Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 709 › Conversation 709-005

Nixon alone in the Oval Office on Organization of American States

Monday, April 17, 1972 · 8:36 AM–8:58 AM ET · Oval Office · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation709-005 on Tape 709 (tape position 00:15:28–00:17:09)StartMonday, April 17, 1972 at 8:36 AMEndMonday, April 17, 1972 at 8:58 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 709-005 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon dictated his dissatisfaction with the quality and delivery method of a recent toast prepared for an Organization of American States event. He expressed a preference for an ad-libitum style in future remarks, noting that it better reflects his personal rapport with others. Nixon acknowledged, however, that prepared texts remain necessary for events in countries like China, where translation requirements and formal protocols necessitate closer adherence to a script.

Audio

Download MP3 · 3.0 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Uh, one other minor note.
I had, uh, given a suggestion.
I read the OAS, uh, toast, and, uh, I was very, uh, disappointed in how it is.
I mean, I had a living in it, and I was very disappointed in it.
Well, it is considerably more work for me to prepare these toasts.
And while they are uneven quality marine ad libitum, it is a style that I have a relationship with others who do not have mine.
In the future, that's the only style I'm going to use.
Unless, of course, it's in a foreign country like China where we have a translation problem.
Even there, I heard the
does not show as much better than some of the others due to the fact that I was able to have literature and have to read it.
At the table.

NARA Description

On April 17, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:36 am and 8:58 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 709-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 709-5

Date: April 17, 1972
Time: Unknown between 8:36 am and 8:58 am
Location: Oval Office

The President dictated notes for the file.

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

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 10/04/2022.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[709-005-w001]
[Duration: 1m 18s]

     Organization of American States [OAS] event
          -The President’s toast
                -The method of delivery
                     -Ad-lib
                     -People’s Republic of China [PRC]
                           -Translation
                           -Chou En-Lai

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

Also recorded on April 17, 1972

  • 709-001 8:36 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:36 am and 8:58 am.
  • 709-002 8:36 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:36 am and 8:58 am.
  • 709-003 8:36 AM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:36 am and 8:58 am.
  • 709-004 8:36 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:36 am and 8:58 am.
  • 709-006 8:36 AM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:36 am and 8:58 am.
  • 709-007 8:36 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:36 am and 8:58 am.
  • 709-008 8:58 AM · 36 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, White House operator, and William P. Rogers met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:58 am to 9:34 am.
  • 709-009 9:35 AM · 56 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:35 am to 10:32 am.

All 48 conversations from April 17, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 709-005, April 17, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/709-005 (accessed October 12, 2026).