{"conversationCode":"867-031","tapeNumber":867,"conversationNumber":31,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-867-031","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.; Silberman, Laurence H.; Silberman, Laurence H. (Mrs.);","description":"On March 2, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Laurence H. Silberman, and Mrs. Laurence H. Silberman 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 867-031 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. 867-31\n\nDate: March 2, 1973\nTime: Unknown between 4:08 pm and 5:05 pm\nLocation: Oval Office\n\nThe President met with Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence H. Silberman; Stephen B. Bull and the White\nHouse photographers were present at the beginning of the meeting.\n\n       Introductions\n\n       Photographs\n            -Copies\n\n       Appreciations for Contributions\n            -Work with George P. Shultz, James D. Hodgson\n            -Shultz\n                  -Work ethic\n\n       New job\n            -Law firm\n                 -Hope Johnson [?]\n                 -Experience\n\f                                           -46-\n\n                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM\n\n                                     (rev. June-2010)\n                                                            Conversation No. 867-31 (cont’d)\n\n                  -Partnership\n                        -Value\n                  -Appeal work\n             -Location\n\nMr. and Mrs. Silberman left.","filename":["867-031.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Bull, Stephen B.","Silberman, Laurence H.","Silberman, Laurence H. (Mrs.)"],"prevCode":"867-030","nextCode":"867-032","transcript":[{"start":1.23,"end":2.37,"text":"This is Lawrence Silverman."},{"start":3.49,"end":3.77,"text":"Hello."},{"start":5.04,"end":5.89,"text":"How are you?"},{"start":6.08,"end":7.1,"text":"Nice to see you."},{"start":7.46,"end":8.08,"text":"Nice to see you."},{"start":8.68,"end":8.98,"text":"How are you?"},{"start":9,"end":9.66,"text":"Good to see you."},{"start":9.68,"end":11.78,"text":"Good to see you, sir."},{"start":11.8,"end":13.64,"text":"We thought we'd better get a formal picture here for you."},{"start":13.78,"end":20,"text":"Would you stand on my right?"},{"start":20.14,"end":22.92,"text":"I'll stand on my left."},{"start":23.08,"end":25.26,"text":"My only kind of family is split."},{"start":29.47,"end":29.69,"text":"Well,"},{"start":30.28,"end":31.1,"text":"We'll send a couple."},{"start":31.12,"end":32,"text":"I just want to wish you the best."},{"start":32.02,"end":34.74,"text":"Thank you for all your work with George, Jim, and all the rest."},{"start":34.76,"end":36.34,"text":"You've made a great contribution to us."},{"start":36.36,"end":43.3,"text":"Mr. President, I want to thank you very much for the opportunity."},{"start":43.34,"end":43.95,"text":"I should hold this."},{"start":46.02,"end":51.41,"text":"Mr. George, this is a great privilege and an honor to meet with you again."},{"start":52.01,"end":52.31,"text":"You're welcome."},{"start":55.13,"end":55.81,"text":"You're welcome."},{"start":56.27,"end":58.81,"text":"Comments, friends, men of the building."},{"start":58.83,"end":59.19,"text":"I quote George."},{"start":88.86,"end":93.6,"text":"It's hard, but it's worth doing."},{"start":114.94,"end":118,"text":"Yeah, well, the thing, too, is a kid told me, did you go as a partner?"},{"start":118.22,"end":118.36,"text":"Yes."},{"start":118.84,"end":119.04,"text":"Good."},{"start":119.64,"end":122.35,"text":"Don't ever let them give you the counsel business."},{"start":122.55,"end":123.17,"text":"You know how it is."},{"start":123.19,"end":125.35,"text":"They want to buy your reputation, but they don't want to pay anything."},{"start":125.41,"end":127.87,"text":"And go as a partner and run a business."},{"start":127.89,"end":130.76,"text":"I know."},{"start":130.8,"end":132.92,"text":"I know those percentages."},{"start":133.73,"end":136.11,"text":"Remember, lawyers are the first in marriage."},{"start":136.19,"end":137.66,"text":"You know, it's the one thing."},{"start":137.68,"end":137.86,"text":"Partner."},{"start":137.92,"end":139.58,"text":"No, that's different."},{"start":139.64,"end":141.16,"text":"You should be a partner."},{"start":141.22,"end":142.12,"text":"You should be."},{"start":142.14,"end":144.73,"text":"Because they're lucky to have you."},{"start":144.85,"end":147.11,"text":"But with your experience, you do this."},{"start":147.13,"end":147.77,"text":"But you like the law."},{"start":149.19,"end":149.69,"text":"Well, you should be."},{"start":149.72,"end":151.26,"text":"And you know what you should do?"},{"start":151.3,"end":153.82,"text":"I knew some law for about five years."},{"start":154.82,"end":155.86,"text":"And then I knew government again."},{"start":155.88,"end":158.68,"text":"And see, it's a cross-fertilization state."},{"start":158.9,"end":166.72,"text":"People stayed in government for a long time."},{"start":166.74,"end":169.82,"text":"I, you know, when I left, I thought, well, I'm just glad you're back."},{"start":169.88,"end":173.91,"text":"But when you drop a case, are you Mark Peel or just a set of corporations?"},{"start":173.93,"end":175.11,"text":"Anything that makes money?"},{"start":176.05,"end":184.03,"text":"It's a marvelous place, marvelous country out there."},{"start":187.37,"end":202.28,"text":"It's so beautiful in the spring, the cocoa and everything."},{"start":206.94,"end":207.6,"text":"Thank you very much."},{"start":207.94,"end":209.26,"text":"I wish you the best."},{"start":209.32,"end":214.74,"text":"And remember, if you hear any legitimate things, come up to these columns around here."},{"start":214.76,"end":215.12,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":215.52,"end":215.93,"text":"Thank you."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon met with Laurence H. Silberman and his wife to formally bid farewell to Silberman as he departed the administration. During the meeting, which included commemorative photography, Nixon expressed appreciation for Silberman’s service alongside George P. Shultz and James D. Hodgson. The President further offered career advice regarding Silberman’s transition into a private law firm partnership, emphasizing the value of his government experience.","topics":["Laurence H. Silberman","Personnel changes","Career advice","George P. Shultz","White House staff"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-08T22:42:11.174Z"},"topicSlugs":["laurence-h-silberman","personnel-changes","career-advice","george-p-shultz","white-house-staff"],"audioDurationSec":221,"audioFiles":[{"file":"867-031.mp3","bytes":1677312,"durationSec":221.25,"bitrate":60647,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:20:00.697Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/867-031.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/867-031","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/867/conversation-867-031","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}