Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 17 › Conversation 017-022
Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Christmas holiday
Friday, December 24, 1971 · 4:34 PM–4:39 PM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min
AI Summary
President Nixon spoke with his brother, Edward C. Nixon, and Gaye Lynne Nixon to coordinate holiday schedules and family logistics for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The discussion covered plans involving the Eisenhower family, Julie Nixon Eisenhower’s recent television appearance, and the President's upcoming international meetings with Willy Brandt and Eisaku Sato. Additionally, they briefly touched upon the status of the India-Pakistan conflict and arrangements for official family photography.
- Christmas holiday
- Family matters
- Foreign diplomacy
- India-Pakistan War
- Julie Nixon Eisenhower
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 December 24, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, Edward C. Nixon, and Gaye Lynne (Woods) Nixon talked on the telephone from 4:34 pm to 4:39 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 017-022 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 17-22
Date: December 24, 1971
Time: 4:34 pm - 4:39 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with the White House operator.
Call to Edward C. Nixon
-F. Donald Nixon location
The President talked with Edward Nixon.
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 12/21/2017. 1m
48s segment cleared for release with five segments of 18s, 25s, 28s, 23s, and 1m 16s remaining
closed as 017-022-w001, 017-022-w002, 017-022-w003, 017-022-w004, and 017-022-w005
respectively.]
[Personal Returnable]
[017-022-w001]
[Duration: 18s]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
**********************************************************************
The President’s schedule
-Christmas Eve
-David and Julie Nixon Eisenhower; Ed and Tricia Nixon Cox
-Christmas Day
-David and Julie Nixon Eisenhower; Ed and Tricia Nixon Cox
-Mamie Eisenhower, Mr. and Mrs. John S. Eisenhower, Howard Cox, Anne
Cox, Mazie Cox
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[017-022-w002]
[Duration: 25s]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
**********************************************************************
Julie Nixon Eisenhower’s television appearance
-CBS
-Time
-White House Christmas
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal Returnable]
[017-022-w003]
[Duration: 28s]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
**********************************************************************
The President’s schedule
-Florida
-Willy Brandt
-California
-Eisaku Sato
India-Pakistan
-The President’s opinion
-Progress
-War
Thelma C. (“Pat”) (Ryan) Nixon
-Official White House photographs
-Ollie Atkins
-Family picture
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal Returnable]
[017-022-w004]
[Duration: 23s]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
**********************************************************************
The President’s schedule
-Dinner
-Timing
-Football games
**********************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal Returnable]
[017-022-w005]
[Duration: 1m 16s]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
**********************************************************************Also recorded on December 24, 1971
- 643-002 4:20 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Oliver F. ("Ollie") Atkins, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:20 pm and 11:59 pm.
- 643-016 4:28 PM · 2 min — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:28 pm and 11:59 pm.
- 017-023 4:39 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:39 pm and 4:41 pm.
- 017-024 4:41 PM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Donald H. Rumsfeld talked on the telephone from 4:41 pm to 4:55 pm.
- 017-025 4:55 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:55 pm and 4:57 pm.
- 017-026 4:57 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 4:57 pm.
- 017-027 4:57 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:57 pm and 5:01 pm.
- 017-028 5:01 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 5:01 pm to 5:08 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 017-022, December 24, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/017-022 (accessed October 7, 2026).