Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 880 › Conversation 880-008

Nixon, Friedersdorf & Ploch on Oval Office protocol and Thai royalty

Thursday, March 15, 1973 · 12:26 PM–12:35 PM ET · Oval Office · 9 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Friedersdorf, Max L.; Ploch, Debbie; Collins, James M.Conversation880-008 on Tape 880StartThursday, March 15, 1973 at 12:26 PMEndThursday, March 15, 1973 at 12:35 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 880-008 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Max Friedersdorf, James Collins, and Debbie Ploch for a social visit and photo session in the Oval Office. The discussion covered a wide range of informal topics, including Ploch’s teaching career, her recent travels to Southeast Asia, and the upcoming state visit by the King and Queen of Thailand. Additionally, the group conversed about various personal interests such as the history of White House decor, family anecdotes, and the significance of a Chinese jade vase.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Are you?
Are you?
I'm looking at you, and I'm coming over to your basement, and in fact, we were...
very well.
Yeah, that one was really good.
It was a
This is done so that you
100 years ago before they built the wings on it.
She was married.
You don't plan to get married this year.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
Oh, well, I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
It's basically the name of Jesus.
This is the fifth century before Christ.
And there's only one life in the world.
It means all the earth desires something.
This thing, this is money you can't really judge.
Probably, probably in terms of...
Go to the parties and see all those countries.
Everything.
Oh, you do a great job.
You're most of them.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On March 15, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Max L. Friedersdorf, Debbie Ploch, and James M. Collins met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:26 pm to 12:35 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 880-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 880-8

Date: March 15, 1973
Time: 12:26 pm-12:35 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Debbie Ploch, James M. Collins and Max L. Friedersdorf. The White
House photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.

       Introductions
             -Family

       Photographs

       Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon

       [Sirikit, Queen of Thailand] Queen Sirikit Kitiyakara
             -Attributors
             -Miss World contest
             -Ploch's trip to Southeast Asia

[Photograph session]

       State visit by [Bhumibol, King of Thailand] Bhumibol Adulyadej
             -Visit to White House
             -Message for Queen Sirikit

       Ploch’s teaching career
            -English
            -Spanish

       Cotton Bowl
            -Football game
                 -Texas, Oklahoma

       Gifts
                                          10-
                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                   Conversation No. 880-8 (cont’d)

        Oval Office
             -Mrs. Nixon's input
             -Curtains
                    -Color television [TV]
             -Painting of White House
                    -Great Britain
             -Portrait of George Washington

        Rose Garden
             -Tricia Nixon Cox's wedding
             -Flowers

        Ploch's plans
              -Marriage
                    -President’s future grandchildren

        Chinese vase
             -Value
             -Jade
             -Age
             -Inscription

        Prisoners of war [POWs]

        Ploch's trip to Far East
              -Experiences
                     -People
              -Sale of cotton from US
                     -Necessity

        Crewelwork by Julie Nixon Eisenhower

        President's daughters
              -Middle names

        Ploch's middle name

Ploch, et al., left at 12:35 pm.
                                        11-
                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                 Conversation No. 880-9 (cont’d)

Also recorded on March 15, 1973

  • 880-003 11:58 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:58 am to 12:05 pm.
  • 037-117 12:05 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:05 pm and 12:11 pm.
  • 880-004 12:05 PM · 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 12:05 pm and 12:11 pm.
  • 880-005 12:05 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 12:05 pm and 12:11 pm.
  • 037-118 12:11 PM · 58 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ralph H. Cake talked on the telephone from 12:11 pm to 12:12 pm.
  • 880-006 12:11 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Ralph H. Cake, Ronald L. Ziegler, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:11 pm to 12:25 pm.
  • 880-007 12:25 PM · 44 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:25 pm and 12:26 pm.
  • 880-009 12:35 PM · 46 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:35 pm to 1:02 pm.

All 83 conversations from March 15, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 880-008, March 15, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/880-008 (accessed October 5, 2026).