regarding Vietnam and
               reelection
               -The President's response
                     -Peace
                     -US casualties
          -Rather's performance

                -Woods’s view

     John Foster Dulles
          -Bust
                -Possible location
                     -Executive Office Building [EOB]

     News
         -Television
         -Newspapers and newsmagazines
              -Readership
              -"Man of the Year" award
              -Readership

[The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 10:05 am and
10:10 am.]

[Conversation No. 642-16A]

[See Conversation No. 18-3]

[End of telephone conversation]

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 21s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 10:05 am.

     Misplaced papers
          -Possible location

Sanchez left at 10:10 am.

[The President talked with Gerald L. Warren between 10:10 am and 10:11 am.]

[Conversation No. 642-16B]

     The President's State of the Union message
          -Announcement
          -Date

[End of telephone conversation]

     Misplaced papers
          -Out box
                -Alexander P. Butterfield
          -Briefcase
          -Roosevelt Room
          -Notes
          -"Little room"
          -Woods's search

     Bust of Dulles
          -The President's inspection
               -Decision on display
                     -EOB

Stephen B. Bull entered and Woods left at 10:13 am.

     Sanchez
          -Location
          -Previous instructions from the President

Bull left at an unknown time before 10:14 am.
Transcript (AI-Generated)

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.

Because of the very specific nature of the problem.
You can point out that Bangladesh, that call, you can say, I know it was Bangladesh.
the best of intentions with that call.
Why do you interpret it in the United States and in the international community as being the first step toward recognition by the time that other nations are not recognizing it, including the Soviet Union?
But they are dealing with the Bangladesh government.
But have not recognized it then.
How's that?
I wouldn't argue with them.
I would just tell them that you don't want to.
All right.
OK. OK. OK. OK.
But you see, sometimes I think if they get it directly to me, it's going to shake them up.
Anyway, if they get it from you, all it's going to do is they're either going to say that it came from me, or they're going to use it as a pretext to say that Kenji was doing something the president didn't approve.
You got my point?
I'm approving this goddamn thing.
I don't mind it one bit.
All right, that is right.
Good day.
I'm really looking forward to work today.
Very lovely day.
Gorgeous.
Well, when does your project begin?
I don't know.
I don't know.
I might have a project in FYI or something, so I'll take those on the plane.
Are you going to be too busy doing that?
Oh, no.
I have a painting that... Oh, it's a pseudocrat, isn't it?
He's from a rich sleuth who comes from the old man in the back.
He's running out.
A painting was probably very valuable, because the artist died the other day about 90 years ago, so it was a good one.
Yeah, but no, I have to paint a paper like that someplace around here.
Better go up the room, but the roads are not so aggressive.
I know you're sorry.
Please, sir.
No, no, please, sir.
Please, sir.
Everybody that I've talked to, from my family, friends, people that I've talked to, like that couple before, every once in a while you would just actually nod and say, it's not bad, it's just not bad.
I don't think he stood looking.
I don't have thought he stood looking.
But last night, they were too low.
And you know, the men of film aren't aware that that changed the whole look of his face.
I didn't think he was as...
It doesn't matter how bad it is.
I always thought it was nice and good.
They had good camera angles last night.
Yes, I think they did.
Because I've got to keep after her and keep her back.
Well, they had very good, I thought.
I don't know, did they have the eyes up and everything?
Eyes up, always.
And they had one shot, and I was talking.
Straight down.
I was talking.
They were good.
And they were on you almost all the time.
I thought they were very good.
And you were looking, there was no, there was no, yes.
You smiled, you were pleasant, and what I, I watched several people, and one of them was Paul Garvey, you know.
He just thought it was absolutely magnificent, the way, you never showed any irritation at all.
Not one ounce of it.
You just...
And he was really nasty.
And, you know, you promised this and you promised that.
And then that dumbness of their news question.
That was so stupid.
Well, I didn't want him.
I called Jim Lee.
Chris?
I used to go to the crime scene.
I never heard about it.
But I slipped off of it.
All right.
I said, well, I'm a little old-fashioned.
I'm Mr. and Mrs.
They can call me anything.
They can call me anything in this office.
Yeah.
It's weird.
It's because it's so pathetic.
Who wants to be a midget?
I mean, it's negative.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
He's just dumb.
He was trying every time.
The worst, the most horrible suggestion was that I had delayed the end of the war so that I could have landed much better.
That was a terrible thing to say.
Well, he implied that everything we were doing was...
I should have had it then.
Why didn't I put it off until after?
But I put it in there.
I said, this is too important for... You did.
You said the very right things and that was...
about the number of Americans who had been dying and this and that.
Oh, it was, it was just, you handled it so beautifully.
And he was so, really, then it's when, I thought he was a pig, but he was terrible.
Oh, he was just, I didn't think he'd show himself.
I think now he's not half as bright as he actually is, because when he did that, that was showing himself up pretty badly, I think.
The thing we have out here is a little head of John Foster Dulles.
And sometimes, you know, I look at it and see if he wandered over anywhere and he'll be here.
Nothing matters for television, though.
It's got them.
People scream.
and spend all their time reading newspapers and magazines and the rest.
Nobody reads newspapers or magazines anymore.
They read them.
I'm the only one who reads newspapers.
Well, I think they do.
I wish they would sell them more than they read newspapers.
They sell them now.
They sell them now.
They sell them now.
They sell them now.
They sell them now.
They sell them now.
They sell them now.
They sell them now.
They sell them now.
They sell them now.
They sell them now.
They sell them now.
They sell them now.
They sell them now.
They sell them now.
Mr. Warren, please.
Yeah.
With regard to the announcement of the State of Union, I was wondering if that had been done, or...
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