Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 17 › Conversation 017-115
Nixon phone call with Keyes on New Year's Eve and Dan Rather
Friday, December 31, 1971 · 8:14 PM–8:16 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and television producer Paul W. Keyes exchanged New Year's greetings and briefly discussed the President's upcoming travel schedule between Florida, Washington, and California. Nixon confirmed his participation in an upcoming CBS television interview with Dan Rather while noting his preference for a quiet weekend. The conversation concluded with casual remarks regarding their respective workloads and social acquaintances.
- New Year's Eve
- Presidential scheduling
- Dan Rather
- Television production
- White House travel
Audio
NARA Description
On December 31, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Paul W. Keyes talked on the telephone from 8:14 pm to 8:16 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 017-115 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 17-115
Date: December 31, 1971
Time: 8:14 pm - 8:16 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Paul W. Keyes.
New Year greetings
Time magazine article
The President's schedule
-Florida
-White House
-California
-Timing
-Dan Rather interview
Keyes's work
-Shows
Keyes's location
Unknown womanTranscript (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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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Also recorded on December 31, 1971
- 017-109 7:40 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 7:40 pm to 7:46 pm.
- 017-110 7:47 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Taft Schreiber talked on the telephone from 7:47 pm to 7:49 pm.
- 017-111 7:49 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:49 pm and 7:55 pm.
- 017-112 7:55 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and C. Arnholt Smith talked on the telephone from 7:55 pm to 7:59 pm.
- 017-113 7:59 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:59 pm and 8:14 pm.
- 017-114 7:59 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:59 pm and 8:14 pm.
- 311-001 9:05 PM · 39 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:05 pm and 9:08 pm.
- 017-116 9:08 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Elmer H. Bobst talked on the telephone from 9:08 pm to 9:11 pm.
Related conversations
- Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Vietnam War and Media Relations January 1, 1972 · 4 min
- Nixon phone call with Eisenhower on Camp David and White House travel February 15, 1972 · 1 min
- Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Camp David April 16, 1972 · 1 min
- Nixon phone call with Woods on U.S.-Soviet Union Summit and Earl Mazo May 18, 1972 · 4 min
- Nixon phone call with Woods on Wardrobe management and Benjamin Freeman June 7, 1971 · 4 min
- Nixon phone call with Keyes on Laugh-In and Television ratings September 14, 1971 · 3 min
Cite this conversation
Conversation 017-115, December 31, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417191993). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/017-115 (accessed November 2, 2026).