Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 3 › Conversation 003-117

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Alexander P. Butterfield

Friday, May 21, 1971 · 8:48 PM ET · White House Telephone · 5 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation003-117 on Tape 3 (tape position 02:21:18–02:21:28)StartFriday, May 21, 1971 at 8:48 PMEndFriday, May 21, 1971 at 8:48 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 003-117 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon contacted the White House operator to place a call to Alexander P. Butterfield. Shortly after initiating the request, the President instructed the operator to cancel the call. No further discussion or substantive business was conducted during this brief exchange.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

I have one.
I see, Mr. President.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On May 21, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 8:48 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-117 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 003-117

Date: May 21, 1971
Time: 8:48 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

     Call to Alexander P. Butterfield
           -Cancellation

Also recorded on May 22, 1971

  • 003-114 8:30 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone from 8:30 pm to 8:36 pm.
  • 003-115 8:36 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:36 pm and 8:48 pm.
  • 003-116 8:36 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:36 pm and 8:48 pm.
  • 003-216 8:36 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:36 pm and 8:48 pm.

Cite this conversation

Conversation 003-117, May 22, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/003-117 (accessed October 12, 2026).