Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 708 › Conversation 708-012

Nixon, Walters & Woods on Canadian Parliament and French language

Thursday, April 13, 1972 · 4:47 PM–4:59 PM ET · Oval Office

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Walters, Vernon A.; Woods, Rose Mary; Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation708-012 on Tape 708 (tape position 00:41:16–00:53:24)StartThursday, April 13, 1972 at 4:47 PMEndThursday, April 13, 1972 at 4:59 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 708-012 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Lt. Gen. Vernon A. Walters to receive coaching and practice the pronunciation of French phrases for an upcoming address to the Canadian Parliament. The session involved detailed linguistic drills, with Rose Mary Woods assisting in the logistics of the speech drafts and Alexander P. Butterfield briefly joining to deliver documents. The discussion also touched upon ongoing military concerns in Vietnam, including North Vietnamese movements and the status of diplomatic efforts.

Audio

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This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 00:41:16 into the tape and ends around 00:53:24.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.
41:08I don't know if this is incorrect.
41:22I don't know what term they use if it's an Anglo-Saxon term.
41:27You know, in France, it would be the president, but I don't know that it's in the monarchy.
41:32L'orateur?
41:33I'm sure it's right.
41:37Let me read this very slowly.
41:41Monsieur l'orateur de la chambre des communes.
41:45Monsieur le président du Sénat.
41:48Monsieur le premier ministre.
41:50Messieurs les membres des chambres du Parlement canadien, éminents, hautes et amies.
41:57Éminents.
42:09Let me see if I can turn it.
42:39and they're just stuck around for the new, the new time of day ever.
42:42Masha'Allah raka'ur al-shamra, the commune.
42:45Masha'Allah rizwan al-san'a, or Masha'Allah raka'ur al-san'a.
42:48Masha'Allah rikne'in Yisra.
42:52Masha'Allah l-imamra, Masha'Allah l-imamra al-shamra bi'l-bara'ma, qanadiyan.
42:59E min ma'od.
43:01E min am.
43:01E min am.
43:02E min am.
43:03E min am.
43:03E min am.
43:05E min am.
43:07E min am.
43:09I appreciate it.
43:11I appreciate it.
43:39You even have a slight French-Canadian accent, don't you?
43:46That's all right.
43:47Yes, sir.
43:49Perfect.
44:04I don't know.
44:05Maybe I should have tried a little of this when I entered.
44:08I hadn't thought that I would, but... Let's see if I can pronounce something.
44:25I'll see if I can pronounce it.
44:29Ah!
44:29O-mah-mah-mah-mah-mah-mah...
44:32I would also like to salute in my name and in the name of the Pope of the United States, the United States.
44:41The Pope of the United States.
44:43The Pope of the United States.
44:46The Pope of this great country.
44:48The Pope of this great country in which we feel in the generous spirit and friendship
45:02I don't have to say it right.
45:04I don't have to say it right.
45:08I don't have to say it right.
45:31I might say that.
45:33You said the end of the word.
45:37Perfect, you have to answer.
45:41The public is a grand pays.
45:50Pays.
46:00The puppet is the grand pays, okay?
46:01Don't move, don't press, you know?
46:05Don't make a spree.
46:07Shame on you.
46:08Ain't nothing here.
46:10Okay.
46:11Let me try this other one again.
46:15We're coming down here from Connecticut, sir.
46:18Well, they're in Connecticut, but they didn't rent it.
46:20No, they're selling it right.
46:21They're actually selling it right.
46:22This sort of thing.
46:23You see, it's the highest one.
46:25You don't recognize it.
46:26I don't recognize it.
46:27I know it, Frank.
46:28Now you do.
46:28I don't know.
46:30I knew it 30 years after I studied it.
46:33Four years in college.
46:33It's perfectly comprehensible.
46:34We're sure over a third of us aren't worthy of communion.
46:39Masha'Allah, praise the Daqa al-Saddaqa, Masha'Allah, the Torah, the Sanat, Masha'Allah, the Pentecost, Masha'Allah, the Imamur, Masha'Allah, the Imamur, the Shamba, the Palamah, the Qarnayana, the Qarnayana.
46:54Qarnayana.
46:54Qarnayana.
46:55How do you say it?
46:56Qarnayana.
46:57Qarnayana.
46:57You don't chop it up quite that badly.
46:59Qarnayana.
47:00Qarnayana.
47:01Qarnayana.
47:02Qarnayana.
47:02Qarnayana.
47:03Qarnayana.
47:03Qarnayana.
47:06Qarnayana.
47:09I may not hold.
47:11I may not hold.
47:14I may not hold.
47:17I may not hold.
47:18I may not hold.
47:22If you take out the A, you should pause.
47:28Where do you say it?
47:31Where do you say it?
47:53You want to say difference?
47:55Yes.
47:55C-A-G-R-S. Huh?
47:57C-A-G-R-S. What does that mean, difference?
48:01What is it?
48:02C-A-G-R-S, and I put a C on it to give you the sound.
48:06Shares on me.
48:07Right.
48:08Shares on me.
48:10That'd be fine.
48:11It's very warm.
48:12Shares on me.
48:13Right.
48:15Could you put this over your ear?
48:17Yes.
48:17Put this speech right there.
48:23I, uh, want to call it a night.
48:25I, uh, take my hand away.
48:33Thank you.
48:33Thank you very much.
48:35I'm sure a lot of others have heard of me.
48:38I'm sure a lot of others have seen me.
48:40I'm sure, I'm sure Mr. Gage has heard of me.
48:43I'm sure Mr.
48:46You don't have to say, ladies and gentlemen, that is, they should.
48:52They should.
48:52They should.
48:53They should.
48:54They should.
48:55They should.
48:55They should.
48:56They should.
48:57They should.
49:12J'apprécie.
49:13J'apprécie.
49:15J'apprécie.
49:16J'apprécie.
49:17What is it?
49:18J'apprécie.
49:19J'apprécie.
49:20J'apprécie.
49:21J'apprécie.
49:23J'apprécie Guillaume.
49:25J'apprécie Guillaume.
49:28J'apprécie Guillaume.
49:38Well, I'm sure that
50:40I thought they were talking about .
50:46We're worried in all of North Vietnam about what we're doing.
50:49The fleets are moving.
50:51The planes are coming.
50:54See what I can do.
50:55I did get a thing, sir.
50:56I had asked General Payton.
50:57He said the Rostro in the building.
50:58I saw it.
50:58He said his man made it before yesterday.
51:00I've been in contact with Harris.
51:01Rich Swain, please.
51:02He's absolutely out of control.
51:04He's silenced us.
51:05We've got to stop him.
51:06We've got to stop him.
51:07We've got to stop him.
51:08Why?
51:08What are you going to do?
51:14Huh?
51:15Fine.
51:17One way to stop it.
51:19One easy way to stop it.
51:21And the dying can talk.
51:25That was a fascinating experience for Paris, both with the Chinese and the Japanese.
51:36The night before I left, the chairman of the Massacre called me and said,
51:44You're an old friend.
51:44You've got to come today.
51:45Exactly.
51:45So I went to find you and saw you.
51:50Sorry you don't know Russian.
51:52Did you ask your partner?
51:53No, sir.
51:54Not you.

