Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 685 › Conversation 685-006

Nixon, Bartlett & Coover on Kiwanis International and Drug abuse prevention

Tuesday, March 14, 1972 · 12:18 PM–12:32 PM ET · Oval Office · 16 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bartlett, Wes H.; Coover, Darrell; Miller, Jack R.; Miller, Jaynie K.; Timmons, William E.; Cashen, Henry C., II; White House photographerConversation685-006 on Tape 685 (tape position 03:23:03–03:38:42)StartTuesday, March 14, 1972 at 12:18 PMEndTuesday, March 14, 1972 at 12:32 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 685-006 ↗

President Nixon met with representatives from Kiwanis International to discuss their community service initiatives, specifically their work on drug education and environmental projects. The participants shared perspectives on the importance of local community involvement and service organizations, with the President encouraging the group to continue their efforts to reach youth and address social challenges at the grassroots level. The conversation also touched upon Bicentennial planning and the value of active civic engagement compared to passive activities like television viewing.

  • Kiwanis International
  • Drug abuse prevention
  • Environmental projects
  • Civic engagement
  • Bicentennial planning
  • Community service

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Position in tape: 03:23:03 – 03:38:42

part B, 1:20:47

685a.mp3
685b.mp3
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685d.mp3

On March 14, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Wes H. Bartlett, Darrell Coover, Jack R. Miller, Jaynie K. Miller, William E. Timmons, Henry C. Cashen, II, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:18 pm to 12:32 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 685-006 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 685-6

Date: March 14, 1972
Time: 12:18 pm - 12:32 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Wes H. Bartlett, Darrell Coover, Jack R. Miller, Jaynie K. Miller,
William E. Timmons and Henry C. Cashen II; the White House photographer was present at the
beginning of the meeting.

       Greetings

       [Photograph session]

       Kiwanis International
           -The President
                  -Rotary Club
           -Copies of photographs

       Jaynie Miller
             -Anecdote
             -Age
             -School

       Kiwanis
           -Fund
           -Drugs
                 -Meeting of black leaders

             -Busing
             -Major concern
             -Living conditions
                   -Compared to suburbs
      -Sammy Davis, Jr.
             -Meeting with the President
      -Importance of issue
      -Gift for the President
             -Comic book
      -Comic books
      -Booklets
      -Nebraska
      -Iowa
             -School bus tours
      -Convention
             -Drug mobile
Show the rest of the log (65 more lines)
                   -New York
                   -Chicago
                   -Cleveland
                   -Los Angeles
-Service clubs
      -Kiwanis
      -Rotary Club
-Drug mobile
      -Jack Miller
-Cities
      -Waterloo, Iowa
             -Meatpacking
             -John Deere tractors
             -Whites
      -Chicago
      -Miami
-Projects
      -Environment
-Service clubs
-Bicentennial planning
      -David J. Mahoney, Jr.
             -Talk with secretary
             -Philadelphia
             -Des Moines
-Service clubs

                     -Rotary Club
                     -Kiwanis
                     -Lions Club
               -Support
               -Algona, Iowa
               -Fort Dodge
                     -The President’s experience in 1952
               -Algona [?]
                     -Manufacturing
                     -Size
                     -Whittier, California
                     -Schools
                     -Small towns
                     -Television
                           -Julie Nixon Eisenhower

        Jaynie Miller

        The President’s previous work as a newspaper reporter

        Presentation of gifts
             -Secret Service

        Washington, D.C.
            -Spring
                  -Rose Garden
                        -Tricia Nixon Cox’s wedding
                        -Flowers and trees
                              -Description

        Support for the President
             -Hugo [Unknown Surname]
                    -Conference on aging
                    -Age
                    -Gift

        Busing

Bartlett, et. al. left at 12:32 pm.

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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Mr. President, Senator Miller is here.
This is probably a good way to...
Senator Miller said that he would request that you come in.
That's all right.
I'll invite you.
What have you got?
We'll just get you a couple of minutes in the boat.
He probably has one.
I'll see you there.
I have nothing to say about you.
You've never received one.

