Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 17 › Conversation 017-120

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on George H.W. Bush

Friday, December 31, 1971 · 9:14 PM–9:22 PM ET · White House Telephone · 16 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation017-120 on Tape 17 (tape position 03:57:43–03:57:59)StartFriday, December 31, 1971 at 9:14 PMEndFriday, December 31, 1971 at 9:22 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 017-120 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon instructed the White House operator to place an urgent call to Ambassador George H.W. Bush. The President suggested that the operator attempt to locate Bush at the Waldorf Astoria hotel or in Texas to facilitate the connection. This administrative exchange served as the preparatory step for a subsequent high-level discussion.

Audio

Download MP3 · 0.4 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

I'd like to get Ambassador George Bush of the United Nations.
He may be in the Waldorf, or he might be in Texas, but you can get him through the Waldorf, I think.

NARA Description

On December 31, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:14 pm and 9:22 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 017-120 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 17-120

Date: December 31, 1971
Time: Unknown between 9:14 pm and 9:22 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 311-6]

     Request for a call to George H.W. Bush

Also recorded on January 1, 1972

  • 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.
  • 017-117 9:11 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:11 pm and 9:13 pm.
  • 017-118 9:11 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:11 pm and 9:13 pm.
  • 311-003 9:11 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:11 pm and 9:13 pm.
  • 311-004 9:11 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:11 pm and 9:13 pm.
  • 017-119 9:13 PM · 50 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 9:13 pm to 9:14 pm.
  • 311-005 9:13 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:13 pm to 9:14 pm.
  • 311-006 9:14 PM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:14 pm and 9:22 pm.

All 58 conversations from January 1, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 017-120, January 1, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/017-120 (accessed October 11, 2026).