Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 947 › Conversation 947-008

Nixon, Froehlke & Bull on Secretary of the Army and Vietnam War

Tuesday, July 10, 1973 · 12:24 PM–12:28 PM ET · Oval Office · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Froehlke, Robert F.; Bull, Stephen B.Conversation947-008 on Tape 947StartTuesday, July 10, 1973 at 12:24 PMEndTuesday, July 10, 1973 at 12:28 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 947-008 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with outgoing Secretary of the Army Robert F. Froehlke to express appreciation for his service, specifically citing his contributions to the troop withdrawal from Vietnam and the end of the military draft. The discussion transitioned to the necessity of maintaining conventional military strength, with Nixon emphasizing the importance of public messaging regarding advancements like the B-1 bomber and missile development. The meeting concluded with the President presenting ceremonial gifts to Froehlke and offering his support for Froehlke's future endeavors in Wisconsin.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I wish you well, but I have nothing but
I can leave anything for you to carry on.
I hope you, to the extent you can, you can convince the American people that we've got to have the conventional American.
I'm chocolate.
I go back to Main Street and they talk about, so it's B-1, new missiles.
Well, I hope and I think and I pray we are never going to use those as long as we have parity.
But we are.
All right.
Now let's take it.

NARA Description

On July 10, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Robert F. Froehlke, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:24 pm to 12:28 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 947-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 947-8

Date: July 10, 1973
Time: 12:24 pm - 12:28 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Robert F. Froehlke and Stephen B. Bull.

       Greetings
              -Appointment

       Robert F. Froehlke
              -Departure from the administration
                     -President’s appreciation
                     -Length of service
                     -Experience
              -Future plans
                     -Company
                     -Swearing-in
                            -[First name unknown] Gold [?]
              -Accomplishments
                     -Withdrawal of troops from Vietnam
                     -End of draft
                     -Service as Secretary of the Army

       National defense
              -Conventional forces
                                              -21-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                             Conversation No. 947-8 (cont’d)

                      -Public relations
                      -Usefulness of military technology
                             -B-1
                             -Missile
                             -Parity
                             -Effect

       Presentation of gifts by President
              -Cufflinks
              -Present for Froehlke’s wife
              -Golf balls

       Offer of support in Wisconsin

Froehlke and Bull left at 12:28 pm.

Also recorded on July 10, 1973

  • 947-009 12:28 PM · 30 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:28 pm and 12:29 pm.
  • 947-010 12:28 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:28 pm and 12:29 pm.
  • 947-011 12:29 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Verl M. Buxton, Mrs. Verl M. Buxton, Carol Buxton, Mark Buxton, Dale Buxton, Earl L. Butz, Wallace F. Bennett, Richard M. Fairbanks, III, White House photographer, and members of the press met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:29 pm and 12:43 pm.
  • 947-012 12:43 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:43 pm and 12:45 pm.
  • 448-010 12:45 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:45 pm and 12:50 pm.
  • 448-011 12:50 PM · 28 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:50 pm to 1:20 pm.
  • 448-012 1:20 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:20 pm and 2:51 pm.
  • 448-013 1:20 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:20 pm and 2:51 pm.

All 32 conversations from July 10, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 947-008, July 10, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/947-008 (accessed October 10, 2026).