Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 158 › Conversation 158-025

Nixon phone call with Camp David Operator on Henry Kissinger

Friday, December 29, 1972 · 5:40 PM ET · Camp David Study Table · 37 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Camp David OperatorConversation158-025 on Tape 158StartFriday, December 29, 1972 at 5:40 PMEndFriday, December 29, 1972 at 5:40 PMRecording deviceCamp David Study TableSourceNixon Library record for 158-025 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 648452571 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon contacted the Camp David operator to facilitate urgent phone calls to National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger and Colonel Richard T. Kennedy. The operator informed the President that Colonel Kennedy was temporarily unavailable but expected to return shortly. The exchange served as a logistical attempt by Nixon to coordinate communications with key members of his foreign policy team during his stay at Camp David.

Audio

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NARA Description

On December 29, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 5:40 pm. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 158-025 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 158-25

Date: December 29, 1972
Time: 5:40 pm
Location: Camp David Study Table

The President talked with the Camp David operator.

[See Conversation No. 237-32]

       Henry A. Kissinger’s location
            -Location
            -Call from the President

       Col. Richard T. Kennedy’s location
             -Call from the President

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Yes, please.
You're calling?
Yes, I want to call 3-9-5-6-6.
He is out and expecting to be back here in a moment, currently, and I'm expecting him to call back, but I figure I'll, uh, I'll try and, uh, you know, I'm not going to tell you what I'll do.
I'm just going to say, like, call right turn, Colonel Kennedy 2 is supposed to be back about 6, and I'm going to hear off him, so, uh,
Alright, thank you very much.

Also recorded on December 29, 1972

  • 158-022 5:12 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone at Camp David from 5:12 pm to 5:15 pm.
  • 158-023 5:15 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 5:15 pm and 5:20 pm.
  • 237-052 5:15 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 5:15 pm and 5:20 pm.
  • 158-024 5:20 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at Camp David from 5:20 pm to 5:32 pm.
  • 237-030 5:20 PM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 5:20 pm to 5:32 pm.
  • 237-031 5:32 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 5:32 pm and 6:00 pm.
  • 237-032 5:40 PM · 36 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at 5:40 pm.
  • 237-033 5:40 PM · 37 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 5:40 pm and 6:28 pm.

All 63 conversations from December 29, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 158-025, December 29, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 648452571). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/158-025 (accessed November 2, 2026).