Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 855 › Conversation 855-018

Nixon, Morgan & Ehrlichman on Personnel and White House photography

Wednesday, February 14, 1973 · 12:23 PM–12:34 PM ET · Oval Office · 11 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Morgan, Edward L.; Bull, Stephen B.; Ehrlichman, John D.; Clawson, James; Clawson, James (Mrs.); Clawson, Courtney; Clawson, Jason B.; Clawson, Brooke A.; Evans, Katherine R.; Evans, Constance R.; Evans, Elizabeth G.; Evans, John F., III; Cashen, Henry C., II; White, Stuart C.; White, Stuart C. (Mrs.)Conversation855-018 on Tape 855StartWednesday, February 14, 1973 at 12:23 PMEndWednesday, February 14, 1973 at 12:34 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 855-018 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417182453 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon held a series of brief meetings in the Oval Office to express personal appreciation and host photo sessions for various administration officials, their families, and departing staff members. Throughout these interactions, the President acknowledged the professional contributions of personnel from the Treasury and Commerce Departments, as well as individuals transitioning to new roles in law and the public sector. The session served primarily as a gesture of gratitude for their service, during which Nixon also briefly touched upon ongoing administrative priorities such as school desegregation and employment initiatives.

Audio

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NARA Description

On February 14, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Edward L. Morgan, Stephen B. Bull, John D. Ehrlichman, James Clawson, Mrs. James Clawson, Courtney J. Clawson, Jason B. Clawson, Brooke A. Clawson, Katherine R. Evans, Constance R. Evans, Elizabeth G. Evans, John F. Evans, III, Henry C. Cashen, II, Stuart C. White, and Mrs. Stuart C. White met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:23 pm to 12:34 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 855-018 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 855-18

Date: February 14, 1973
Time: 12:23 pm - 12:34 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Edward L. Morgan, and Stephen B. Bull; the White House photographer
was present at the beginning of the meeting.

       Greetings

       Thanks for work
             -Desegregation
                     -Mississippi
                            -“Ambassador”

       Morgan’s abilities
             -Pasadena [?]

       Photographs
                                              -35-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                            Conversation No. 855-18 (cont’d)

Morgan and the White House photographer left at 12:25 pm.

       President's schedule
              -Meeting with James Clawson
                      -Morgan’s deputy
              -Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft
                      -Meeting with Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
                      -Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS]
                              -Melvin R. Laird
                      -Report on prisoners of war [POWs]

James Clawson, Mrs. James Clawson, Courtney J. Clawson, Jason B. Clawson, Brooke A.
Clawson, John D. Ehrlichman, and the White House photographer entered at 12:25 pm.

       Ehrlichman’s health

       Greetings
              -Introductions
Show the rest of the log (120 more lines)
       Clawson's work at Treasury Department
             -Morgan’s deputy

       Photographs
             -Arrangements

       Bussing problems
              -Morgan
              -Integration of schools

       Copies of photographs

Clawson, et al., left at 12:27 pm.

       President's meeting with John F. Evans and family
              -Frederick B. Dent
              -Commerce Department
              -Job, duties
                      -Lawyer
                                            -36-

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                             Conversation No. 855-18 (cont’d)

                              -New Jersey
                       -Unemployment
                       -Veterans problems

John F. Evans, Mrs. John F. Evans, Katherine R. Evans, Constance R. Evans, Elizabeth G.
Evans, John F. Evans III, and the White House photographer entered at 12:27 pm.

       Greetings

       Introduction
              -Evans’s family

       Photograph session
             -Copies for family

       Appreciation for work
             -Commerce Department
             -Hours

       Children’s school

Evans, et al., left at 12:29 pm.

       President's meeting with Henry C. Cashen II
              -Work with Charles W. Colson at White House
              -Colson's law firm

Henry C. Cashen II, Mrs. Henry C. Cashen, and the White House photographer entered at 12:29
pm.

