Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 768 › Conversation 768-014

Nixon, Bull & Dirksen on Congressional Leadership Research Center

Monday, August 14, 1972 · 12:09 PM–12:17 PM ET · Oval Office ·7 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Bull, Stephen B.;  Dirksen, Louella (Carver);  Woods, Rose Mary;  White House photographerConversation768-014 onTape 768StartMonday, August 14, 1972 at 12:09 PMEndMonday, August 14, 1972 at 12:17 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 768-014 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Louella Dirksen, Rose Mary Woods, and Stephen Bull to discuss the promotion of Dirksen’s new book about her late husband, Everett Dirksen. The conversation focused on the President's potential involvement in the dedication of the Everett M. Dirksen Congressional Leadership Research Center in Pekin, Illinois, and potential fundraising efforts. Additionally, the President presented Mrs. Dirksen with a Chinese scroll and reviewed her upcoming media appearances and planned attendance at the Republican National Convention.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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How are you?
Nice to see you.
Hey, look at that.
Oh, you're really decked out like you ought to be.
All right.
Now, let me see this book here.
Show me.
Look at this now.
It's a day show.
Well, I mean, your man, Percy Rose.
My man, Percy.
My mother has a birthday.
I think August is your ninth day.
My ninth day?
Mm-hmm.
I'm sorry.
We'll see.
We'll see.
We'll see.
You will get a letter for sure.
If I can make it, I'll call her
And then someday when the library gets, there was a library out in Beacon, they've got a hole in the ground now.
So I know that there's going to be something we've worked on there for.
I hope maybe there's something we can do.
When will it be ready, you say?
Well, I think, yeah.
I'll do something.
Let me say, let's pick a time.
We could pick the best time.
Maybe it might be better to do it other way.
But why don't you keep in touch with Rose with regard to the best dates for various things.
They have to have something to do.
They have late callers.
Would you consider having the mayor come out and talk to you?
Sure, sure.
Absolutely.
Sure, sure.
Check over to the staff.
I'll have to talk to the fellows over there.
See, they're doing an integration with the library.
And then this one thing, they're going to call it a research center.
And I think it's so great because it will house everything from the last 30 years, which young people say they can't find, concentrate.
And all that in the... Well, I'll do something with it.
It depends on the best time and so forth.
We'll try to work it out sometime.
Well, Mary Walker said what he'd like to do would be a dinner.
And because the upkeep of the...
Good.
We'll check it out.
To cooperate in some way.
Oh, let's see.
There's something from China.
I was going to say, you know, when your group was here, we were making it worth enough, but not quite as much.
Well, also, when you get down there, there was going to be a lot of, you know, different things.
But right now, Miami is a miserable time at this time of year.
And I think that's the...
It really is.
I can't do anything.
I was very excited.
That's what it is.
That's what it is.
She's got the aging permission, which is great.
And every time she's through, I mainly take everything you can, TV or interviews and so forth, and just say sort of personal things to help.
I mean, Francis and I are doing two live shows.
Are you ready?
I'll get you.
We're going to do it.
I don't know what I'm saying.

NARA Description

On August 14, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Louella (Carver) Dirksen, Rose Mary Woods, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:09 pm to 12:17 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 768-014 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 768-14

Date: August 14, 1972
Time: 12:09 pm - 12:17 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull, Louella (Carver) Dirksen and Rose Mary Woods;
members of the press and the White House photographer was present at the beginning of the
meeting.

             Greetings

             Presentation of book [The Honorable Mr. Marigold: My Life
             with Everett Dirksen]
                 -Louella Dirksen’s forthcoming television appearance
                      -Today Show
                      -Unknown television show
                          -New York

             [Photograph session]

             Everett M. Dirksen

                                         (rev. Nov-03)

                 -Charles H. Percy

            Louella Dirksen
               -Mother's [Lillie Carver’s] birthday
                    -Possible call from the President
                         -Hawaii
                    Forthcoming letter from the President

            [Everett M. Dirksen Congressional Leadership Research Center]
                -Pekin, Illinois
                -Dedication
                     -The President's possible participation
                          -Timing
                -Mayor of Pekin
                -Repository of Dirksen’s papers
                     -Franklin D. Roosevelt
                -Possible fund-raising dinner
                -Research

            Presentation of gift by the President
                -Chinese scroll
                     -Louella Dirksen’s house
                         -Florida

            Republican National Convention
               -Louella Dirksen’s possible attendance
                    -Attendance of previous conventions
               -Miami
                    -Climate

            Louell Dirksen’s forthcoming public appearances
               -President’s Council on Aging
               -The Arlene Francis Show

            Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon

Louella Dirksen and Woods left at 12:17 pm.

            The President's schedule
                -Bailey K. Howard

                                        (rev. Nov-03)

                       -Length of meeting
                  -Pierre A. Rinfret
                  -Robert Allen Forst
                  -Oral Roberts
                  -Howard

Bull left at 12:17 pm.

Also recorded on August 14, 1972

  • 768-010 11:29 AM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Pierre Rinfret, Charles W. Colson, John B. Connally, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:29 am to 12:04 pm.
  • 768-011 12:04 PM · 44 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:04 pm and 12:07 pm.
  • 768-012 12:07 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Samuel D. Winer, Mrs. Samuel D. Winer, Charles W. Colson, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:07 pm to 12:09 pm.
  • 768-016 12:17 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Bailey K. Howard, Ronald L. Ziegler, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:17 pm to 12:38 pm.
  • 768-017 12:38 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 12:38 pm.
  • 768-018 12:39 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Robert A. Forst, L. John Evans, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:39 pm to 12:45 pm.
  • 768-019 12:45 PM · 54 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:45 pm and 12:49 pm.
  • 768-020 12:49 PM · 31 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon, John J. Ratchford, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman, John W. Dean, III, John H. Alexander, Richard S. Ritzel, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:49 pm to 1:12 pm.

All 49 conversations from August 14, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 768-014, August 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/768-014 (accessed September 18, 2026).