Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 3 › Conversation 003-081
Nixon phone call with Scali on Media relations and John Chancellor
Thursday, May 20, 1971 · 12:31 PM ET · White House Telephone · 13 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon consulted with John A. Scali regarding media relations and the effective communication of administration messaging. The discussion touched upon the public and press reception of the President's upcoming schedule, including coverage by NBC's John Chancellor concerning relations with the PRC and the USSR. They also coordinated details regarding a social event for Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) negotiators involving key cabinet members and the Nixon family.
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On May 20, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and John A. Scali talked on the telephone at 12:31 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-081 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 003-081
Date: May 20, 1971
Time: 12:31 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with the White House operator.
Call to Tricia Nixon
The President conferred with John A. Scali.
Communications
[End of conferral]
[This is the original beginning of conversation No. 003-082, which has been merged with
conversation 003-081 and 003-083.]
**********************************************************************
[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 10/24/2017.]
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
[Unintelligible]
[003-082-w001]
[Duration: 32s]
[Dead air]
**********************************************************************
[This is the original beginning of conversation No. 003-083, which has been merged with
conversation 003-081 and 003-082.]
[See Conversation No. 502-012A]
President's schedule
-Announcement
-Location
-President's appearance
-Commentators’ remarks
-John W. Chancellor of National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC]
-People's Republic of China [PRC], Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics [USSR]
-Tricia Nixon's, Julie Nixon Eisenhower's and Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon's
viewing
-Cocktail party for Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT] negotiations
-Time
-Location
-William P. Rogers
-Melvin R. Laird
-Ms. Nixon and Mrs. Eisenhower
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542Also recorded on May 20, 1971
- 502-011 11:18 AM · 28 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander P. Butterfield, Henry A. Kissinger, Stephen B. Bull, Gerald R. Ford, Rose Mary Woods, and Mark I. Goode met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:18 am to 11:59 am.
- 003-080 11:50 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Gerald R. Ford talked on the telephone from 11:50 am to 11:53 am.
- 502-012 12:05 PM · 38 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Ronald L. Ziegler, Henry A. Kissinger, unknown person(s), John A. Scali, Tricia Nixon Cox, and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:05 pm to 12:48 pm.
- 003-082 12:31 PM · 34 sec — the recording device engaged at an unknown time between 12:31 pm and 12:36 pm, but the conversation appears to be blank.
- 003-083 12:36 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 12:36 pm to 12:39 pm.
- 003-084 1:42 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:42 pm and 1:44 pm.
- 502-013 1:42 PM · 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 1:42 pm and 1:44 pm.
- 003-085 1:44 PM · 52 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Justin W. Dart talked on the telephone from 1:44 pm to 1:47 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 003-081, 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/003-081 (accessed October 12, 2026).