Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 948 › Conversation 948-007
Nixon, Humphrey & Ford on U.S. Bicentennial
Wednesday, July 11, 1973 · 12:09 PM–12:17 PM ET · Oval Office · 10 min
AI Summary
President Richard Nixon met with Senator Hubert H. Humphrey, Representative Gerald R. Ford, Arthur B. Hanson, and William E. Timmons in the Oval Office to accept a commemorative medallion from the United States Capitol Historical Society. The group engaged in casual conversation regarding Bicentennial planning, specifically a Marine Corps-led replica project in Philadelphia, and discussed various academic and professional football programs, including the Washington Redskins and the Minnesota Vikings. The meeting concluded after a brief photo session and the exchange of personal gifts.
- U.S. Bicentennial
- United States Capitol Historical Society
- Philadelphia City Tavern
- College Football
- Professional Football
- Commemorative Medals
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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All right.
All right.
Well, you heard the big shots today.
I know.
That's right.
The president and senator was admiring the new cabinet table.
Oh, yeah.
He said he hopes that his wife doesn't see it.
I think we're right.
That's why I said my heart is that Williamsburg, she's so crazy about Williamsburg, right?
She made a lot of minutes.
That's right.
That's right.
Well, I'm doing this to ask the rest of my friends, friends of ours in Europe and Asia, and this is one of my, I don't know if you're kind of told, but this is an artist who did a lot of medicine.
I don't know how to explain it, but this is something I'm doing to our audience for you.
And we are presenting to you this medal of W.O.S.S.
I'm going to put this here to show us the capital on one side.
So George Washington laid forth the name W.O.S.S.
on the other.
That's the number 1777.
Gary and I were, uh, presented with a medal in my conference, uh, and he had the best swing, and said, it's $108.
I think he lost it, but I don't know, but I should say, uh, there are 1,976 of those, uh, and, uh, for the purpose of making a list.
I saw them here, the men, all three of them, all three of them.
I will honor it by
I mean, it's just no way.
I mean, it's just no way.
I mean, it's just no way.
I mean, it's just no way.
I mean, it's just no way.
I mean, it's just no way.
Just loves his...
What he does in every respect.
We all owe him a lot because it hasn't been his.
That's right.
And he just picked that up when he was a member of Congress.
We only have three and a half years, but two and a half.
That's right.
The year begins in January of 76.
Well, we've got to have some kind of celebration.
What I have to say is that, Mr. President, both of you gentlemen, is that with my Marine Corps hat on, we have just signed a 50-year lease for a dollar a year for the city of Philadelphia, and we're going to, through the Marine Corps Memorial Foundation, build a replica of Cunt Tavern.
And we're going to put it up there right near the centennial buildings and right near Independence Hall.
And we've got the land that's all dedicated.
And I just signed that lease this week.
And we've got, if the cost is not a half a million dollars, it's not that big a project.
If we'd had it by the land, it wouldn't have been a big project.
But Philadelphia, we finally talked it into other areas.
And we're banging away at that.
And that will be dedicated as one of the 1776, 1976 programs.
And these are all just .
You guys, this is very .
Yes, I'm going to play next week at the University of Minnesota.
Wow.
On all the occasions.
You're very kind.
Oh, you're a Russian now.
I don't play very much, really.
This is the Wiggins.
They've got a Wiggins scholarship.
They get all those blokes up who can't play.
Yeah, this is the athlete's scholarship to the University of Minnesota.
Oh, Melissa!
Melissa!
Yeah.
Yeah.
We've got to get a football team.
I said, you're having trouble with the legislature.
He said, where are we trying to develop a high-quality university?
I said, by God, get a football team.
Well, I have to say, University of Southern California, that's a great school.
It's a great law school.
They're number one.
Nebraska's a great university.
You can have both.
And that's not our first idea.
We had to take that off.
Even though we took it off, I agree with you, they lost a couple of games.
But at the end of the year, they played on that ball.
