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Conversation 916-017

TapeTape 916StartFriday, May 11, 1973 at 12:44 PMEndFriday, May 11, 1973 at 12:50 PMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Slemp, John C.;  Bull, Stephen B.Recording deviceOval Office
AI Summary

President Nixon met with John C. Slemp and Stephen B. Bull to host a brief social visit and photo session. The conversation centered on Slemp’s extensive background in religious journalism, his global travels, and his literary work. The President concluded the meeting by presenting Slemp with personal gifts, including an autographed pen and cufflinks.

Religious journalismInternational travelPoetryPresidential giftsSocial visit
AudioNARA Description

On May 11, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, John C. Slemp, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:44 pm to 12:50 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 916-017 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 916-17 (cont’d)

                                                                      Conversation No. 916-17

Date: May 11, 1973
Time: 12:44 pm - 12:50 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with John C. Slemp and Stephen B. Bull.

     Greetings

     Arrangements for photograph session

     Poem

     Slemp’s life and experience
          -Travels
                 -Religious journalism
          -Pennsylvania
          -Poetry
                 -Sonnet
                 -Christian Century and Christian Herald
                 -Carson Newman College
                       -Teacher
                       -Former student
          -Biography
                 -Seminary
                 -Religious journalism
                       -Missions magazine [American Baptist]
          -Travels
                 -President’s previous trip to People’s Republic of China [PRC]
                 -Hong Kong, India and Thailand
                 -Chinese people
                 -Burma
                 -Africa, Europe, Latin America and Soviet Union
                 -US
                       -Wife, Ruth Slemp
                                              -61-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                       (rev. August-2012)

                                                             Conversation No. 916-17 (cont’d)

           -Ruth Slemp

     Presentation of gifts by the President
          -Autograph
                 -Pen
          -Pin, cufflinks

Slemp and Bull left at 12:50 pm.
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

John, any other things?
Yes, sir.
Well, I've never heard of it.
It's a great pleasure to be here.
Reverend Slinton, I have
religious journalism, and he's traveled around the world twice.
Yeah.
Well, I must say, you must have had a fascinating wife.
Yes, I have.
How did she get the wedding?
Well, you know, I've been working on it a long time, and I remember writing in the early 30s.
I don't know the sonnet, but I bought the sonnet.
And I said, it's a Christmas century publication.
And when it came out, one of the lines had a foot missing.
And instead of having 14 lines, it had 13.
And so they're writing ever since.
Published in the Christmas century in the Christian Herald.
And several periodicals and something, and policies.
But no book, just the periodicals here.
I became a journalist.
So I've been in religious journalism my whole life.
But there was a 15-year period of travel and studying in various parts of the world.
And so things worked out very interesting to me.
Let's do this mix and we'll go to China all around.
We didn't get to China because we were cut out of China, you know, of course.
But we were in Hong Kong and India and all over.
So a lot of Chinese people said, oh, a lot of Chinese.
All the work was fascinating, but Asia has a certain fascination in me.
It certainly does.
Asia.
Yeah, India and all of Hawaii.
And Thailand and all those countries are great.
Very much.
And then we got into Africa and then into, of course, over Europe.
Latin America.
Latin America.
Yeah.
And even got to Russia later on.
You got to give every state a little bit.
All every state in the union.
And she knows every president of the United States, the names of their wives, and she can say the back of her heart.
She certainly has been mentioned in her history.
And she said, be sure to write it.
The president will give me his autograph.
Be sure to write it.
I'm so happy to see you.
I'm so happy to see you.
Thank you for your encouragement, your prayers.
I believe in you.
Thank you.
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
I know it.
That might be related to that.
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