       Greetings

       Tax lawyer

       New law firm job
             -Increased salary
             -Colson
                                             -37-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                             Conversation No. 855-18 (cont’d)

       Colson’s work at White House
             -Watergate
             -Labor
             -Catholics
             -Ethnics
             -President’s gratitude

       Photographs
             -Copies

Cashen, et al., left at 12:31 pm.

       President's meeting with Mrs. Stuart C. ("Margareta") White
              -Herbert G. Klein
              -United States Information Agency [USIA]

Mrs. Stuart C. "Margareta" White, Stuart C. White, Suzanne White, and the White House
photographer entered at 12:31 pm.

       Greetings

       USIA work

       Photograph session
             -Arrangements

       Appreciation for work with administration

       Gift for President
               -Valentine

       White’s new job

       Presidential gifts
              -Pin
              -Tricia Nixon Cox
              -Julie Nixon Eisenhower
                                              -38-

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                              Conversation No. 855-18 (cont’d)

White, et al., left at 12:34 pm.

       Thomas Hart
            -Age
            -Work at White House
            -Meeting with President
            -Photograph

Bull and Ehrlichman left at 12:34 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

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Great jobs.
Great jobs are the skill of determination.
Great job.
I'm seeing more alone because I want to establish the procedure right now already from the beginning that I will see it.
And just tell them I don't want to get a report from you, but I haven't seen him get a report from the DOD.
That's very nice of you.
Are you feeling any better today?
A little better, yeah.
My son's worse, but I'm feeling a little better.
That's the way it goes.
I'm feeling good.
It's not worse tomorrow.
It's not worse last night.
I know.
I know that.
I've seen it.
How are you?
Good to see you, sir.
How are you?
Now you're going over to the training spot.
If you have any more questions or trouble, you better come back.
I told Martin this thing with the leg.
He said, you're the guy who integrated the stoolie.
He said, well, it's a great job with very great skill and patience.
We did the job.
So I'm just talking about it.
And we didn't care that it was a good mark on it.
It was a good job.
So I told Martin, this is a job you're working on making in a bathroom in Mississippi.
He's going to be a right-hand man in Congress.
He's going to work in New Jersey.
He's going to be a right-hand man who's handled unemployment, benefits, and problems.
Things are going to happen.
Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President.
Well, we are all here to see you again.
Don't make sure all of these children talk in the original.
Some are boys and some are men.
How are you?
I'm out of D.C. You're the oldest.
You're the first one.
Yes.
Well, I appreciate all your work.
Go to Congress.
I know, he'll be in politics in that long term, better yet.
I agree.
I sent him a client the other day.
That's right.
I thank you for it.
I want to have a client on Thanksgiving.
What are you going to do for me today?
That's a very good place.
He seemed like a friend.
He's got a lot of action going on.
he'll find that he can begin to buy us leases and dresses again.
Sure.
That's pretty much it.
He does what he always does.
Oh, he's just telling you cheaper than anything.
That's what he said.
That's what he said.
He said you were a politician.
That's what he always said.
But even as I told John when he took off, he said, no, I'm just going to crush you.
So, listen, that has been very important.
I appreciate everything you've done and all that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I appreciate all of that.
Well, isn't that nice?
That is.
I appreciate it.
All right.
We have two.
Well, let's see.
We've got to get her a book.
We've got to look at that.
We'll raise it up.
There it is.
There it is.
There it is.
and the CEO of the President of the United States.
We just give a very special

Also recorded on February 14, 1973

  • 855-015 12:19 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:19 pm and 12:23 pm.
  • 855-016 12:19 PM · 56 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:19 pm and 12:23 pm.
  • 855-017 12:19 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:19 pm and 12:23 pm.
  • 855-019 12:35 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Thomas Hart met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:35 pm to 12:36 pm.
  • 043-075 12:36 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 12:36 pm.
  • 855-020 12:36 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:36 pm and 12:37 pm.
  • 855-025 12:36 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:36 pm and 12:37 pm.
  • 043-076 12:37 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone at 12:37 pm.

All 59 conversations from February 14, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 855-018, February 14, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417182453). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/855-018 (accessed November 15, 2026).