Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 820 › Conversation 820-013

Nixon, Marriott & Magruder on 1973 Presidential Inauguration

Tuesday, December 12, 1972 · 11:55 AM–12:02 PM ET · Oval Office · 8 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Marriott, J. Willard; Magruder, Jeb Stuart; Chapin, Dwight L.; White House photographer; Bull, Stephen B.Conversation820-013 on Tape 820StartTuesday, December 12, 1972 at 11:55 AMEndTuesday, December 12, 1972 at 12:02 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 820-013 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with J. Willard Marriott, Jeb Stuart Magruder, and Dwight L. Chapin to discuss the organizational preparations for the 1973 presidential inauguration. The conversation included a presentation of gifts for the President, specifically a Hopi Indian doll, and a review of various commemorative items, including watches, cuff links, and presidential glassware. The participants coordinated photograph sessions and touched upon the administrative logistics and fundraising efforts associated with the upcoming inaugural events.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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All right.
Good morning.
Don't grab my, don't be frightened.
I'm not going to be in here, sir.
I brought this from Arizona.
Yeah, well, sir.
I heard it was from my Arizona.
And just made it for you.
Well, you know.
You don't even have any money.
And this guy, this is a man of cottonwood, roots of a cottonwood tree, and he had a helicopter to go kill the birds to get this thing from him.
Mr. President.
Right, right.
I've got to tell you, that's the year in India we shut that broke up the building down here.
Oh, that's the one that burned it down.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
But now we've come to the inaugural place.
What do you do?
You do all the inaugurations and all these other things.
That's all I do.
When do you make money?
Well, I hope I make some in January of 2020.
If I don't, I don't have any time.
Mr. President, the President will take a photograph of the actual presentation.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Yeah.
All right.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I think they've got new ideas.
I'll have them put this on.
Thank you.
Well, this is just an argument.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
That's a little simple.
We don't have the account on there.
We're giving the account today, tomorrow, all of your friends, all of you, all of the country.
So we're going to be grateful for that.
I've got a thing to tell you that you've done everything I've told you.
Well, say, have you seen the newest one?
I guess you can vouch for it.
Oh, my God.
Huh?
Really good answer.
Thank you.
Should I give you a pair of them?
No, no, no.
I don't want to see them.
Do you have any other brand-new ones, or they don't have those brand-new?
You know, new ones like this?
I don't know if they're new, but they may have some new names.
This is the oldest thing I've ever seen.
Yeah, I agree.
I think they're not ready yet.
All right.
Well, I'll give you another pair of these.
Thank you.
These are very nice.
Yeah.
I'll figure out something new before the next trip, though.
That's right.
By the way, please come in and give me the check at the end.
Well, I thought about it.
I thought about it.
I thought about it.
I thought about it.
I thought about it.
I thought about it.
Well, they do sell them.
They sell them.
Oh, yeah.
and, uh, trades, but you can get a couple of them.
Thank you.
Any new things I see while I'm out there?
Oh, yeah.
You seen the watch?
I haven't.
You ever wear yours?
I've got your picture on the back, you know.
I keep, I keep mine.
I don't know where I want to go to the White House.
Has he got a set of glasses?
Has he got a set of glasses?
Hold on, you're ready to show them.
Yeah.
Water.
Water?
That's what you get.
Is that a glass?
Don't tell anybody else.
I didn't tell anybody else.
Okay, thanks a lot.
I know I think it's something we just got arrived at.
These are beautiful glasses.
Well, they're not beautiful up there.
Can't have any glasses with the presidential seal on the signature.
And just use them for non-alcoholic drinks in your house.
Just non-alcoholic drinks.
It's very cold out there, and it's forced to burn.
It's all right.
It's all right.
No more bourbon, huh?
It's what you want.
Good.
Then don't even call me after you've made the decoction.

NARA Description

On December 12, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, J. Willard Marriott, Jeb Stuart Magruder, Dwight L. Chapin, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:55 am to 12:02 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 820-013 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 820-13

Date: December 12, 1972
Time: 11:55 am - 12:02 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with J. Willard Marriott, Jeb Stuart Magruder and Dwight L. Chapin.
Members of the press, the White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull were present at the
beginning of the meeting.

       Greetings

       Gift for the President
             -Hopi Indian doll
                    -Arizona
                    -Contents
                          -Cottonwood tree
                          -Birds’ parts

       Inaugurations
            -Money making

       1973 Inauguration license plate
            -Presentation
                  -Photograph session
                                             -25-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                            Conversation No. 820-13 (cont’d)

       [Photograph session]

       1973 Inauguration
            -Organization chart
                  -Symbol
                  -Calendar
                  -The President’s Hollywood, television [TV] friends

       White House gifts
            -Cuff links
                  -Marriott’s set
                        -Balfour Company
                               -Franklin Mint
            -Pins, buttons [?], trays
            -Marriott watch
                  -The President’s picture
            -Presidential glasses
                  -Presidential seal and signature
                  -Non-alcoholic drinks

Marriott, Magruder and Chapin left at 12:02 pm.

Also recorded on December 12, 1972

  • 820-007 10:39 AM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:39 am to 10:49 am.
  • 820-008 10:50 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:50 am to 10:53 am.
  • 820-009 10:53 AM · 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:53 am to 11:13 am.
  • 820-010 11:13 AM · 49 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:13 am and 11:17 am.
  • 820-011 11:17 AM · 36 min — President Richard M. Nixon, W. Clement Stone, Douglas K. Kinsey, Leonard Garment, unknown person(s), and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:17 am to 11:53 am.
  • 820-012 11:54 AM · 32 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:54 am.
  • 820-014 12:05 PM · 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:05 pm to 12:25 pm.
  • 820-015 12:25 PM · 1 hr 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Hobart D. Lewis, John H. Kauffmann, Michael J. O'Neill, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Herbert G. Klein, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:25 pm to 1:30 pm.

All 33 conversations from December 12, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 820-013, December 12, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/820-013 (accessed October 1, 2026).