Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 842 › Conversation 842-004

Nixon alone in the Oval Office on Lyndon B. Johnson and W. Marvin Watson

Thursday, January 25, 1973 · 11:06 AM–11:18 PM ET · Oval Office · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation842-004 on Tape 842StartThursday, January 25, 1973 at 11:06 AMEndThursday, January 25, 1973 at 11:18 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 842-004 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon dictates a formal letter to W. Marvin Watson regarding the passing of former President Lyndon B. Johnson. Nixon commends Watson for his dedicated service, integrity, and significant contributions as a close advisor to Johnson. The correspondence serves as both a gesture of sympathy and a recognition of the professional bond between Watson and the late 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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You're welcome.
He was most fortunate to have a man of your integrity, ability, and dedication.
As one of his closest advisors and friends and servant.

NARA Description

On January 25, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:06 am and 11:18 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 842-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 842-4

Date: January 25, 1973
Time: Unknown between 11:06 am and 11:18 am
Location: Oval Office

The President dictated a letter to W. Marvin Watson.

       Lyndon B. Johnson
            -Eulogy by W. Marvin Watson

       Watson’s abilities

Also recorded on January 25, 1973

  • 842-001 11:06 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:06 am and 11:18 pm.
  • 842-002 11:06 AM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:06 am and 11:18 pm.
  • 842-003 11:06 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:06 am and 11:18 pm.
  • 842-005 11:06 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:06 am and 11:18 pm.
  • 842-006 11:06 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:06 am and 11:18 pm.
  • 842-007 11:18 AM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Manolo Sanchez, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:18 am to 11:39 am.
  • 842-008 11:39 AM · 1 hr 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Yitzhak Rabin, Oliver F. ("Ollie") Atkins, Henry A. Kissinger, unknown person(s), and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:39 am to 12:42 pm.
  • 842-009 12:43 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:43 pm to 12:44 pm.

All 40 conversations from January 25, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 842-004, January 25, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/842-004 (accessed October 6, 2026).