Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 3 › Conversation 003-109

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Henry Kissinger

Friday, May 21, 1971 · 12:42 PM–12:45 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation003-109 on Tape 3 (tape position 02:08:06–02:08:13)StartFriday, May 21, 1971 at 12:42 PMEndFriday, May 21, 1971 at 12:45 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 003-109 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon instructed the White House operator to place an outgoing call to National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger. This brief administrative interaction served as a logistical step to facilitate direct communication between the President and his advisor. No substantive policy discussions were recorded during this short connection process.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Yes, please.

NARA Description

On May 21, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:42 pm and 12:45 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-109 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 003-109

Date: May 21, 1971
Time: Unknown between 12:42 pm and 12:45 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

     Call to Henry A. Kissinger

Also recorded on May 21, 1971

  • 503-009 11:29 AM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon, William P. Rogers, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:29 am and 11:41 am.
  • 503-010 12:09 PM · 46 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, William P. Rogers, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:09 pm to 12:10 pm.
  • 503-011 12:11 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Donald Schollander, Jonathan C. Rose, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:11 pm to 12:20 pm.
  • 503-012 12:20 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 12:20 pm.
  • 503-013 12:20 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Susan Segrest, Alex D. Steinkamp, Mrs. Alex D. Steinkamp, Robert H. Finch, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:20 pm to 12:31 pm.
  • 503-014 12:31 PM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:31 pm and 2:59 pm.
  • 003-110 12:45 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 12:45 pm to 12:50 pm.
  • 003-111 12:50 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:50 pm and 6:26 pm.

All 40 conversations from May 21, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 003-109, May 21, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/003-109 (accessed September 24, 2026).