Featured Content / Listening to the Presidency

Listening to the Presidency

Candid, unscripted glimpses of American presidents

Explore audio recordings along with contextual materials from several presidential administrations. Miller Center scholars have selected and edited each recording to help visitors gain insights into the presidency.  

 

You can filter Listening to the Presidency conversations by president, topic, and keyword.  
Richard Nixon campaigning
Secret White House tapes

Hear conversations from the secret White House tapes. The Presidential Recordings Program lets users listen in on presidents and their advisers at critical historical moments.
Madeline Albright portrait
Oral histories

Review key excerpts from the Presidential Oral History Program as senior decision-makers reflect on their time in the White House.
LBJ at his desk
Sample conversation

President Johnson asks his mentor, Senator Richard B. “Dick” Russell Jr. [D–Georgia], for advice on the Vietnam War. “It’s the damned worst mess I ever saw,” Russell declares. 
Conversation Topics
President
Troops in Vietnam
Lyndon B. Johnson
'This Is In Absolute Confidence'
Lyndon B. Johnson | Hubert H. Humphrey Jr. | Richard M. Nixon | George C. Wallace Jr.
LBJ and Dirksen sitting and talking
Lyndon B. Johnson
'This Is Treason'
Lyndon B. Johnson | Everett M. Dirksen
Nixon and LBJ talking to each other across a table
Lyndon B. Johnson
'I Feel Very, Very Strongly About This'
Lyndon B. Johnson | Richard M. Nixon
LBJ speaking at the 1968 Democratic convention
Lyndon B. Johnson
'We’ve Been in Tears'
Lyndon B. Johnson | Hubert H. Humphrey Jr. | Muriel Humphrey Bio Page | Lady Bird Johnson
Honolulu Conference on the Vietnam War
Lyndon B. Johnson
'You Go to That Conference'
Lyndon B. Johnson | Richard M. Nixon
LBJ pointing to something in the Oval Office with Richard Nixon
Lyndon B. Johnson
'There’s No Arrangement'
Lyndon B. Johnson | Bryce N. Harlow
The Johnsons and the Trumans
Lyndon B. Johnson
'We’re Just So Fond of You'
Lyndon B. Johnson | Lady Bird Johnson | Elizabeth V. 'Bess' Truman | Harry S. Truman
The Pentagon
Richard M. Nixon
'But It’s a Pentagon Study, Huh?'
Richard M. Nixon | Alexander M. “Al” Haig Jr.
Daniel Ellsberg
Richard M. Nixon
'Our Strong Suspicion Is It’s Dan Ellsberg'
Richard M. Nixon | Alexander M. “Al” Haig Jr. | William P. “Bill” Rogers
President Nixon on telephone
Richard M. Nixon
'Hell, They’re Our Enemies'
Richard M. Nixon | John N. Mitchell | Henry A. Kissinger
President Nixon at desk
Richard M. Nixon
'Our Track Record’s Pretty Stinky'
Richard M. Nixon | H. R. “Bob” Haldeman | Ronald L. “Ron” Ziegler | Charles W. “Chuck” Colson
President Nixon and Haldeman on Air Force One
Richard M. Nixon
'You Need a Team'
Richard M. Nixon | H. R. “Bob” Haldeman
President Nixon talking to Haldeman
Richard M. Nixon
'I Want the Brookings Institute Safe Cleaned Out'
Richard M. Nixon | H. R. “Bob” Haldeman
President Nixon
Richard M. Nixon
Horrible Things
Richard M. Nixon
H.R. "Bob" Haldeman
Richard M. Nixon
'I Really Need a Son of a Bitch'
Richard M. Nixon | H. R. “Bob” Haldeman
President Nixon in Oval Office
Richard M. Nixon
'The Jews Are Born Spies'
Richard M. Nixon | Ronald L. “Ron” Ziegler | H. R. “Bob” Haldeman