Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 672 › Conversation 672-001

Nixon & Woods on Anti-Memoirs and China

Tuesday, February 15, 1972 · 9:02 PM–9:12 PM ET · Oval Office · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Woods, Rose MaryConversation672-001 on Tape 672 (tape position 00:01:11–00:07:22)StartTuesday, February 15, 1972 at 9:02 PMEndTuesday, February 15, 1972 at 9:12 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 672-001 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with his personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, to provide detailed instructions on editing and marking passages within specific books, including a copy of André Malraux's 'Anti-Memoirs.' The President directed Woods to highlight specific sentences and paragraphs regarding China while omitting other sections. Additionally, the pair briefly touched upon scheduling matters related to his office's Valentine's Day activities.

Audio

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Position in tape: 00:01:11 – 00:07:22

part A, 0:43

672a.mp3
672b.mp3
672c.mp3

NARA Description

On February 15, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:02 pm and 9:12 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 672-001 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 672-1

Date: February 15, 1972
Time: Unknown between 9:02 am and 9:12 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Rose Mary Woods.

     Books
         -Marking sentences and paragraphs
               -President’s instructions
         -Anti-Memoirs
               -Marking
                     -Sections about China
               -Hardcover copy
         -Memorandum

     The President’s schedule
          -Valentine’s Day
               -Constance M. (“Connie”) Stuart’s office

Woods left at an unknown time before 9:12 am.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

I sometimes mark books that might be useful.
I used to go through these books and see where I turned down the pages.
What you would find is sometimes I made a mark on a page here, then look on the next page, look at the places I didn't turn it down.
There's more going on.
And also, when I say I mark a page, I want you to take down
is to take the sentence that I've marked in the beginning of the paragraph and the next one after.
Does that mean I have to do it one after the one after?
Yeah, one after.
So I get to see if it is in the middle of the paragraph take the sentence that I've marked in the one before and the one after.
And then mark it.
Mark it the part of the paragraph.
You can put, uh, you can put the book, put the top of the book there, and then take the top of the page, and then... No, no, no, they go right now.
You can say, in fact, you start to see what they're trying to do with that.
That's a blank.
It is a blank.
Go on and say, like this here, right here.
Here, here it is.
You can tell that this is a 50-degree web cancer.
You just go right down there.
Okay.
Then you have chocolate.
There you go.
There you go.
It doesn't make any difference.
That's the way to do it.
Put two sentences in each case, and three if not, serve a character.
Okay, now, this book here.
The targets of the class will stop about here, and then pick something.
I'd like to have his heart.
I'd like to have his heart covered.
I'd like to have his heart covered.
How do you read that?
I know.
There, you can't go out there.
Wow.
Happy Valentine's Day.
My pleasure.
Mr. Broderick?
Uh, too much to do unless you can't tell me.

— 1 min 42 s with no transcribed speech —

Well, if you like, sir.
Thank you, sir.

Also recorded on February 15, 1972

  • 020-096 10:30 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:30 am and 10:45 am.
  • 020-097 10:45 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 10:45 am to 10:47 am.
  • 672-003 12:47 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:47 pm and 12:56 pm.
  • 672-004 12:47 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:47 pm and 12:56 pm.
  • 672-005 12:47 PM · 57 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:47 pm and 12:56 pm.
  • 672-006 12:47 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:47 pm and 12:56 pm.
  • 672-007 12:56 PM · 33 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Manolo Sanchez, Rose Mary Woods, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:56 pm to 1:30 pm.
  • 672-008 1:30 PM · 39 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:30 pm and 11:59 pm.

All 11 conversations from February 15, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 672-001, February 15, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/672-001 (accessed November 1, 2026).