Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 3 › Conversation 003-086

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Leslie C. Arends

Thursday, May 20, 1971 · 1:47 PM–2:08 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation003-086 on Tape 3 (tape position 01:49:10–01:49:15)StartThursday, May 20, 1971 at 1:47 PMEndThursday, May 20, 1971 at 2:08 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 003-086 ↗

President Nixon initiates a call to the White House operator to be connected with Congressman Leslie C. Arends. The brief exchange serves as a procedural request to facilitate communication between the President and the Congressman. No substantive policy discussions occur during this initial connection phase.

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Congressman Arons, please.
Yes, sir.

On May 20, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:47 pm and 2:08 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-086 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 003-086

Date: May 20, 1971
Time: Unknown between 1:47 pm and 2:08 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 502-016]

     Call to Leslie C. Arends
  • 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.
  • 502-014 1:45 PM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Justin W. Dart, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, John A. Scali, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:45 pm to 2:05 pm.
  • 502-015 2:05 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:05 pm and 2:08 pm.
  • 502-016 2:05 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:05 pm and 2:08 pm.
  • 003-087 2:08 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Leslie C. Arends talked on the telephone from 2:08 pm to 2:09 pm.
  • 502-017 2:08 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Leslie C. Arends met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:08 pm to 2:09 pm.

Conversation 003-086, 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/003-086 (accessed October 10, 2026).