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Conversation 686-006

TapeTape 686StartFriday, March 17, 1972 at 9:56 AMEndFriday, March 17, 1972 at 10:08 AMTape start time00:16:39Tape end time00:30:15ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Franklin, Barbara H.;  Kaufman, Judy;  Gutwillig, Jacqueline G.;  Allan, Virginia R.;  Arnold, Margaret Long (Dr.);  Bethel, Paul (Mrs.);  Blair, Lorraine L.;  Connor, Julie Casterman;  Cunningham, Sarah Jane;  Griffin, Robert A.;  Hacke, Maxine R.;  Hamel, Charles M. (Mrs.);  Mealey, Margaret J.;  Palmer, Hazel;  Revercomb, Chapman (Mrs.);  Wasserman, Daniel H. (Mrs.);  Wischer, Irene;  Koontz, Elizabeth D.;  East, Catherine;  Whittaker, Bertha;  White House photographer;  Nixon, Richard M. (President);  Franklin, Barbara H.;  Kaufman, Judy;  Gutwillig, Jacqueline G.;  Allan, Virginia R.;  Arnold, Margaret Long (Dr.);  Bethel, Paul (Mrs.);  Blair, Lorraine L.;  Connor, Julie Casterman;  Cunningham, Sarah Jane;  Griffin, Robert A.;  Hacke, Maxine R.;  Hamel, Charles M. (Mrs.);  Mealey, Margaret J.;  Palmer, Hazel;  Revercomb, Chapman (Mrs.);  Wasserman, Daniel H. (Mrs.);  Wischer, Irene;  Koontz, Elizabeth D.;  East, Catherine;  Whittaker, Bertha;  White House photographerRecording deviceOval Office
AI Summary

President Nixon met with members of the Citizens' Advisory Council on the Status of Women to discuss the evolving role of women in American society and the administration's commitment to gender equality. The discussion centered on increasing female representation in government appointments, including the judiciary, the Council of Economic Advisers, and the Atomic Energy Commission. Nixon highlighted his recent appointment of Marina von N. Whitman as evidence of his efforts to make breakthroughs for women in traditionally male-dominated professional fields.

Women's rightsGovernment appointmentsCitizens' Advisory Council on the Status of WomenGender equalityMarina von N. Whitman
AudioNARA Description

On March 17, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Barbara H. Franklin, Judy Kaufman, Jacqueline G. Gutwillig, Virginia R. Allan, Dr. Margaret Long Arnold, Mrs. Paul Bethel, Lorraine L. Blair, Julie Casterman Connor, Sarah Jane Cunningham, Robert A. Griffin, Maxine R. Hacke, Mrs. Charles M. Hamel, Margaret J. Mealey, Hazel Palmer, Mrs. Chapman Revercomb, Mrs. Daniel H. Wasserman, Irene Wischer, Elizabeth D. Koontz, Catherine East, Bertha Whittaker, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:56 am to 10:08 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 686-006 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 686-6

Date: March 17, 1972
Time: 9:56 - 10:08 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Barbara H. Franklin, Judy Kaufman, Jacqueline G. Gutwillig, Virginia R.
Allan, Dr. Margaret Long Arnold, Mrs. Paul Bethel, Lorraine L. Blair, Julie Casterman Connor,
Sarah Jane Cunningham, Mrs. Robert A. Griffin, Maxine R. Hacke, Mrs. Charles M. Hamel,
Margaret J. Mealey, Hazel Palmer, Mrs. Chapman Revercomb, Mrs. Daniel H. Wasserman, Irene
Wischer, Elizabeth D. Koontz, Catherine East and Bertha Whittaker; the White House
photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.

