Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 3 › Conversation 003-020

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller

Wednesday, May 12, 1971 · 4:24 PM ET · White House Telephone · 9 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation003-020 on Tape 3 (tape position 00:24:42–00:24:52)StartWednesday, May 12, 1971 at 4:24 PMEndWednesday, May 12, 1971 at 4:24 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 003-020 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon consulted with the White House operator to determine the location of First Lady Pat Nixon. Upon learning she was at her residence, the President decided against initiating a call at that time. He concluded the brief exchange by informing the operator that he would reach out to her later.

Audio

Download MP3 · 0.1 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Yeah.

Mrs. Nixon's at the head.

Shall I reach her there, sir?

Oh, no.

I'll call her later.

Thank you.

NARA Description

On May 12, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 4:24 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-020 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 003-020

Date: May 12, 1971
Time: 4:24 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The White House operator talked with the President.

     Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
          -Location
          -President's return call

Also recorded on May 12, 1971

003-017 4:10 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:10 pm and 4:17 pm.
003-018 4:17 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 4:17 pm.
003-019 4:17 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:17 pm and 4:24 pm.
003-021 4:24 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:24 pm and 4:30 pm.
003-022 4:24 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:24 pm and 4:30 pm.
499-001 4:29 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, David M. Kennedy, and Peter G. Peterson met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:29 pm and 5:27 pm.
003-023 4:30 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Gerald R. Ford talked on the telephone from 4:30 pm to 4:32 pm.
003-024 4:32 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:32 pm and 5:28 pm.

All 37 conversations from May 12, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 003-020, May 12, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/003-020 (accessed October 11, 2026).