Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 859 › Conversation 859-013

Nixon, Eisenhower & Woods on White House maintenance and Henry Kearns

Wednesday, February 21, 1973 · 9:58 AM–10:08 AM ET · Oval Office · 9 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Woods, Rose Mary; Eisenhower, Julie NixonConversation859-013 on Tape 859StartWednesday, February 21, 1973 at 9:58 AMEndWednesday, February 21, 1973 at 10:08 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 859-013 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Rose Mary Woods to discuss routine administrative matters, including White House maintenance schedules, correspondence, and potential staff changes involving Henry Kearns. Following Woods' departure, the President spoke with his daughter, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, to check on her well-being and invite her and David Eisenhower to an upcoming White House church service featuring Norman Vincent Peale. The conversations focused primarily on managing personal scheduling, family arrangements, and logistical issues concerning White House upkeep.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Oh, I think we've got better weather in the morning than we do in Florida.
It's nice now.
It's very cold.
Oh, I hope so.
I'm 30.
I'm 27 today.
I got this.
I was wondering if she was a person who spent time with her.
She was not yet.
She's a nice person now.
She's very nice.
She was very nice.
She really took care of him.
That's why I thought it would be a good time.
That's what I thought.
I know, I got the message.
I didn't call in.
It's very hard.
These people ran.
Oh, well, I didn't think you should.
That's why.
They're all broken up, so it's a hell of a time.
Oh, you had one of your petitions.
Oh, well, there's just going to say one of their dogs went on a fishing contribution, and they need to back off.
So we're probably going to have to cut it.
I'm sorry we have to do that, because I've got one of those churches that I've got to use.
It would be very difficult for any of you to sleep while they were cleaning up downstairs.
That's the main thing.
They would have to push people down after they were there.
around the back, you know, they have the, you know, small dishes around, glasses around.
And these books, I have a file.
Yeah.
I marked it.
Those things I'm doing, usually one side, now I've got to do the second part of the second side.
Sure.
Okay.
No, they want to, they want to make it clear.
They can do it.
Probably none of the family didn't.
The problem we have, I realize, is that we have
Sorry.
What?
Yeah.
Yeah, they're right.
Yeah, they're right.
There is a few, yes, and I think, hopefully, they don't have any of them on.
I don't have any of them.
I know that I was caught.
I talked to Billy Brandy today.
I think he's right there.
And a letter from Henry Kearns.
He really does need to be relieved by making the first.
Relieved.
He's done a very good job.
It's good to get him out of there.
He's got so few letters.
Do you need to read his letter?
Because he left it before.
Yes, sir.
Hello?
I just wanted to see how you were doing.
Yes, it was.
I mean, it was fine.
Yeah, well, you know how it is.
Some of them remembered your trip there to follow the congressman that we elected to be public, and said that you really helped me when you came down there.
So we're fine.
Well, how's, uh, is your everything all right at the apartment and so forth?
Uh...
Good.
I'm glad you did.
Yeah.
Sure.
Right.
I want to tell you that we're going to have Norman Benson Peale for the church service next Sunday.
And I wondered if maybe you'd like to come up to him or anything.
We're going to be here next week because we have the governor's on the 28th, and we have a vote on my error on the 1st.
Now, I don't know whether that's .
But I don't know whether you'd like to come or whether you think it'd be as well if we would want to.
What do you think?
Right?
There's something, yeah.
If David would come too, it would be great.
Yeah, we're having him first, but it'll be, I mean, he's such a good speaker, you know, it'd be so much better than most, but it'll be a good thing.
Oh, you did?
Yeah?
You did?
Did you?
Because of my hair?
Great.
Sure.
Sure.
Sure, sure.
He's so colorful, isn't he?
Everything.
Isn't that true?
Well, I'm glad.
Well, I'm sorry that we have bad weather report.
We have bad weather.
Yeah.
I see.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Okay.
But, uh, yeah, we've had great receptions out there on it, and everybody's doing good, and I just hope, uh, things are going well.
You, the present thing is that David would probably be out the 31st, but not the 4th, right?
But the fact that he's out then is great.
That's how.
But you could, you ought to plan to pop up here when you can, you know.
And, and don't, don't hesitate to see him come on the plane.
There's no problem at all.
None at all.
Sounds great.
So, uh, you, if you can come to the church line, if you can't, that's perfectly all right, too.
No.
No.
Don't go.
No, not Sunday night.
Next weekend is the evening at the White House.
And we have two events in the middle of the week, the governor's.
Oh, okay.
Well, we'll just have it some future time.
Fine.
Okay.
Right, I mean, just to do it in a good time.
Bye.

NARA Description

On February 21, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:58 am to 10:08 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 859-013 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 859-13

Date: February 21, 1973
Time: 9:58 am - 10:08 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Rose Mary Woods.

      Weather
            -Washington, DC
            -Florida

      Jane Freeman
             -President’s call
                    -Mrs. [First name unknown] Jordan
             -Husband
                    -Health

      Tony Romney [?]
            -Telephone call

      Invitations
              -Contributor’s list

      White House maintenance
            -Timing
                    -Church service [?]
            -Clean up downstairs
                    -Problems
                           -Sleep
                           -Extra pay
            -Entrance
            -Books
                    -Flowers
            -Effects on First Family
            -Timing
                                             -13-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                                Conversation No. 859-13 (cont’d)

       Gridiron dinner
              -Democratic speaker
                     -George S. McGovern

       Sunday Church service
             -Julie Nixon Eisenhower’s attendance

       Woods
               -Conversation with Phil Brannan [?]
               -Correspondence
                      -[Robert] Meredith Willson
                             -Los Angeles Times
                      -Henry Kearns
                             -Resignation

[Telephone rings]

                      -Kearns

Woods left at 10:04 am.

The President talked with Julie Nixon Eisenhower at 10:04 am.

[Conversation No. 859-13A]

[See Conversation No. 43-142]

Also recorded on February 21, 1973

  • 043-138 9:53 AM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:53 am.
  • 043-139 9:53 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:53 am and 9:56 am.
  • 859-010 9:55 AM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:55 am and 9:58 am.
  • 859-011 9:55 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:55 am and 9:58 am.
  • 859-012 9:55 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:55 am and 9:58 am.
  • 043-140 9:56 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:56 am.
  • 043-141 9:56 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:56 am and 10:04 am.
  • 043-142 10:04 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 10:04 am to 10:08 am.

All 88 conversations from February 21, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 859-013, February 21, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/859-013 (accessed October 11, 2026).