[General conversation and greetings]

     Group photograph

     Role of women in America
          -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
          -Tricia Nixon Cox
          -Julie Nixon Eisenhower
          -Homemakers
          -Education
          -Equal rights
                -Constitutional amendment
          -Appointments
                -Race
                -Jews
                -Supreme Court
                     -Lower courts
                -Council of Economic Advisors [CEA]
                     -Marina von N. Whitman
                           -John von Neuman
                     -Herbert Stein
                -Atomic Energy Commission [AEC]

     1971 Report of the Citizen’s Advisory Council on the Status of Women

     St. Patrick’s Day

     The People's Republic of China [PRC] trip
          -Gifts

                  -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
                  -New York
                  -San Francisco
                  -Hang Chow

      White House Rose Garden

[General conversation]
     -Education
           -Aid

Franklin, et. al. left at 10:08 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.

All right, we're on scene, ladies.
It's fine.
All right.
Uh, I'm sorry, we have to wait.
That's good.
No.
We're working on it.
We're working on it.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
We've got it down here.
That's a good view.
That's a good view.
That's a good view.
That's a good view.
That's a good view.
Oh!
Well...
Well, I got it wrong.
yeah yeah
Right, right, right.
Watch this.
Watch this.
Thank you.
It's sort of wonderful that you've come down here and we can use you as a prop, sort of community care.
Well, let me tell you, if I really didn't care, I really kept it when I go to that White House.
My wife, of course, and Trish and Julie, who are out in the country, feel so strongly that there's a very new edge in regards to the role of women.
This is the important thing for us to bear in mind.
Yeah.
And that, when I say too active, this does not mean that some of the views that some of us have here, especially women, of course, serve a very important part in the endurance of all these interests.
On the other hand, you can see when you take women, as we do today in our country, when they have education and all the rest, and when they're all, they were, it is no longer necessary to spend all that time in the house it used to be.
You can't take these intelligent, creative people and just expect that they're going to do something.
They want to do something that they must be recognized and recognized on the basis of, well, you call it equal rights, whatever you want to call it.
I think perhaps sometimes we get too bogged down in equal rights and that's what's working.
Of course, I support it.
The important thing is for us to realize the status of women as far as I'm concerned, and as far as the streets are concerned.
We constantly recognize that we want to upgrade, and we appreciate your advice on it.
I think that one recent appointment is an indication of our evidence.
And one of the great difficulties is that there's a tendency to find people who are very well-to-do.
Well-to-do.
Well-to-do.
Well-to-do.
We have a last few weeks to see the map.
Well, that's what I want to know.
We have a great United States.
Well, they always think that they have a mandate to run.
Now, you don't serve a point for that.
What we're trying to do is to make breakthroughs in areas where women have never been before.
And, you know, there's a little run that's been put in front of the Supreme Court.
Now, the very fact that this is considered is a move forward.
And coming up the line are numbers of people in my direction that I can interview
At the lower courts, there will be women in the Supreme Court at some point.
But I can give you another example, the one that I have used.
I mean, the fact is, I appointed the first woman ever to serve on the Council of Economic Advisers.
Now, she's a brilliant woman.
Her father was John Bob Lyon, you know, a great physicist, and that's his rep. She's a brilliant woman.
And we appointed her because she was a woman of all women.
The fact that she was didn't hurt.
Because among her colleagues, Herb Stein, a very famous economist, they said, this woman is in the big leagues.
She can handle anything.
And now there she is now.
Nothing's been done before.
There are women economists.
So we've got one thing.
And that's what I'm trying to look for.
Take places like the Atomic Energy Commission.
I'm speaking of what we can do.
It just occurred to me that, uh, uh, here's the thing.
We've never met a woman on it.
But aren't there, isn't there someplace in this country a good woman in this business?
There must be.
I don't know if we'll find one, but we'll find it.
See, that's what, I just want you to know that's where I am.
But apart from that, uh, all these technical things, let me say, it's good to see you.
We appreciate your, your advice.
And, uh,
Oh, the best one.
I can't read it.
I can't read it.
I'm afraid what this is.
This is, this is the place that
Uh, uh, hang on.
Remember when we were out there eating these old things?
Thank you very much.
That's right.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
One second now.
All right.
All right.
Thank you very much.
You're welcome.
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