Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 2 › Conversation 002-081

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Arthur F. Burns

Tuesday, May 4, 1971 · 8:02 PM ET · White House Telephone · 8 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation002-081 on Tape 2 (tape position 03:04:55–03:05:04)StartTuesday, May 4, 1971 at 8:02 PMEndTuesday, May 4, 1971 at 8:02 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 002-081 ↗

AI Summary

The White House operator informs President Nixon that Federal Reserve Chairman Arthur F. Burns is attempting to reach him by telephone. Nixon acknowledges the notification, authorizing the operator to facilitate the connection. This brief interaction serves as a preliminary administrative step to bridge a direct communication line between the President and the Chairman.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

No.
President, I had Dr. Arthur Byrne calling me.
All right, fine.

NARA Description

On May 4, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 8:02 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 002-081 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 2-81

Date: May 4, 1971
Time: 8:02 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The White House operator talked with the President.

     Call from Arthur F. Burns

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       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

Also recorded on May 5, 1971

  • 002-082 8:08 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Arthur F. Burns talked on the telephone from 8:08 pm to 8:10 pm.
  • 491-014 9:35 AM · 38 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:35 am to 10:15 am.
  • 002-083 10:15 AM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:15 am and 10:30 am.
  • 002-084 10:15 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Harry F. Byrd, Jr. talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:15 am and 10:30 am.
  • 002-085 10:15 AM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:15 am and 10:30 am.
  • 491-015 10:15 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:15 am and 10:27 am.
  • 491-016 10:15 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Harry F. Byrd, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:15 am and 10:27 am.
  • 491-017 10:15 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:15 am and 10:27 am.

All 77 conversations from May 5, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 002-081, May 5, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/002-081 (accessed October 12, 2026).