NARA Description

On April 13, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Vernon A. Walters, Rose Mary Woods, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:47 pm to 4:59 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 708-012 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 708-12

Date: April 13, 1972
Time: 4:47 pm - 4:59 pm

Location: Oval Office

The President met with Lt. Gen. Vernon A. Walters.

       Walters
            -Confirmation
                 -Congratulations

       The President's trip to Canada
            -Address to Parliament
                  -French portions
                          -Walters's review
            -Speech draft
                  -Walters's rendition
                          -Pronunciation
                  -The President's rendition
                          -Walters's review
                          -The President's accent
                          -Pronunciation
            -Arrival speech
                  -The President’s rendition
                          -Pronunciation
            -Speech draft
                  -Phonetic translation
                          -The President's knowledge of French

Rose Mary Woods entered at 4:53 pm.

                 -The President's rendition
                       -Walters's corrections
            -Speech typewriter
                 -Placement

Woods left at 4:55 pm.

            -Speech draft
                 -The President's rendition
                       -Walters's corrections

       Walters's new job
            -Progress

Alexander P. Butterfield entered at an unknown time after 4:55 pm.

       Delivery of unknown article

       Unknown person's location

       Signing of documents

Butterfield left at an unknown time before 4:59 pm.

       Vietnam
            -Reports
                 -North Vietnamese movements
                        -The President's conversation with [Forename unknown] Palms
                 -Gen. Haig
                 -H. Ross Perot
            -North Vietnamese offensive
                 -US actions
                 -Negotiations
            -People's Republic of China [PRC]

       Walters's knowledge of Russian language

       [Unintelligible]

Walters left at 4:59 pm.

Also recorded on April 13, 1972

  • 708-004 4:31 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 4:31 pm.
  • 708-007 4:34 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:34 pm and 4:37 pm.
  • 708-008 4:34 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:34 pm and 4:37 pm.
  • 708-009 4:37 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, Henry A. Kissinger, and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:37 pm to 4:46 pm.
  • 022-123 4:38 PM · 9 sec — Henry A. Kissinger and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:38 pm and 4:46 pm.
  • 022-124 4:38 PM · 11 sec — Henry A. Kissinger and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:38 pm and 4:46 pm.
  • 708-010 4:46 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:46 pm and 4:47 pm.
  • 708-011 4:47 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at 4:47 pm.

All 22 conversations from April 13, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 708-012, April 13, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/708-012 (accessed October 12, 2026).