Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 797 › Conversation 797-031

Nixon, Woods & Sanchez on State gifts and Saudi Arabia

Friday, October 13, 1972 · 6:03 PM–6:10 PM ET · Oval Office · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Woods, Rose Mary; Sanchez, ManoloConversation797-031 on Tape 797StartFriday, October 13, 1972 at 6:03 PMEndFriday, October 13, 1972 at 6:10 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 797-031 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Rose Mary Woods and Manolo Sanchez to discuss various administrative, diplomatic, and personal matters, including the handling of official gifts and correspondence. They reviewed potential diplomatic outreach to King Faisal of Saudi Arabia regarding oil interests and addressed political concerns from American Jewish leaders concerning Soviet emigration. Additionally, the President authorized the procurement of commemorative plates for use as future state gifts and reviewed protocols for presidential seals on commemorative items.

Audio

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NARA Description

On October 13, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:03 pm to 6:10 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 797-031 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 797-31

Date: October 13, 1972
Time: 6:03 pm - 6:10 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Rose Mary Woods.

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        Gift types
             -Tie tack, pins, cuff links
                  -The President’s residence
                      -Instruction to Zosimo T. Monson

        Saudi Arabia
            -Franklin B. Lincoln, Jr.
                -Recent telephone call
                     -Camp David
                -1970 trip

             -[Faisal, King of Saudi Arabia] Malik Faisal ibn Abd-al-Aziz al-Saud
             -Conversations with Saudi Arabian Ambassador [Ibrahim Al-Sowayel]
                 -Gas
                       -Arabian American Oil Company [ARAMCO]
                       -Lincoln’s possible conversation with King Faisal
                           -[Mudge, Rose, Gutherie, Alexander] and El Paso Natural
                           Gas
                           -King Faisal’s invitation to Lincoln
                           -Timing
                                -1972 election

US Jews
    -Taft Schreiber
        -Joseph Levine
             -Telephone calls
                 -The President’s trip to New York
Show the rest of the log (31 more lines)
             -Soviet Jewish emigration
                 -Public statements
                      -Max M. Fisher

Walter H. Annenberg
    -Letter to Woods
        -Photograph of the President [regarding Munich Olympic massacre]
              -[John McMullen]
                  -Form letter

National Association of Manufacturers [NAM]
    -Presidential seal
         -Bracelets for outgoing president’s wife

Gift of plates
     -Lucy A. Winchester
     -Library
     -Cost
     -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
     -Office of Protocol
          -Purchase
               -Lindberg [sp?]
     -Use as State gifts

Weather

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 6:03 pm.

         Instructions

Sanchez and Woods left at 6:11 pm.

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

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

I wonder...
Now, that goes to the station.
Yeah, it's coming.
So, it's kind of weird now.
I'm sorry.
Go ahead.
If you want to describe that to me.
I got it.
I got it.
I got it.
I got it.
I got it.
I got it.
I got it.
I got it.
I got it.
I got it.
I got it.
uh... uh...
Then the king came back with an invitation for him.
Well, he just, he didn't want to, you know, also he wanted to talk to anyone over there.
I bet you want to know that Tax Driver, an old friend of ours, Joseph Levine, who wrote us all the time, Tax Driver, and several other people that I don't know at all, have all called saying that, you know, these are the Jews.
have been screaming about the filthy shoes and the handcuffs.
Handcuffs don't even really mean, some of them act the second thing.
But don't, you know, don't pay attention to what's going on.
Oh, pass them.
But he meant that Max Fisher's doing the acceptable to himself.
Well, Brian, I'm going to send a letter.
That editor, that paper, remember where they, that fellow that we got quite a few letters, but he doesn't
And for the last couple of years, we've allowed the NAM to put a little presidential seal on the bracelets they give, the charm bracelets that they give the outbound president's wife.
And that's literally serving a dedication where these people are going to give you a set of six of these plates for the library.
And then if we wanted this mural to be
We wanted to buy something at $525,000.
They would sell it to us at half price if we wanted it for special.
I didn't know any of you were going to use this.
How much are these?
A set of pictures would normally cost $525.
They would sell them to you for half price.
She didn't know if you'd be able to get special for some people.
Well, I would.
Remember I told you we've got to have some people who are here who are staying gifts.
Just have on hand, wouldn't that be nice?
I don't know the other part about them because, you know, she's a good girl.
Just order some.
That would be excellent.
Have protocol.
Buy some.
At least might have a few on hand, too.
I wouldn't give them, but you'd have to give a set.
And they're numbered.
I just have an excellent idea.
We might have somebody that's very important to us.
That's right.
BELL RINGS

Also recorded on October 13, 1972

  • 797-030 5:43 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:43 pm to 6:03 pm.
  • 797-032 6:11 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:11 pm to 6:15 pm.
  • 797-033 6:15 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:15 pm to 6:22 pm.
  • 797-035 6:22 PM · 12 sec — United States Secret Service agents and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:22 pm to 6:25 pm.
  • 031-038 6:45 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:45 pm and 7:07 pm.
  • 031-039 7:07 PM · 58 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 7:07 pm to 7:08 pm.
  • 031-040 7:08 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone from 7:08 pm to 7:14 pm.
  • 031-041 7:14 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 7:14 pm to 7:17 pm.

All 50 conversations from October 13, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 797-031, October 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/797-031 (accessed November 2, 2026).