Nixon White House TapesTape 3 › Conversation 003-079

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Gerald R. Ford

Thursday, May 20, 1971 · 8:19 AM–11:50 AM ET · White House Telephone ·4 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  White House operatorConversation003-079 onTape 3 (tape position 01:43:06–01:43:12)StartThursday, May 20, 1971 at 8:19 AMEndThursday, May 20, 1971 at 11:50 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 003-079 ↗

President Nixon initiated a telephone call to request a connection with Congressman Gerald R. Ford. This brief exchange served as an administrative bridge to facilitate direct communication between the President and the House Minority Leader. No further substantive discussion occurred during this recording segment.

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Congressman Ford, please.
Thank you.

On May 20, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:19 am and 11:50 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-079 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 3-79

Date: May 20, 1971
Time: Unknown between 8:19 am and 11:50 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

     Call to Gerald R. Ford
                                              45

                            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 9/08)
  • 502-001 7:21 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Dean G. Acheson met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:21 am and 8:05 am.
  • 502-002 8:05 AM · 35 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:05 am and 8:14 am.
  • 003-078 8:16 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George W. Ball talked on the telephone from 8:16 am to 8:19 am.
  • 502-003 8:16 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George W. Ball met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:16 am to 8:19 am.
  • 502-004 8:19 AM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:19 am and 8:32 am.
  • 502-005 8:32 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:32 am and 8:38 am.
  • 502-006 8:38 AM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Stephen B. Bull, and Marjorie P. Acker met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:38 am to 9:02 am.
  • 058-004 9:02 AM · 43 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, and the Cabinet members, including William P. Rogers, John B. Connally, Melvin R. Laird, John N. Mitchell, Winton M. ("Red") Blount, Jr., William T. Pecora, Clifford M. Hardin, James T. Lynn, Laurence H. Silberman, Elliot L. Richardson, George W. Romney, James M. Beggs, George P. Shultz, Robert H. Finch, Donald H. Rumsfeld, George H. W. Bush, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman, Henry A. Kissinger, Clark MacGregor, Peter M. Flanigan, Herbert G. Klein, Dr. Edward E. David, Jr., Raymond K. Price, Jr., Alexander P. Butterfield, Ronald L. Ziegler, William E. Timmons, Charles W. Colson, John A. Scali, Richard A. Moore, Harry S. Dent, Leonard Garment, John W. Dean, III, Frederic V. Malek, Robert J. Brown, Robert J. Dole, Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, Gerald C. Smith, Arthur J. Sohmer, Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger, Virginia H. Knauer, and Arnold R. Weber, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 9:02 am to 9:48 am.

Conversation 003-079, May 20, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/003-079 (accessed September 18, 2026).