Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 16 › Conversation 016-085

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on William Rehnquist

Friday, December 10, 1971 · 5:17 PM ET · White House Telephone · 7 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation016-085 on Tape 16 (tape position 03:16:07–03:16:14)StartFriday, December 10, 1971 at 5:17 PMEndFriday, December 10, 1971 at 5:17 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 016-085 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon initiates a call to William Rehnquist through the White House operator to facilitate a direct conversation. The primary purpose of this contact is to establish communication with Rehnquist, who was then serving as an Assistant Attorney General awaiting confirmation for his appointment to the Supreme Court. No substantive policy matters or further developments are discussed during this brief administrative request.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Can you get me Mr. Rehnquist, please?
Yes, sir.

NARA Description

On December 10, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 5:17 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 016-085 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 16-85

Date: December 10, 1971
Time: 5:17 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

Also recorded on December 10, 1971

  • 016-082 4:36 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Arthur F. Burns talked on the telephone from 4:36 pm to 4:42 pm.
  • 016-083 4:42 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:42 pm and 5:15 pm.
  • 636-009 5:11 PM · 24 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:11 pm to 5:34 pm.
  • 016-084 5:15 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Robert P. Griffin, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 5:15 pm to 5:17 pm.
  • 016-086 5:18 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William H. Rehnquist talked on the telephone from 5:18 pm to 5:20 pm.
  • 016-087 5:20 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:20 pm and 7:53 pm.
  • 636-010 5:34 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:34 pm and 5:38 pm.
  • 636-011 5:38 PM · 48 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Jerrold L. Schecter met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:38 pm to 6:27 pm.

All 75 conversations from December 10, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 016-085, December 10, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/016-085 (accessed October 5, 2026).