Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 928 › Conversation 928-007
Nixon, Dramesi & White House photographer on Prisoners of War
Friday, May 25, 1973 · 10:45 AM–10:50 AM ET · Oval Office · 8 min
AI Summary
President Nixon met with Lt. Col. John A. Dramesi and his wife, Adriana, to honor the returned prisoner of war following a recent commemorative event. The discussion touched upon Dramesi’s experience in captivity, the positive national impact of the returning POWs, and the family’s military service history. The President presented the couple with various commemorative gifts and discussed future social engagements and potential military career paths for the Dramesis' children.
- Prisoners of War
- Military Service
- John A. Dramesi
- White House protocol
- Patriotism
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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Good morning, my friend, Lieutenant Colonel John D'Amici.
Yes, how are you?
Good to see you this morning, Mr. Biden.
How are you?
Very nice to see you.
Well, I wanted to say I sent you a little card.
I sent a mail or something.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
This is the one you made?
This is the one you made?
This is the one you made?
This is the one you made?
This is the one you made?
This is the one you made?
This is the one you made?
And now we'll have a picture of you.
Thank you.
You don't need to do it again.
You don't need to do it again.
You don't need to do it again.
You don't need to do it again.
The lights are on.
Thank you very much.
Yeah, I think that's it.
That would be proud to have it in my house.
We're in the area of the presidential library.
I'm glad you guys are here.
I'm glad you guys are here.
Go ahead.
Your buddy's going to be that way.
It's a great deal.
I'm so glad you're staying with us.
This is a little four-year-old kid.
I'm telling you.
He's going to be a dinner partner.
Just take all the invitations you get for him.
I want to talk to some of those dogs.
Thank you.
See if we can get, you've got the mic.
Yes, the ashtray is the pen, the gunwalex.
We have this time-lapse, the new time-lapse.
Oh, we have the new time-lapse.
We've got to get you shopping for this.
This is, uh, the presidential time-lapse.
It'll match the cut.
Let's see if it'll save your coverage.
I wasn't at the ceremony.
I just started the program last night.
I was on a super show.
I mean, the most looking thing always was when they marched in colors.
Wasn't that great?
They played the songs.
Well, I think it was very well done.
In the beginning, it was certainly something to be enthused about.
In the end, they...
Very brilliant.
Yeah, well, you know, he's been very young, very, very...
It's his first call in years.
He came down, and he was so radiant.
I always thought to myself at one time after I was released that I would be overwhelmed and probably come up close to
being emotional and probably, uh, that was the, uh, the nurses that came to us last time and started talking to us.
I think it was the same with some of us.
The last time, yeah.
I guess we all felt that way.
And, uh, I think that's good.
I, uh, I think it's good.
We've got to keep feeling it.
Well, it's emotional.
And all of you, the way you're retiring, keep feeling it as a country.
And we will continue to.
As I said yesterday in my talk, just continue to leave some of your chins out there.
You're celebrities now.
They'll see.
They'll see.
You'll do well.
You'll do well.
Well, I bet you it will send you copies of the pictures.
They might bring the files.
But we're going to hand it to Mike.
He's a mighty proud of us boy.
Mighty proud of me.
And I'm proud of you.
Yeah, good way.
That's it.
That's it.
I'm married.
We're going to do a bar here.
Yeah.
You're in Philadelphia.
You're in Philadelphia.
South Idaho.
Yes.
Philadelphia.
Yes, sir.
And then moved to New Jersey.
And then moved to New Jersey for 30 years.
All right.
All right.
Your boy wanted to do something else.
Air Force.
I had one year.
What is the name?
What is the name?
We are.
Let's try to start with the best name.
If I heard the other two boys, what are they now?
And we just spent it for a year.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Get a couple extra years.
Find the other two boys and send them home.
All right.
All right.
NARA Description
On May 25, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Lt. Col. John A. Dramesi, Adriana Dramesi, Stephen B. Bull, White House photographer, and members of the press met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:45 am to 10:50 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 928-007 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 928-7
Date: May 25, 1973
Time: 10:45 am - 10:50 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Lt. Col. John A. Dramesi, Adriana Dramesi, and Stephen B. Bull. The
White House photographer and members of the press were present at the beginning of the
meeting.
Introductions
-Card from President
John A. Dramesi’s flag
-Length of imprisonment
Arrangements for photographs
John A. Dramesi’s flag
-White House
-Presidential library
John A. Dramesi
-Future
-Military service
-Age
-Dinner invitations
-Washington, DC
-Tricia Nixon Cox, Julie Nixon Eisenhower
Presentation of gifts by the President
-18-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 928-7 (cont’d)
-Pins
-Ashtray
-Tie clasp
-Cufflinks
-Pins
-Seal
-Importance
-Oval Office
Prisoners of war [POWs] dinner
-Television [TV] Marine march
-Irving Berlin
-Health
-Singer
-“God Bless America”
-Background
-Soviet Union
-Ukraine
-Jew
-Immigrant
-Persecution
- John A. Dramesi’s response
-Emotions
POWs
-Effect of return on the US
-Celebrities
Photographs
-Copies
Adriana Dramesi
-Background
-Philidelphia, Pennsylvania
-New Jersey
-Sons’ military service
-United States Air Force
-19-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 928-7 (cont’d)
-United States Navy
-United States Marine Corps
Dramesi et al. left at 10:50 am.Also recorded on May 25, 1973
- 039-020 10:10 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:10 am and 10:24 am.
- 928-003 10:10 AM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:10 am and 10:24 am.
- 928-004 10:10 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:10 am and 10:24 am.
- 039-021 10:26 AM · 12 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 10:26 am.
- 928-008 10:50 AM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:50 am and 11:06 am.
- 928-009 10:50 AM · 31 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:50 am and 11:06 am.
- 928-010 10:51 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:51 am and 11:06 am.
- 928-011 10:51 AM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:51 am and 11:06 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 928-007, May 25, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/928-007 (accessed October 12, 2026).