For real, the two best teams were Nebraska and Southern California.
Nebraska was big enough to have the USC, the kind of... SC was kind of in a powerful league, you know.
That first half, Lee Hayes, his team held it back.
But no way, no way, but Nebraska...
I see it's your favorite club that's recent practice now, and Mr. Allen's.
to go right this year.
I think he's probably right.
I don't know.
He's got to buy it.
He bought it by doing it.
He brought in some money.
He got a guy.
I don't know.
I don't know about that, but he's got this.
He got Benson.
Yeah.
Canadian.
Oh, God.
And he brought this.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
We filled in the precinct.
How many?
Five.
Five.
Well, uh, back in Austin was one of them.
He didn't eat him.
No.
And he gave up.
There were other people that liked him.
Yeah, I know.
That's true.
That's not good.
Yeah, I forgot.
No, he did.
Well, that's how it was for me.
I'm interested in the Vikings.
The only last year he just slept a bit.
Purple.
Purple.
Thank you for your time.
Thanks for your time.
Thanks for your time.
Thank you.
NARA Description
On July 11, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Hubert H. Humphrey, Gerald R. Ford, Arthur B. Hanson, William E. Timmons, White House photographer, and members of the press met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:09 pm to 12:17 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 948-007 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 948-7
Date: July 11, 1973
Time: 12:09 pm - 12:17 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Hubert H. Humphrey, Gerald R. Ford, Arthur B. Hanson, and William E.
Timmons. The White House photographer and members of the press were present at the
beginning of the meeting.
[General conversation]
Furniture in the Cabinet Room
-Humphrey’s admiration
-Muriel F. (“Buck”) Humphrey
-Williamsburg furniture
[General conversation]
Presentation of medallion to President
-[United States Capitol Historical Society]
-Design of medal
-Capitol Building
-George Washington laying cornerstone
-“1776”
-Cost of medal
[General conversation]
[Photo session]
Spiro T. Agnew [?]
Humphrey
-Vice presidency
Unknown man
-13-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 948-7 (cont’d)
US Bicentennial
-Legislation
-Need for celebration
-City Tavern replica in Philadelphia
-Terms of lease
-Marine Corps War Memorial Foundation
-Location
-Cost
-Gen. Robert E. Cushman, Jr.
Presentation of gifts by President
-Oval Office flags
-Gifts to wives
-Golf balls [?]
-Humphrey’s schedule
-University of Minnesota
Humphrey’s schedule
-Williams Scholarship Fund
Football
-Minnesota versus Michigan
-University of Minnesota team [?]
-Legislation
-University of Southern California
-Law School
-Rankings
-Nebraska
-Rose Bowl
-University of Southern California, Nebraska
-University of Southern California
-Previous Rose Bowl victory over Ohio State
-Woody Hayes
-Nebraska
-Previous Rose Bowl victory over Notre Dame
-Washington Redskins
-14-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 948-7 (cont’d)
-George E. Allen
-Upcoming season
-Mark Mosely
-Ken Houston
-Trade for Mack Allston and others
-Minnesota Vikings
-[First name unknown] Bloomberg [?]
-Mascot
US Marine Corps
Leave-taking
Humphrey, et. al., left at 12:17 pm.Also recorded on July 11, 1973
- 948-004 11:32 AM · 26 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:32 am to 12:08 pm.
- 948-005 12:08 PM · 32 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:08 pm and 12:09 pm.
- 948-006 12:08 PM · 42 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:08 pm and 12:09 pm.
- 948-008 12:17 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at 12:17 pm.
- 948-009 12:17 PM · 50 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:17 pm and 12:24 pm.
- 948-010 12:24 PM · 23 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:24 pm to 12:55 pm.
- 948-022 12:55 PM · 7 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:55 pm and 3:00 pm.
- 041-060 1:10 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:10 pm and 2:28 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 948-007, July 11, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/948-007 (accessed October 10, 2026).