{"conversationCode":"867-028","tapeNumber":867,"conversationNumber":28,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-867-028","startDateTime":"1973-03-02T21:08:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1973-03-02T22:05:00.000Z","startDate":"2-Mar-1973","startTime":"4:08 PM","endDate":"2-Mar-1973","endTime":"5:05 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"estimated","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.; Melich, Richard; Melich, Richard (Mrs.);","description":"On March 2, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Richard Melich, and Mrs. Richard Melich met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:08 pm and 5:05 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 867-028 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"OVAL","recordingDevice":"Oval Office","latitudeEstimated":38.8974,"longitudeEstimated":-77.0374,"chronCode":"5.4","chronRelease":"Fifth Chronological Release: Part IV","chronReleaseDate":"8-Dec-2010","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 867-28\n\nDate: March 2, 1973\nTime: Unknown after 4:08 and before 5:05 pm\nLocation: Oval Office\n\nThe President met with Mr. and Mrs. Richard Melich; Stephen B. Bull and the White House\nphotographer were present at the beginning of the meeting.\n\n       Greetings\n\n       Melichs's visit to Yugoslavia, Sweden, and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]\n            -Photograph\n                   -Child\n                          -Naming after President\n            -Environmental conference\n                   -Stockholm\n            -Melich's parents\n                   -Zagreb\n                   -Serbians\n            -President's visit to Yugoslavia\n            -Melich's parents\n            -Rural life\n            -Yugoslav ambassador to the US\n\n       Photographs\n\n       Return to Utah\n            -President's visit to Utah\n            -Melich's future career\n            -Salt Lake City\n\n       Photographs\n\n       Melich's work with administration\n            -1952 convention\n                  -Chicago\n            -1964 convention\n                  -San Francisco\n                  -Barry M. Goldwater\n\f                                            -43-\n\n                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM\n\n                                        (rev. June-2010)\n                                                             Conversation No. 867-28 (cont’d)\n\n             -1968 convention\n                  -Chicago\n             -Miami convention\n\n       Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon\n            -Birthday\n\n       Mrs. Melich's ancestors\n            -Mormons\n                  -Missionaries\n\nMr. and Mrs. Melich left.","filename":["867-028.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Bull, Stephen B.","Melich, Richard","Melich, Richard (Mrs.)"],"prevCode":"867-027","nextCode":"867-029","transcript":[{"start":0.5,"end":2.04,"text":"Mr. President, this is Mr. Richard Miller."},{"start":2.91,"end":3.67,"text":"Hi there."},{"start":3.91,"end":5.87,"text":"How are you?"},{"start":5.89,"end":6.81,"text":"Nice to see you."},{"start":6.89,"end":8.05,"text":"How are you?"},{"start":8.15,"end":9.01,"text":"Good to see you."},{"start":9.03,"end":9.75,"text":"Good to see you."},{"start":9.89,"end":11.13,"text":"Hi, how are you?"},{"start":11.17,"end":13.18,"text":"I've got something to show you."},{"start":13.2,"end":15.64,"text":"I've got something to show you."},{"start":15.66,"end":18.08,"text":"We are in Utah this summer."},{"start":18.12,"end":24.36,"text":"And the little guy with the bear name is your namesake."},{"start":24.5,"end":28.41,"text":"And this is your gift to you, Italian, the parents of this boy."},{"start":29.31,"end":30.93,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":31.27,"end":32.45,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":32.89,"end":34.15,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":34.57,"end":36.82,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":42.39,"end":44.03,"text":"How did you do the soccer interview there?"},{"start":44.11,"end":47.95,"text":"Well, we were there at the environmental conference in Stockholm."},{"start":48.17,"end":48.73,"text":"Oh, yeah?"},{"start":48.75,"end":48.81,"text":"Yes."},{"start":48.84,"end":50.86,"text":"We spent a weekend in Russia."},{"start":51.04,"end":55.16,"text":"And Dory and I are talking about soccer."},{"start":55.22,"end":58.97,"text":"My father and mother were both going to do soccer."},{"start":59.05,"end":59.3,"text":"Oh, really?"},{"start":59.37,"end":59.8,"text":"What park?"