Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 3 › Conversation 003-181
Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Alexander P. Butterfield
Friday, May 28, 1971 · 3:48 PM–4:51 PM ET · White House Telephone · 9 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon contacted the White House operator to facilitate a telephone connection. The primary purpose of the brief communication was to request a call be placed to Alexander P. Butterfield. The transcript provides no further details regarding the substance of the eventual conversation with Butterfield.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 28, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:48 pm and 4:51 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 003-181 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 003-181
Date: May 28, 1971
Time: Unknown between 3:48 pm and 4:51 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with the White House operator.
[See Conversation No. 254-004C]
The President conferred with an unknown person at an unknown time.
[Unintelligible]
[End of conferral]
Call to Alexander P. ButterfieldAlso recorded on May 28, 1971
- 003-177 2:39 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 2:39 pm.
- 003-178 2:50 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 2:50 pm to 3:07 pm.
- 003-179 3:00 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:00 pm and 3:10 pm.
- 254-004 3:00 PM · 1 hr 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, George P. Shultz, Manolo Sanchez, White House operator, Stephen B. Bull, Peter G. Peterson, White House photographer, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:00 pm to 5:01 pm.
- 003-180 3:10 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 3:10 pm to 3:11 pm.
- 003-182 4:51 PM · 44 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield talked on the telephone from 4:51 pm to 4:52 pm.
- 506-011 5:05 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:05 pm to 5:08 pm.
- 506-012 5:10 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:10 pm to 5:12 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 003-181, May 28, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/003-181 (accessed September 26, 2026).