Nixon White House TapesTape 18 › Conversation 018-041

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Billy Graham

Monday, January 10, 1972 · 3:34 PM–3:42 PM ET · White House Telephone ·12 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  White House operatorConversation018-041 onTape 18 (tape position 01:22:33–01:22:45)StartMonday, January 10, 1972 at 3:34 PMEndMonday, January 10, 1972 at 3:42 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 018-041 ↗

President Nixon contacted the White House operator after being inadvertently disconnected during a telephone conversation with Billy Graham. He instructed the operator to re-establish the connection to resume his discussion with the evangelist. This brief administrative exchange served solely to rectify a technical failure in the communication line.

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Operator, I got cut off from Mr. Graham.
It's a and I guess it's a bad connection.
Would you try him again, please?
Yes, I certainly will, Mr. President.

On January 10, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:34 pm and 3:42 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 018-041 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 18-41

Date: January 10, 1972
Time: Unknown between 3:34 pm and 3:42 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 313-21B]

     Telephone call cut-off
          -Request for a call to William F. (“Billy”) Graham
  • 018-039 3:25 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:25 pm and 3:31 pm.
  • 313-018 3:25 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:25 pm and 3:31 pm.
  • 313-019 3:25 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:25 pm and 3:31 pm.
  • 313-020 3:25 PM · 7 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 3:25 pm and 3:31 pm.
  • 018-040 3:31 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William F. ("Billy") Graham talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:31 pm and 3:42 pm.
  • 313-021 3:31 PM · 46 min — President Richard M. Nixon, William F. ("Billy") Graham, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, Raymond K. Price, Jr., Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, and Melvin R. Laird met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:31 pm and 5:11 pm.
  • 018-042 3:34 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William F. ("Billy") Graham talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:34 pm and 3:42 pm.
  • 018-043 3:42 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:42 pm and 3:56 pm.

Conversation 018-041, January 10, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/018-041 (accessed September 18, 2026).