Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 12 › Conversation 012-033
Nixon phone call with Woods on Speechwriting and Confidentiality
Thursday, October 21, 1971 · 10:51 AM–10:52 AM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min
AI Summary
President Nixon contacted his personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, to address a technical issue with a malfunctioning buzzer in her Old Executive Office Building (OEOB) workspace. Beyond the maintenance request, Nixon directed Woods to transcribe a rough draft of a speech he recorded on tape. He explicitly commanded that the material remain strictly confidential and prohibited Woods from sharing or showing the tape to anyone without his express authorization, citing concerns about unauthorized access by staff members.
- Rose Mary Woods
- Speechwriting
- Confidentiality
- Office maintenance
- White House operations
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 October 21, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 10:51 am to 10:52 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 012-033 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 12-33
Date: October 21, 1971
Time: 10:51 am- 10:52 am
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Rose Mary Woods.
[See Conversation No. 281-23]
Repair request
-Buzzer
-Old Executive Office Building [OEOB] office
Tape
-President’s draft of speech
-AvailabilityAlso recorded on October 21, 1971
- 281-014 10:30 AM · 18 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 10:30 am and 10:51 am.
- 281-023 10:51 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:51 am to 10:52 am.
- 012-034 10:52 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone from 10:52 am to 11:04 am.
- 012-035 10:52 AM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:52 am and 11:04 am.
- 281-024 10:52 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:52 am and 10:55 am.
- 281-025 10:52 AM · 18 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 10:52 am and 10:55 am.
- 281-026 10:55 AM · 38 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, John B. Connally, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:55 am to 11:40 am.
- 012-036 11:04 AM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally talked on the telephone from 11:04 am to 11:14 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 012-033, October 21, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/012-033 (accessed October 12, 2026).