Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 12 › Conversation 012-014
Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Supreme Court appointments
Wednesday, October 20, 1971 · 4:49 PM–5:33 PM ET · White House Telephone · 8 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon and Attorney General John N. Mitchell discuss the selection process for upcoming Supreme Court appointments. The conversation centers on evaluating potential candidates, including Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William H. Rehnquist, and Howard H. Baker, Jr., while addressing concerns regarding American Bar Association (ABA) feedback. They also coordinate the timing and strategy for public announcements and potential press statements regarding these judicial nominations.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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NARA Description
On October 20, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:49 pm and 5:33 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 012-014 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 012-014
Date: October 20, 1971
Time: Unknown between 4:49 pm and 5:33 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The White House operator talked with the President.
Telephone call from John N. Mitchell
[This is the original beginning of conversation No. 012-015, which has been merged with
conversation 012-014.]
John N. Mitchell talked with the President.
[See Conversation No. 282-30]
Supreme Court appointments
-Lewis F. Powell, Jr.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
-Wiretapping
-Howard H. Baker, Jr.
-Knoxville, Tennessee
-William H. Rehnquist
-Robert H. Jackson
-Lawrence E. Walsh
-Previous conversation with Mitchell
-American Bar Association [ABA] Committee
-Rejection of candidates
-Herschel H. Friday
-Mildred L. Lillie
-Possible letter form Walsh
-Administration’s position
-Possible press statement
-Press statement
-Baker
-Timing
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
-Rehnquist
-Smith
-Baker
-Forthcoming announcement
-Haldeman
-Rehnquist
-Smith
-Powell
-Timing
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-ABAAlso recorded on October 20, 1971
- 012-010 4:18 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:18 pm and 4:20 pm.
- 282-023 4:18 PM · 8 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 4:18 pm and 4:20 pm.
- 012-011 4:20 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard A. Moore talked on the telephone from 4:20 pm to 4:21 pm.
- 282-024 4:20 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard A. Moore met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:20 pm to 4:21 pm.
- 012-012 4:21 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:21 pm and 4:44 pm.
- 282-025 4:21 PM · 34 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 4:21 pm and 4:23 pm.
- 282-026 4:23 PM · 49 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Richard A. Moore, White House operator, John N. Mitchell, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:23 pm to 5:16 pm.
- 012-013 4:44 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell talked on the telephone from 4:44 pm to 4:49 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 012-014, October 20, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/012-014 (accessed September 28, 2026).