— 1 min 43 s with no transcribed speech —

Well, all right.
Congratulations.
Congratulations.
All right.
All right.
Thank you.
Goodbye.
Okay, I'll get a good shot.
Mr. President, I'm Kiwanis.
I'm Kiwanis.
I always point out.
I'm not, I was an honorary rotarian.
You didn't have an honorary rotarian.
Everything else, but I was a Kiwanis.
I know.
I know men who are here who are trying to do it.
I sent a copy to the president and also to the senator.
That's right.
We got plenty of that.
No, no, no, just sit down.
That's right.
Here's a lesson for you.
Sit down.
Sit down.
Well, when we first decided to be president back in 1960, we had this big rally in Sioux City, in this moratorium, and I was all he had to do was pack.
And I guess Charlie, who was it?
Charlie, just to have a little say in it.
You know how Charlie is nowadays?
He's a good guy.
Thanks.
Oh, yes, that would be Charlie.
Go ahead.
I was going to say, it was mighty, mighty good for this pack.
And, uh, he said, and then he went out in the wings, he was five, five years, six.
He was at the flowers, and at the flowers, and then he turned his, he was instructed to get the bell out of there and go back to the stage.
And with her hand on her shoulder, she said, can I have you sit with me today?
And he turned around, and I hit him in the back ten times big, and I looked up at him, and I said, it's going to be very amazing.
Where do you go here?
I go to Georgetown University.
Georgetown, yeah.
Oh, yes, of course.
I just finished about three weeks of internship with the press.
Oh, that's right, with one of our, Sarah, I don't know.
She'll teach us.
I don't like to.
It's a lousy business.
Let me say something about Juwanis for you.
I have been in a place with a number of things you've got to remember.
In our days, we used to have a melt pot.
Everybody used to have a melt pot.
Not our places, too.
But we did.
We did.
You've got a fine job on the drug, and it's interesting to know that in this recent black meeting they had out there, we had observers, you know, these were radicals, or some radicals, at least about 4,000 of them, you know, they referred from bombs and this and that, and also a lot of these people, too.
But the one society they disagreed with and everything, they came out four of us and went against them and everything else, but the one society in which there was more anguish and more anonymity than anything else was drugs.
The blacks are terribly concerned about drugs, and they're particularly concerned about drugs
And where the blacks live, you know, we, we are concerned about our youngsters who have suffered and the rest of the day are in the best part of the problem.
You know, a lot of kids are on, you know, worse, worse.
But the blacks, they live in these miserable places, you know, and
And a lot of them are hopeless anyway.
And so these horrible peddlers go in there and they get them hooked.
I have a sanity doctor in here who's probably been on the stuff most of the time.
His wife was in here and he's helping us.
He said, well, I need you to do a drug.
So I just want to say that if you want us, that what you're doing in the drug information field is very important nationally.
And it's one of those few areas where you can feel that you're helping to the black light.
And we appreciate that.
And that's how you're .
uh... uh...
We have a bus, a school bus in the district of Perkinsy.
And, uh, that's the purpose.
And, uh,
And I'm thinking out of New York, Los Angeles.
Let's face it.
They're not racist, right?
So, the way, one way you can do it is you need to be sent, if you can get in front of the field and not pretend that you walked through,
I don't think it's that heavy.
What in the world are these people?
What in the world are these people?
What are your other projects at the present time?
Well, our second thrust and our major emphasis is Project Environment.
What we're trying to do is get people to understand what it is to be a part of the ecology to which they belong and how to live it up and maintain it.
Well, you know, that service section fits service clubs, too, because service clubs are always our inventory.
And I think it's going to be better and probably good now.
Listen, don't be a little afraid of the rule of thumb, too.
Pride of the city and pride of the club and the rest.
It's all bad in the whole direction.
But we need to have a rule.
We need to have a rule.
I talked about it.
It's one of the good things out there.
All you've got to do is appreciate the time you've spent on the trip.
We're already trying to develop a way we can relate as an organization.
Who do you work with there?
Well, I think our general secretary has.
I'm the head of the office.
I hire people and all the rest of them go right here.
You'd like to see them get the feel of the thing.
You see the idea of having this celebrated throughout the country, right?
Yes, in Philadelphia, it is.
It is quite a fascinating test.
In other words, let's have a good celebration.
Come on, as well as this.
And you could, I think, this is a good one.
You could do all the service, come on.
I believe in what you're doing.
I believe in your clubs and everything.
Don't as a result of your travel around the country lose your devotion to the heart.
That's what that country looks like there.
That's the country it's in.
And now, is that your town here at the match?
Now, what is it?
Is it basically a manufacturing?
It's a small community, about 6,000.
Basically farm agriculture.
Right.
And that's the kind of challenge where you'll have an interesting thing.
It's relaxing action.
Well, but also you've got people supporting the school.
Everybody's interested.
They still go to the PTA meetings and participate.
They still go to the county fair.
They still go to the county fair.
That's right.
Well, it's such a great temptation to replace all this with just spectaculars at the national level.
In other words, some people just like to sit in front of the PP.
But there is nothing like participating in something.
You can get out of the press and get TV.
TV needs good bright people.
That's what my daughter really tells me.
uh... uh...
I wrote for, what do you call it, Carmen White was the name of our paper.
And I wrote to her for the paper.
It was a hard work time.
And you make deadlines.
You write fast.
That's hard work.
Anything worthwhile is hard work.
I want to give you everything the President of the Service Club gets from the President of the Customs.
Oh, thank you very much.
They're just as expensive as they are, but that's it.
See the seal on the hand, and on the floor, there it is, the Customs.
Are you going to have it there, Dad?
Here's what it is.
You're right.
You're very rich.
There's for you.
See, what is this?
This is the...
This is your coat, Marker.
I'll give you one.
Give one to Marker.
I want the jacket.
Back up, back up, back up, back up.
You don't want to read that.
You'll need it.
Here, for the rest of the company service.
Before you go, it will be the most beautiful sign in Washington in two weeks.
  • 685-005 12:15 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:15 pm and 12:18 pm.
  • 685-007 12:32 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 12:32 pm and 12:36 pm.
  • 021-063 12:36 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 12:36 pm.
  • 021-064 12:36 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 12:36 pm.
  • 021-065 12:36 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:36 pm and 2:55 pm.
  • 685-008 12:36 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 12:36 pm.
  • 685-009 12:36 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 12:36 pm.
  • 685-010 12:36 PM · 1 hr 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:36 pm to 1:57 pm.

Conversation 685-006, March 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/685-006 (accessed November 2, 2026).