Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 670 › Conversation 670-008

Nixon, Woods & Bull on Busing and Vietnam

Monday, February 14, 1972 · 10:59 AM–11:04 AM ET · Oval Office ·3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Woods, Rose Mary; Bull, Stephen B.; Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation670-008 onTape 670 (tape position 02:04:08–02:07:11)StartMonday, February 14, 1972 at 10:59 AMEndMonday, February 14, 1972 at 11:04 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 670-008 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Rose Mary Woods and Stephen B. Bull to coordinate scheduling for upcoming congressional meetings regarding busing, followed by a brief discussion with Henry Kissinger regarding diplomatic strategy. Kissinger and the President analyzed a recent communication from Le Duc Tho concerning potential peace negotiations and the impact of an upcoming trip to the People's Republic of China. The participants deliberated on whether to accept the invitation for further meetings and established the need for a private consultation to finalize their policy approach before traveling.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Good morning, Mr. President.

Good morning.

How are you?

I just want to tell them all, the senators and congressmen, we are in for it.

It's the first time we get a Senate.

They're really good now.

They're very good.

I'll see you.

Oh, I want to do this.

What do you mean flowers?

You know, they've got lots of flowers.

It's kind of okay.

It's got a really bigger heart.

No.

It has a heart.

So, you know, she just sent hers, and she can see it in her room.

It has a nice little voltage, if you would, you know, 130.

All right.

How are you feeling?

Fine.

Excuse me.

Is that right?

Yeah.

Okay.

Well, I've got to go to my school.

I'm going to go to my school.

Getting along as it's one thing to be close to discrimination.

Second, Boz, inviting me to tell you to be gentle in front of you.

One month after you leave, we'll chat.

Why don't you read?

Why don't you send her a message?

Our response will depend upon what you do with me or not.

I don't, I wouldn't accept that.

I think we should accept it and say, this is a person not that was there to investigate.

That's what I mean.

We will accept.

But if there is a tendency to be an honor, we'll make it sweet.

There is a tendency to make it impossible for Dr. President.

The President said, but if there's a tendency to make it impossible, they have never taken initiative.

They've never invited us to a meeting.

They've never...

Let me say this, Heather.

I don't want you to get any impression.

I was not honestly impressed by that book.

It's a magical job.

But what I'm trying to do is to read it to the devil's side because, you see, I want to have a chance.

You and I have got to sit down before we get on an airplane.

I'm not going to go over it to you.

If you'd like to do that in a second, I know that we can do this.

Just thank you so much.

Now, if you pick the other book out that I can go through, that book I have finished.

You see it over there?

Right.

But this is the evidence.

I'll tell you what time you need to read the poetry.

I don't know.

NARA Description

On February 14, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, Stephen B. Bull, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:59 am to 11:04 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 670-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 670-8

Date: February 14, 1972
Time: 10:59 am - 11:04 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Rose Mary Woods and Stephen B. Bull.

     Schedule
          -Busing meeting
               -Congressman and Senators
               -Executive Office Building [EOB]
Henry A. Kissinger entered at 11:01 am.

     Message from the President

     Woods
                                                             Conv. No. 670-23/671-1 (cont.)
******************************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 08/19/2022.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[670-008-w001]
[Duration: 35s]

     Rose Mary Woods
          -Flowers
               -Tricia Nixon Cox
               -Julie Nixon Eisenhower
                     -Arrival at White House
                           -February 15, 1972

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

Woods and Bull left at 11:02 am.

     Vietnam
          -Message
               -Le Duc Tho
                    -Invitation to Kissinger for meeting
               -Reply
                    -Offensive
               -People’s Republic of China [PRC] trip
                    -Unknown book
                    -Kissinger
                          -Meeting with the President
                                -Issues
                                -Unknown book
                                -Timing
                                      -Unknown ambassador

The President and Kissinger left at 11:04 am.

Also recorded on February 14, 1972

670-005 9:12 AM · 48 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, and George P. Shultz met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:12 am to 10:02 am.
670-006 10:02 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:02 am and 10:07 am.
670-007 10:07 AM · 52 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, Arthur F. Burns, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:07 am to 10:59 am.
670-009 11:04 AM · 1 min — Manolo Sanchez, United States Secret Service agents, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:04 am and 12:49 pm.
670-010 11:04 AM · 20 sec — Stephen B. Bull, Henry A. Kissinger, and President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:04 am and 12:49 pm.
670-011 12:49 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Jaime Arguelles, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:49 pm to 12:52 pm.
670-012 12:58 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:58 pm to 1:02 pm.
670-013 1:04 PM · 1 hr 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:04 pm to 2:25 pm.

All 30 conversations from February 14, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 670-008, February 14, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/670-008 (accessed September 18, 2026).