Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 784 › Conversation 784-006

Nixon, Bull & Woods on Bohemian Grove and White House entertainment

Thursday, September 21, 1972 · 10:02 AM–10:15 AM ET · Oval Office · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.; Woods, Rose Mary; Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation784-006 on Tape 784StartThursday, September 21, 1972 at 10:02 AMEndThursday, September 21, 1972 at 10:15 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 784-006 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Stephen B. Bull and Rose Mary Woods to discuss the feasibility of hosting a performance by members of the Bohemian Grove at the White House. While acknowledging that Secret Service security requirements and presidential duties preclude his personal attendance at the Grove's events, Nixon enthusiastically supported the idea of inviting the group to perform in the East Room after the 1973 inauguration. The discussion focused on the logistics of the event, including dinner arrangements and the potential for a themed campfire-style production.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I just want to look at those letters.
Oh, fine.
All right.
Hello, Tom.
I'm Tom.
saying that some of the people at the Grove are saying, you know, that you can't go to the event sometimes, but you'd like to have the Grove, some of the players, like 20 or 30 of them, come and do a thing here.
And it might be after the first year, but anyway.
I think that's a very good idea.
They did a marvelous thing for her and her birthday.
When they brought the Grove to the Wal-Mart, you'll remember that.
And they brought in trees and so on and so on.
and put on a show in the Waldorf.
And if they would like to, that would be one hell of a thing to do here.
We know we could invite them.
We could get some press men and then we could, you know, invite them.
And it's all the same.
And put on a great show in the White House in the East Room.
It'd just be perfect.
I'd invite them all.
We'd have dinner.
You know what I mean?
Have a campfire in the White House.
I think it would be difficult then.
It would be difficult before, you know.
I was thinking other than Preserve Day.
any time in the, you know, that fits them in the spring or something.
You don't have to have any particular date for it.
I'm going to talk after the, after the inauguration, we'll talk about it.
It would be a marvel, so I think, you know, to have a grove.
I really would be.
And then they could come in on a plane, you know, and put on a show.
So I'd invite Easter members of the grove to be here for the most part.
Yeah.
I think that'd be great.
I'd like to go, but I...
Oh, you can't go.
Secret Service.
No, Wallace said it the other day.
Huh?
No, Wallace Taylor said it.
And he said that, you know, it's the right decision.
You can't go while you're president.
It's just not...
I could go, actually, but not while I'm chairman.
I could have never thought I'd do this.
I mean, I'm not going to take one sample of this.
But you couldn't go if you don't give me a chance.
That's what drives me to go.
I don't like that.
I don't like it.
All right, let's do this.

NARA Description

On September 21, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Rose Mary Woods, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:02 am to 10:15 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 784-006 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 784-6

Date: September 21, 1972
Time: 10:02 am - 10:15 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Stephen B. Bull and Rose Mary Woods.

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 5m 58s     ]

Bull left at an unknown time before 10:06 am.

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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

Henry A. Kissinger entered at an unknown time after 10:02 am.

             Letters

Kissinger left at 10:06 am.

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 3m 1s      ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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

             Entertainment in White House
                 -Bohemian Grove
                      -Letter from Lowell Thomas
                 -Show
                      -Herbert C. Hoover's birthday
                          -Waldorf-Astoria Hotel

                     -Press
                     -East Room
                         -Dinner
                     -Timing
                         -The President’s birthday
                         -1973 inauguration
                     -Eastern members
                     -The President’s attendance
                         -Secret Service
                         -Woods’s conversation with Walter Taylor
                         -1972 election

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 35s        ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

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

Woods left at 10:15 am.

Also recorded on September 21, 1972

  • 030-011 9:30 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:30 am.
  • 030-012 9:30 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:30 am and 9:33 am.
  • 784-001 9:30 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 9:30 am.
  • 784-002 9:30 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:30 am and 9:33 am.
  • 784-003 9:33 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:33 am to 9:35 am.
  • 784-004 9:35 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:35 am and 9:55 am.
  • 784-005 9:55 AM · 35 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:55 am to 9:56 am.
  • 784-007 10:15 AM · 34 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:15 am to 10:50 am.

All 43 conversations from September 21, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 784-006, September 21, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/784-006 (accessed October 1, 2026).