Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 791 › Conversation 791-004

Nixon, Matthews & Hauck on American Legion and Vietnam Veterans

Tuesday, October 3, 1972 · 12:07 PM–12:16 PM ET · Oval Office · 9 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Matthews, Joseph L.; Hauck, William F.; Rhatican, William F.; Stephens, Melville L.; White House photographer; Bull, Stephen B.Conversation791-004 on Tape 791StartTuesday, October 3, 1972 at 12:07 PMEndTuesday, October 3, 1972 at 12:16 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 791-004 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with American Legion National Commander Joseph L. Matthews and his associates to discuss the organization's upcoming schedule, recruitment of Vietnam veterans, and support for his administration's foreign policy. Matthews briefed the President on his extensive travel plans, which include visiting all 58 American Legion departments and potentially conducting diplomatic trips to Eastern Europe, specifically Poland and Romania. The meeting concluded with a brief photo session and the presentation of commemorative gifts to the delegation.

  • American Legion
  • Joseph L. Matthews
  • Vietnam Veterans
  • Foreign Policy
  • Diplomatic Travel
  • Poland
  • Romania

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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?
All right.
Nice to see you.
Good morning, Bill.
Hi.
Well, this is the first time as a commander you're here, right?
That's correct.
That's correct.
Glad to have you.
Let's get our formal picture over here.
Get your hat on so that we have a proper style.
Last time I had a picture taken of you in Chicago, I had to play the choir this year.
That's right.
for the series.
Take it away.
I recommend you watch it next time.
How about the expense?
It's not going to be as expensive to get there, but are they giving you good rates?
We're getting pretty good rates.
We've got two or three percent of them are really good rates.
They're much better than they could get if they were gone.
Of course, it would be a great experience.
Oh, that would be a great convention.
And we have a lot of them that, as you said, have served out there.
Sure.
And their wives have heard them talk about it.
I wonder if that... Well, this time they have to take a walk.
Yeah.
Well, we...
I appreciate you over and over again.
It's just making a difference.
I have a command of changes.
I hope that I certainly should go.
Well, it's hardly new.
In some places, we've done really good.
Last Saturday night, I was up in Wichita Falls, Texas.
They had a post up there that's got a Vietnam commander.
And they've got over 300 members, 300 Vietnam veterans in that post.
And they're running the post.
Mark.
Wichita Falls.
Well, talking about traveling, I don't think I'll come anywhere as close to travel as you do.
I expect to get into all 58 departments this next year, all of the departments in the United States and the departments in the outlying areas, too.
Incidentally, we're seriously considering making
We appreciate that very much.
We wouldn't know, of course, without the White House approval.
I would say Poland or Romania are the two that, those are the two I would recommend for you to invest in, which are basically communist countries.
and stopping at Warsaw and spending a couple of days there.
We've got a lot of Polish people in the American League.
Oh, not a lot.
If you've got time for that, you can stop with me.
I don't have any names, but they're great people.
But I know the Poles have got a huge number.
They're loyal Americans.
They fight hard.
I just wish you the very best.
There we go.
There you are, that's turned off on the ceiling.
That's the pop shop of the Blacks, the only one we can call them.
Thank you very much.
Do you have one of these billboards you have?
Thank you, that's a pretty good deal.
I want to put it right there for you.
You always need something to wipe, so you never get that done.
Do you see this?
Yes, sir.
There's all kinds of pens.
Thank you, sir.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much, sir.

NARA Description

On October 3, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Joseph L. Matthews, William F. Hauck, William F. Rhatican, Melville L. Stephens, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:07 pm to 12:16 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 791-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 791-4

Date: October 3, 1972
Time: 12:07 pm - 12:16 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Joseph L. Matthews, William F. Hauck, William F. Rhatican and
Melville L. Stephens; the White House photographer was present at the beginning of the
meeting.

        Introductions

        Photograph session
            -Chicago

        [Photograph session]

        The President's schedule
            -Chicago
                -Republican National Committee [RNC]

        Hawaii
           -National convention
               -Invitation to the President
               -Expected crowds
               -Expense
                   -Tour
               -World War II
                   -Pearl Harbor
               -Wives

        American Legion
           -Support for the President's policies
               -National defense
               -Foreign policy issues
           -Membership
               -Vietnam
                   -Veterans of Foreign Wars
                   -Wichita Falls, Texas
                         -Number of members

Matthew’s schedule
    -58 Departments
         -US
    -Soviet Union
         -Proposed trip
             -Timing
             -Federal Government assistance
                  -White House, State department
    -Europe
         -North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] countries
    -Pacific
    -Soviet Union
    -Poland
    -Romania
         -Communist countries
    -Soviet Union
    -Warsaw
         -Duration of proposed visit
         -Polish people
             -American Legion
    -Romania
    -Poles
         -Americans
    -NATO countries
    -Far East
         -Guam
    -Reports to the President

American Legion
   -Legislative contacts with White House

Presidential cuff links

Pins
       -Wives

Matthews et al. left and Stephen B. Bull entered at 12:16 pm.

         The President’s schedule

Bull left at 12:16 pm.

Also recorded on October 3, 1972

  • 030-042 11:56 AM · 8 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:56 am and 12:06 pm.
  • 030-043 11:56 AM · 13 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and Frederic V. Malek talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:56 am and 12:06 pm.
  • 791-003 11:56 AM · 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Manolo Sanchez, White House operator, unknown person(s), Frederic V. Malek, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:56 am to 12:06 pm.
  • 791-005 12:17 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and officers of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization, including John F. Leyden, Robert E. Poli, and Robert C. Sturgil, as well as Henry C. Cashen, II and the White House photographer, met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:17 pm to 12:24 pm.
  • 791-006 12:24 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:24 pm and 12:27 pm.
  • 791-007 12:27 PM · 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:27 pm to 12:47 pm.
  • 030-044 12:50 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:50 pm and 12:59 pm.
  • 355-001 12:50 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:50 pm and 12:59 pm.

All 64 conversations from October 3, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 791-004, October 3, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/791-004 (accessed October 1, 2026).