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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. 
President
Conversation Topics
Condoleezza Rice talking with President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
'On Behalf of American Principles'
President George H. W. Bush sitting across from President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev at the Malta Summit in 1989
George H. W. Bush
'Doesn’t Malta Sound Great in November?'
Timothy J. McBride
Secretary of State Colin Powell talking to President George H. W. Bush and others in the Oval Office
George H. W. Bush
'Internalizing the Arguments'
Colin Powell
George H. W. Bush giving a thumbs up at a podium with Barbara Bush standing next to him
George H. W. Bush
'Campaigning versus Governing'
Colin Powell
Presidential Daily Brief's from the Kennedy and Johnson presidencies
George W. Bush
'He’s Going to Be Very Interactive'
Michael Hayden
General Tommy Franks and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld answering questions at a press conference.
George W. Bush
'What Are You Going to Do About It?'
Tommy Franks
Melody Barnes and President Barack Obama talk over a table
Barack Obama
'Could These Two People Have Ever Imagined?'
Melody Barnes
President Bill Clinton in a crowd in Londonderry, Ireland
Bill Clinton
'The Power of a Presidential Visit'
Gerry Adams
President Clinton shakes hands with Gerry Adams
Bill Clinton
'Serious About the Process'
Gerry Adams
President Obama with advisors in the Oval Office
Barack Obama
'Utterly Terrifying'
Cecilia Muñoz
President Obama receives a briefing from General Joseph Dunford
Barack Obama
'I Never Saw Him Unprepared'
Joseph Dunford
President Barack Obama, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen, and Vice President Joe Biden
Barack Obama
'Would You Please Put That Rosary Ring Back On?'
Mike Mullen
Secretary of Labor Tom Perez on panel discussion
Barack Obama
'I Wouldn’t Play Poker Against Him'
Tom Perez