Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 16 › Conversation 016-089
Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on White House operator
Friday, December 10, 1971 · 7:59 PM–8:01 PM ET · White House Telephone · 6 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon contacted the White House operator to facilitate an outgoing call. The sole purpose of this brief communication was to request that the operator connect him with special counsel Charles W. Colson. No substantive policy discussions or further actions were recorded during this exchange.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
No transcript is available yet for this conversation. The recording may contain no audible speech, or it may not have been processed.
NARA Description
On December 10, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:59 pm and 8:01 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 016-089 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 16-89
Date: December 10, 1971
Time: Unknown between 7:59 pm and 8:01 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with the White House operator.
Request for a call to Charles W. ColsonAlso recorded on December 11, 1971
- 016-088 7:53 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 7:53 pm to 7:59 pm.
- 016-090 8:01 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 8:01 pm.
- 016-091 8:01 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:01 pm and 8:06 pm.
- 016-092 8:06 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 8:06 pm to 8:09 pm.
- 016-093 8:09 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:09 pm and 8:12 pm.
- 016-094 8:09 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:09 pm and 8:12 pm.
- 016-095 8:12 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George E. Allen talked on the telephone from 8:12 pm to 8:15 pm.
- 016-096 8:15 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 8:15 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 016-089, December 11, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/016-089 (accessed October 12, 2026).