Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 17 › Conversation 017-056
Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on White House switchboard
Friday, December 24, 1971 · 11:22 PM–11:26 PM ET · White House Telephone · 7 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon initiates a brief telephone exchange with the White House operator to clarify the status of a call he intended to place to his daughter, Julie Nixon Eisenhower. The President questions the operator regarding the previous routing or status of the connection. The conversation serves as a logistical check to facilitate personal communication with a family member on Christmas Eve.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:22 pm and 11:26 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 017-056 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 17-56
Date: December 24, 1971
Time: Unknown between 11:22 pm and 11:26 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with the White House operator.
Request for a call to Julie Nixon EisenhowerAlso recorded on December 25, 1971
- 017-051 9:32 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Hobart D. Lewis talked on the telephone from 9:32 pm to 9:35 pm.
- 017-052 9:35 PM · 6 min — Julie Nixon Eisenhower and Ann Davis talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:35 pm and 11:17 pm.
- 017-053 9:35 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:35 pm and 11:17 pm.
- 017-054 9:35 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:35 pm and 11:17 pm.
- 017-055 11:17 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 11:17 pm to 11:22 pm.
- 017-057 11:26 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 11:26 pm to 11:28 pm.
- 017-058 11:28 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:28 pm and 11:30 pm.
- 017-059 11:30 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone on an unknown date, sometime between 11:30 pm on December 24, 1971 and 8:43 am on December 25, 1971.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 017-056, December 25, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/017-056 (accessed October 12, 2026).