Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 817 › Conversation 817-002

Nixon, Woods & Monzon on White House administration

Thursday, November 30, 1972 · 8:32 AM–8:34 AM ET · Oval Office · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Woods, Rose Mary; Monzon, Zosimo T.Conversation817-002 on Tape 817StartThursday, November 30, 1972 at 8:32 AMEndThursday, November 30, 1972 at 8:34 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 817-002 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and Zosimo T. Monzon met to coordinate the administrative processing of presidential correspondence and official White House mail. The discussion focused on establishing protocols for drafting, reviewing, and tracking responses to ensure letters were not duplicated or handled improperly. Additionally, the group briefly addressed logistical matters concerning the maintenance and condition of official pens used by the President.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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And I think, well, all those of us that, we send you the things, give them a dare to prepare the answer, or you the dare to send the original answer.

So I should just be certain that all of us are part of that process?

I bet he could.

But I think he was going to have to go on and on and on about the situation.

Well, sometimes they will be gone, but you have to prepare them.

Sometimes when you send suggestions back, they've been helpful, because they've been there, and they're here, and they've changed, and they're working.

I can take that over and mark this one.

My main concern is to know whether if the answer is gone, and I don't want to work on it at all, but if the answer is not gone, I will put a remote on with personal mode, which will help, which I'd like to do.

I know that I may have, I want to be sure I don't dictate an answer, and if somebody, I know they'll channel, be sure it's not already gone out.

Well, this is like, I can ask a couple questions first.

The Vice President wants you to see this letter from the National League of Families of American Christians.

He sent that over.

And what did she look at?

Tampers.

Okay.

And are they burned?

I sent that over to, uh, to, uh, to, uh, to, uh, to, uh, to, uh, to, uh,

And our parents, they had prepared just to use the little remote, and you thought you wouldn't bother writing it, but he's written a couple of nice ones.

I don't think we could just die on that one.

No, that's a good one.

He's written a couple of nice ones.

I thought you might want to take it.

NARA Description

On November 30, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and Zosimo T. Monzon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:32 am and 8:34 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 817-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 817-2

Date: November 30, 1972
Time: Unknown between 8:32 am and 8:34 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Rose Mary Woods.

       Greetings

       White House mail
             -Replies to incoming letters
                    -Copies
                            -Xeroxes and originals
                                   -The President’s schedule
                                          -Florida
                    -Carl B. Albert [?]
                    -Drafts
                            -The President’s suggestions
                    -Folder

Zosimo T. Monson [?] entered at unknown time after 8:32 am.

       Pens
              -Disposition
              -Damage
                        -3-                     3

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                            Conversation No. 817-17 (cont’d)

Monson [?} left at an unknown time before 8:34 pm.

       White House mail
             -Replies to incoming letters
                    -Markings
                    -The President’s notes
             -The National League of Families of American Prisoners letter
                    -Vice-President Spiro T. Agnew
                            -Henry A. Kissinger’s office
             -Arthur F. Burns
                    -Note to the President
                            -Reply
                            -Timing
                                   -1972 election
                            -Reply

       Pens
              -Working condition
              -Expense

Woods left at an unknown time before 8:34 am.

Also recorded on November 30, 1972

817-003 8:34 AM · 32 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, Zosimo T. Monzon, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:34 am to 9:15 am.
817-004 9:17 AM · 56 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:17 am to 10:13 am.
817-005 10:14 AM · 1 hr 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Melvin R. Laird, [David] Kenneth Rush, Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Gen. Robert E. Cushman, Jr., Gen. Creighton W. Abrams, Jr., Gen. Horace M. Wade, Henry A. Kissinger, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Alexander P. Butterfield, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:14 am to 11:34 am.
817-006 11:34 AM · 26 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:34 am and 11:49 am.
817-007 11:34 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Zosimo T. Monzon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:34 am and 11:49 am.
817-008 11:34 AM · 51 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:34 am and 11:49 am.
817-009 11:34 AM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:34 am and 11:49 am.
817-010 11:34 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:34 am and 11:49 am.

All 28 conversations from November 30, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 817-002, November 30, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/817-002 (accessed October 12, 2026).