Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 7 › Conversation 007-151

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Arthur F. Burns

Sunday, August 15, 1971 · 11:22 PM–11:24 PM ET · White House Telephone · 8 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation007-151 on Tape 7 (tape position 05:45:14–05:45:22)StartSunday, August 15, 1971 at 11:22 PMEndSunday, August 15, 1971 at 11:24 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 007-151 ↗

President Nixon contacted the White House operator to place an urgent call to Federal Reserve Chairman Arthur F. Burns. This request followed the President's public announcement earlier that day regarding his 'New Economic Policy,' which included the suspension of the gold standard and the imposition of wage and price controls. The call was initiated to facilitate high-level communication between the President and his top monetary advisor during a critical period of economic transition.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Yes, please.
Dr. Burns.
Dr. Burns.

On August 15, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:22 pm and 11:24 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 007-151 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 7-151

Date: August 15, 1971
Time: Unknown between 11:22 pm and 11:24 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

     Requested a call to Arthur F. Burns
  • 007-144 11:12 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Freeman F. Gosden, Jr. talked on the telephone from 11:12 pm to 11:14 pm.
  • 007-145 11:14 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 11:14 pm.
  • 007-146 11:15 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Pierre Rinfret talked on the telephone from 11:15 pm to 11:17 pm.
  • 007-147 11:18 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 11:18 pm.
  • 007-148 11:18 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 11:18 pm.
  • 007-149 11:18 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:18 pm and 11:20 pm.
  • 007-150 11:20 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William L. Safire talked on the telephone from 11:20 pm to 11:22 pm.
  • 007-152 11:24 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Arthur F. Burns talked on the telephone from 11:24 pm to 11:28 pm.

Conversation 007-151, August 16, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/007-151 (accessed October 12, 2026).