Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 9 › Conversation 009-138

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Patrick J. Buchanan

Thursday, September 23, 1971 · 10:35 AM ET · White House Telephone · 6 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation009-138 on Tape 9 (tape position 04:43:37–04:43:44)StartThursday, September 23, 1971 at 10:35 AMEndThursday, September 23, 1971 at 10:35 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 009-138 ↗

President Nixon contacted the White House operator to place a direct phone call to his speechwriter and political strategist, Patrick J. Buchanan. The brief exchange served as an administrative request to facilitate communication between the President and a key staff member. No substantive policy discussions occurred during this brief request for a connection.

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Yes, please.
Buchanan, please.
Yes, Mr. President.

On September 23, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 10:35 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 009-138 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 9-138

Date: September 23, 1971
Time: 10:35 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 280-4]

     Request for call to Patrick J. Buchanan
  • 280-003 10:01 AM · 31 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:01 am to 10:35 am.
  • 009-139 10:35 AM · 46 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan talked on the telephone from 10:35 am to 10:38 am.
  • 280-004 10:35 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 10:35 am.
  • 280-005 10:35 AM · 47 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:35 am to 10:38 am.
  • 280-006 10:38 AM · 47 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:38 am and 11:15 am.
  • 280-007 10:38 AM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:38 am and 11:15 am.
  • 280-008 10:38 AM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:38 am and 11:15 am.
  • 280-009 11:15 AM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 11:15 am to 11:16 am.

Conversation 009-138, September 23, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/009-138 (accessed October 24, 2026).