Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 829 › Conversation 829-005

Nixon & Landry on Dallas Cowboys and Professional Football

Monday, January 1, 1973 · 7:32 AM–9:25 AM ET · Oval Office · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Landry, TomConversation829-005 on Tape 829StartMonday, January 1, 1973 at 7:32 AMEndMonday, January 1, 1973 at 9:25 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 829-005 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon dictates a letter to Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry to express his personal admiration following the team's recent performance. The President commends the Cowboys for maintaining their dignity despite a difficult loss, specifically highlighting Bob Lilly’s resilience while playing through injuries. The correspondence reinforces Nixon’s respect for the team's championship history and their representation of high standards in competitive athletics.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 31% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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This is Tom Landry of the Nelson Conference.
Dear Tom, as one who always boasts her own team, I was, uh,
uh as a football fan however i want you to know that
The whole nation has an arm's respect for you and the Dallas Cowboys, period.
You were great when you
were the champions last year, and you acted like champions when you had to absorb what I know was a bitter defeat, a tough loss this year.
uh incidentally i will always marvel at how bodily with the injuries could have played such an outstanding game period
the dignity of the employees, which you and all the cowboys demonstrated throughout the game.
We're in the best conditions of competitive athletics in our country.
And do this one, too.
Call it Dear Tom.

NARA Description

On January 1, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Tom Landry met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:32 am and 9:25 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 829-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 829-5

Date: January 1, 1973
Time: Unknown between 7:32 am and 9:25 am
Location: Oval Office

The President dictated a letter to Tom Landry.

       Washington Redskins- Dallas Cowboys game
           -The President's support
           -Respect for Tom Landry and Cowboys
           -Last year's performance
                 -National Football League [NFL] champions
           -Performance by Bob Lilly
           -Dignity of team

       Instruction to typist

Also recorded on January 1, 1973

  • 829-001 7:32 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, James D. ("Don") Hughes, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:32 am and 9:25 am.
  • 829-002 7:32 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Clifford M. Hardin met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:32 am and 9:25 am.
  • 829-003 7:32 AM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:32 am and 9:25 am.
  • 829-004 7:32 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Clifford M. Hardin met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:32 am and 9:25 am.
  • 829-006 7:32 AM · 31 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:32 am and 9:25 am.
  • 829-007 7:32 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:32 am and 9:25 am.
  • 829-008 7:32 AM · 55 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:32 am and 9:25 am.
  • 829-009 9:25 AM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:25 am to 9:35 am.

All 32 conversations from January 1, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 829-005, January 1, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/829-005 (accessed October 13, 2026).