Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 16 › Conversation 016-073

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on John W. Byrnes

Thursday, December 9, 1971 · 2:39 PM–2:46 PM ET · White House Telephone · 8 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation016-073 on Tape 16 (tape position 02:31:28–02:31:36)StartThursday, December 9, 1971 at 2:39 PMEndThursday, December 9, 1971 at 2:46 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 016-073 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon initiates a brief request to the White House operator to place a telephone call to Congressman John W. Byrnes of Wisconsin. The conversation serves solely as a logistical administrative step to facilitate direct communication with the legislator. No further substantive policy matters are discussed during this exchange.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Congressman Burns of Wisconsin.
Yes, Mr. President.

NARA Description

On December 9, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:39 pm and 2:46 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 016-073 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 16-73

Date: December 9, 1971
Time: Unknown between 2:39 pm and 2:46 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 634-4]

     Request for a call to John W. Byrnes

Also recorded on December 9, 1971

  • 016-072 2:38 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Wilbur D. Mills talked on the telephone from 2:38 pm to 2:39 pm.
  • 634-003 2:38 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Wilbur D. Mills met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:38 pm to 2:39 pm.
  • 634-004 2:39 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:39 pm and 2:43 pm.
  • 634-005 2:43 PM · 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, John W. Byrnes, unknown person(s), and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:43 pm to 2:59 pm.
  • 016-074 2:46 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John W. Byrnes talked on the telephone from 2:46 pm to 2:48 pm.
  • 016-075 2:48 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:48 pm and 7:42 pm.
  • 634-006 2:59 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:59 pm to 3:00 pm.
  • 634-007 3:00 PM · 29 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Hubert Maga, Sophia K. Porson, White House photographer, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:00 pm to 3:29 pm.

All 44 conversations from December 9, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 016-073, December 9, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/016-073 (accessed September 18, 2026).