},{"start":59.88,"end":60.33,"text":"Which park?"},{"start":60.37,"end":61.31,"text":"Horn and their soccer team."},{"start":66.04,"end":83.27,"text":"My father was born on this little farm, and they still own the water seven miles."},{"start":83.57,"end":89.56,"text":"It's a very, very good place, I understand."},{"start":94.55,"end":103.89,"text":"Well, they're so poor, of course, but they're nice people."},{"start":104.25,"end":104.8,"text":"And strong."},{"start":104.83,"end":105.18,"text":"Strong."},{"start":105.22,"end":114.04,"text":"The ambassador here was from this section is where all their generals come from."},{"start":114.7,"end":118.64,"text":"Well, I want to get back to you, Tom."},{"start":121.69,"end":122.99,"text":"um i'm surprised that"},{"start":151.09,"end":152.57,"text":"We have a sign-in."},{"start":152.71,"end":154.53,"text":"Right, right."},{"start":154.91,"end":158.53,"text":"I'll keep your option open."},{"start":158.55,"end":161.23,"text":"I want Mitch to sign this for you, and we'll give you this."},{"start":161.45,"end":161.73,"text":"All right."},{"start":162.11,"end":162.81,"text":"Good, good."},{"start":162.83,"end":165.45,"text":"And we'll send you one of these."},{"start":165.47,"end":166.95,"text":"Thank you, Mark."},{"start":167.03,"end":167.51,"text":"Is that working?"},{"start":167.61,"end":171.24,"text":"Here, here's one of those."},{"start":171.28,"end":171.97,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":172.01,"end":177.44,"text":"Well, we've enjoyed our experience here."},{"start":177.56,"end":179.96,"text":"Well, we've been so glad to have you here."},{"start":181.98,"end":182.28,"text":"I appreciate it."},{"start":183.16,"end":185.3,"text":"Well, that's a great party."},{"start":185.32,"end":192.2,"text":"We have been in the political battle for many years."},{"start":192.3,"end":196.93,"text":"For a long time, after the 52nd Convention, first we attended every word of this institution."},{"start":196.97,"end":198.37,"text":"Not until we had Chicago Sun."},{"start":199.33,"end":210.12,"text":"Our delegation in Chicago and the combination of 60, 64 times San Francisco, and twice within Miami."},{"start":211.58,"end":212.32,"text":"I don't see it."},{"start":212.46,"end":213.85,"text":"It's your wife's birthday."},{"start":213.97,"end":217.13,"text":"Yeah, well, best of luck to you."},{"start":217.51,"end":218.17,"text":"Wish you the best."},{"start":218.23,"end":219.23,"text":"We'll be seeing her."},{"start":220.43,"end":225.48,"text":"I'll be out in town one of these days."},{"start":226.08,"end":227.52,"text":"Are you from New Southland, too?"},{"start":228.38,"end":229.26,"text":"No, I wasn't."},{"start":229.42,"end":229.76,"text":"You were not."},{"start":229.78,"end":231.06,"text":"No, I, no, I wasn't."},{"start":231.84,"end":232.66,"text":"You're a Buddhist, are you?"},{"start":232.72,"end":233.64,"text":"No, I'm not."},{"start":233.66,"end":238.57,"text":"Her, uh, ancestors were, I never said they were Mormons in Utah."},{"start":238.63,"end":242.79,"text":"I, uh, but it's still, you'd still be a Mormon in Judah's law, can't you?"},{"start":242.81,"end":243.99,"text":"Yeah, it's still not."},{"start":244.01,"end":247.92,"text":"I'm afraid those Mormons have missionaries all over the world."},{"start":247.94,"end":248.06,"text":"I see."},{"start":248.08,"end":250.64,"text":"All right."},{"start":250.68,"end":252.14,"text":"All right."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon met with Richard and Mrs. Melich, accompanied by Stephen B. Bull, for a social visit in the Oval Office. The conversation focused on the Melichs' travels to Yugoslavia, the USSR, and Sweden, as well as their long-standing history of supporting the Republican Party at national conventions since 1952. The group also discussed family backgrounds, including the Melichs' ancestral ties to the Mormon faith and the naming of their child after the President.","topics":["Republican National Conventions","International travel","Yugoslavia","Mormonism","Presidential social visits","Utah politics"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-08T22:41:53.751Z"},"topicSlugs":["republican-national-conventions","international-travel","yugoslavia","mormonism","presidential-social-visits","utah-politics"],"audioDurationSec":260,"audioFiles":[{"file":"867-028.mp3","bytes":2095104,"durationSec":259.69,"bitrate":64540,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:20:00.697Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/867-028.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/867-028","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/867/conversation-867-028","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}