Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 18 › Conversation 018-046

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Melvin Laird

Monday, January 10, 1972 · 4:08 PM–4:12 PM ET · White House Telephone · 6 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation018-046 on Tape 18 (tape position 01:34:17–01:34:23)StartMonday, January 10, 1972 at 4:08 PMEndMonday, January 10, 1972 at 4:12 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 018-046 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon instructed the White House operator to place an outgoing call to Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird. The conversation was brief and strictly administrative in nature, serving only to initiate communication with the Pentagon chief. No further substantive policy matters were addressed during this exchange.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Yes, please.
Layard, please.
Yes, Mr. President.

NARA Description

On January 10, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:08 pm and 4:12 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 018-046 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 18-46

Date: January 10, 1972
Time: Unknown between 4:08 pm and 4:12 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 313-21G]

     Request for a call to Melvin R. Laird

Also recorded on January 10, 1972

  • 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.
  • 018-041 3:34 PM · 12 sec — 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.
  • 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.
  • 018-044 3:56 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. talked on the telephone from 3:56 pm to 4:05 pm.
  • 018-045 4:06 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Vice President Spiro T. Agnew talked on the telephone from 4:06 pm to 4:08 pm.
  • 018-047 4:12 PM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Melvin R. Laird talked on the telephone from 4:12 pm to 4:27 pm.
  • 313-022 4:27 PM · 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:27 pm and 5:11 pm.

All 83 conversations from January 10, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 018-046, 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/018-046 (accessed October 12, 2026).