Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 1 › Conversation 001-050

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Henry Kissinger

Thursday, April 8, 1971 · 9:37 PM–9:57 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation001-050 on Tape 1 (tape position 01:51:15–01:51:20)StartThursday, April 8, 1971 at 9:37 PMEndThursday, April 8, 1971 at 9:57 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 001-050 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon instructed the White House operator to place an outgoing call to National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger. This brief interaction served solely as a logistical request to establish a secure line of communication. No substantive policy discussions or decisions occurred during this exchange.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.
Dr. Kissinger, please.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On April 8, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:37 pm and 9:57 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 001-050 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 1-50

Date: April 8, 1971
Time: Unknown between 9:37 pm and 9:57 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

     Call to Henry A. Kissinger

Also recorded on April 9, 1971

  • 001-051 9:57 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:57 pm.
  • 001-052 9:59 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 9:59 pm to 10:03 pm.
  • 001-053 10:06 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 10:06 pm to 10:15 pm.
  • 001-054 8:40 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:40 am and 10:02 am.
  • 476-003 8:40 AM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:40 am and 8:52 am.
  • 476-004 8:40 AM · 58 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:40 am and 8:52 am.
  • 476-005 8:40 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:40 am and 8:52 am.
  • 476-006 8:40 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:40 am and 8:52 am.

All 42 conversations from April 9, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 001-050, April 9, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/001-050 (accessed October 12, 2026).