In this telephone call, the President and his daughter, Julie, discuss arrangements for the following day's inauguration ceremony and the various associated festivities that had been held.
President Nixon: Hello?
White House Operator: Julie.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: Daddy?
President Nixon: [I] just wanted to know how things went last night.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: Oh, it was just fine.
President Nixon: Fine.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: It really was. How are you? You sound tired.
President Nixon: Do I really?
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: No. You just did when you first answered the phone.
President Nixon: Oh, no, no, no. That's fine. Fine.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: Good. Daddy, I wanted to ask you one thing: the concert hall's box seats 12 and the other 2 boxes seat 8. Do we want to invite the Marriotts to sit with us, or do we want just to have the 6 of us?
President Nixon: No, the six of us should sit.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: OK.
President Nixon: I think that's important in this occasion. Oh, well, sure the Marriott's can sit.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: No, I don't want them. I just want to make sure--
President Nixon: Yeah.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: I just wanted to know if you thought it would look empty. I don't think it will, or I--
President Nixon: No, no. They'll have somebody. I think the six of us should be there.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: Fine.
President Nixon: We'll have--
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: And, Daddy, the other thing I wanted to ask you: Mrs. [Alice Roosevelt] Longworth, apparently, is sick.1
President Nixon: Oh.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: She's spitting up blood and everything, so she can't come.
President Nixon: Oh, boy.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: Yeah. She can't come. So, there is that extra seat on the front row. Do we want to put Rose [Mary Woods∇] there? It might be awfully nice. You know, she's been such a great friend and [unclear].
President Nixon: You mean in the conc[ert], in the box?
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: No, I mean at the inaugural--on the--when you give your address.
President Nixon: Fine.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: In that front row.
President Nixon: Very, very good idea.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: I think it'd be really nice. Only if you think it's good, because I don't know.
President Nixon: Yeah. Yeah. Put her there. That's a very good thought, very nice thought. Right. Right.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: Good. Alrighty.
President Nixon: Mrs. Longworth--
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: It'll be a nice touch. The people would like the idea that she's been loyal and all that.
President Nixon: Yeah. She's really that sick is she, Mrs. Longworth?
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: Apparently she is. I'm so disappointed she can't come. Listen, the weather is beautiful!
President Nixon: It's coming along.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: It's 60 [degrees].
President Nixon: Yeah. We hope it stays about half this way tomorrow.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: Oh, it'll be great.
President Nixon: I got your little note. That's fine. I'll go to--tell--some time in the next two weeks I'll go over and see [Dr. William] Chase.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: Sure.
President Nixon: —have him come in. And--but were the events yesterday well done, well handled?
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: Yes. Oh, listen. The salute--Mother was just mobbed at the [Spiro] Agnew reception, and the stories have been great.
President Nixon: Well, good.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: We saw everybody and mingled. And we're going to go over today to the Heritage [House] thing, and it'll be just marvelous, I know. Very good. And then, last night, Mrs. Hope sat with us in the box, and it was--he [Bob Hope] was so great. It was a nice evening.
President Nixon: That was a salute to the states?
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: Right.
President Nixon: Right. [Unclear] he did a good job, as usual.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: He did. Yeah.
President Nixon: And did they- and I suppose that you and Mommy got a good reception, huh?
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: Yeah, we did. We got a great reception. Mommy, you know, they all stood and applauded.
President Nixon: Right. Right. Right. Right. Yeah. That's good.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: It was very nice.
President Nixon: That's good, sweetie. But I--we'll have a good time tonight. I don't know about the Marriotts. I mean, frankly--
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: Frankly, I think just the family. I just--
President Nixon: I think it just--I think it's just--I just don't think we ought to have anybody else there. I think it should just be the family, and then everybody will understand.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: Good. I think so, too.
President Nixon: [Unclear] wonder who those people are. We'll do nice things for the Marriottss.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: Oh, no. We don't have to do anything for them. They're very happy.
President Nixon: Sure.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: Yeah.
President Nixon: Sure. Sure. Sure.Sure.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: OK.
President Nixon: All right. Fine. Fine. Bye.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower: OK. Bye.