Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 5 › Conversation 005-090

Nixon phone call with Butterfield on John Sherman Cooper and Kenneth Keating

Tuesday, June 15, 1971 · 6:48 PM–6:49 PM ET · White House Telephone · 56 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation005-090 on Tape 5 (tape position 02:45:49–02:46:45)StartTuesday, June 15, 1971 at 6:48 PMEndTuesday, June 15, 1971 at 6:49 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 005-090 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon instructed Alexander P. Butterfield to contact Senator John Sherman Cooper regarding the attendance of Ambassador Kenneth Keating at a White House dinner. Nixon aimed to coordinate Keating's presence at the dinner alongside Cooper, despite Cooper already hosting an event for Keating that same evening. Butterfield was tasked with inviting Cooper to bring Keating to the White House dinner, ensuring the invitation did not appear to be an intrusion on Cooper's existing social engagement.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Yeah.
Mr. Butterfield, sir.
Yeah.
Yes, sir.
Alex, give Senator Cooper a call, if you would, and tell him that we had invited Senator Keating to this, former Senator Keating, the ambassador to this dinner tonight, to arrive, and that the president would very much like for him to come, too, if he could join him.
You know what I mean?
The party would, if it doesn't interfere with his party, they would have to leave about 8, 10 over there.
Oh, I see.
Cooper.
Yeah, just invite, you know.
Well, John Sherman Cooper?
Yeah.
He has accepted.
He's coming?
Yeah, remember you mentioned that the other day, Mr. President.
Well, then, he's giving the party for Keating.
Gee, that's odd, isn't it?
Call Cooper and tell him that Keating is invited and that we wanted him to know that we're giving, that we didn't want to appear at his party, but since he's coming, maybe the two could come together.
All right, sir.
I sure will.

NARA Description

On June 15, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield talked on the telephone from 6:48 pm to 6:49 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 005-090 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 5-90

Date: June 15, 1971
Time: 6:48 pm - 6:49 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Alexander P. Butterfield.

[See Conversation No. 261-11]
     President's schedule
          -Forthcoming call from Butterfield to John Sherman Cooper
                 -Kenneth Keating

Also recorded on June 15, 1971

  • 005-086 6:35 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell talked on the telephone from 6:35 pm to 6:38 pm.
  • 261-008 6:35 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:35 pm to 6:38 pm.
  • 005-087 6:38 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:38 pm and 6:44 pm.
  • 005-088 6:38 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:38 pm and 6:44 pm.
  • 261-009 6:38 PM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:38 pm and 6:44 pm.
  • 005-089 6:44 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 6:44 pm to 6:47 pm.
  • 261-010 6:44 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:44 pm to 6:47 pm.
  • 261-011 6:48 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:48 pm to 6:49 pm.

All 52 conversations from June 15, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 005-090, June 15, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/005-090 (accessed October 5, 2026).