Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 157 › Conversation 157-010

Nixon phone call with Camp David Operator on Melvin R. Laird

Wednesday, December 6, 1972 · 3:31 PM–4:40 PM ET · Camp David Study Table · 34 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Camp David OperatorConversation157-010 on Tape 157StartWednesday, December 6, 1972 at 3:31 PMEndWednesday, December 6, 1972 at 4:40 PMRecording deviceCamp David Study TableSourceNixon Library record for 157-010 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 648452459 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon requested that the Camp David operator confirm the locations of Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird and Secretary of State William P. Rogers. He specifically sought to verify if both officials were attending a NATO conference, while explicitly noting he did not wish to speak with either of them. The President directed the operator to consult the National Security Council staff to resolve the inquiry and call him back with the information.

Audio

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NARA Description

On December 6, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 3:31 pm and 4:40 pm. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 157-010 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 157-10

Date: December 6, 1972
Time: Unknown between 3:31 pm and 4:40 pm
Location: Camp David Study Table

The President talked with the Camp David operator.
                                              -14-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                           Conversation No. 157-10 (cont’d)

[See Conversation No. 233-16]

       Melvin R. Laird and William P. Rogers
            -Location
                  -North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] conference
                  -National Security Council [NSC]

[There is no Conversation No. 157-11]

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Operator, would you check to see whether I think both Secretary Laird and Secretary Rogers are at NATO?

I don't want to talk to either of them.

I just don't know where they are.

Will you call me back?

Yes.

The NSC staff will know.

Yes, certainly.

Also recorded on December 6, 1972

157-008 3:31 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 3:31 pm and 4:40 pm.
157-009 3:31 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 3:31 pm and 4:40 pm.
157-012 3:31 PM · 14 sec — Camp David operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 3:31 pm and 4:40 pm.
157-013 3:31 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 3:31 pm and 4:40 pm.
157-014 3:31 PM · 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Gerald R. Ford talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 3:31 pm and 4:40 pm.
157-015 3:31 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 3:31 pm and 4:40 pm.
233-014 3:31 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 3:31 pm and 4:40 pm.
233-015 3:31 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 3:31 pm and 4:40 pm.

All 40 conversations from December 6, 1972 →

Nixon, McCloy & Kissinger on NATO and Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction November 12, 1971 · 8 min
Nixon phone call with Rogers on Mansfield Amendment and NATO May 12, 1971 · 6 min
Nixon phone call with Ziegler on William P. Rogers November 2, 1971 · 1 min
Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Pete McCloskey and William P. Rogers April 17, 1971 · 1 min
Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Foreign Aid and Vietnam War November 1, 1971 · 5 min
Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Vietnam War and Troop Withdrawals November 10, 1971 · 13 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 157-010, December 6, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 648452459). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/157-010 (accessed November 1, 2026).