Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 18 › Conversation 018-092
Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on William L. Safire
Monday, January 17, 1972 · 3:10 PM–3:16 PM ET · White House Telephone · 8 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon initiates a brief telephone request for the White House operator to connect him with speechwriter and advisor William L. Safire. The call serves as a logistical bridge to facilitate direct communication between the President and Safire. No further substantive policy matters are addressed in this short exchange.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 January 17, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:10 pm and 3:16 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 018-092 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 18-92
Date: January 17, 1972
Time: Unknown between 3:10 pm and 3:16 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with the White House operator.
[See Conversation No. 315-7]
Request for a call to William L. SafireAlso recorded on January 17, 1972
- 018-089 2:39 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. talked on the telephone from 2:39 pm to 2:43 pm.
- 018-090 2:43 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:43 pm and 2:47 pm.
- 315-005 2:43 PM · 17 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 2:43 pm and 2:47 pm.
- 018-091 2:47 PM · 22 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 2:47 pm to 3:10 pm.
- 315-006 2:47 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:47 pm to 3:10 pm.
- 315-007 3:10 PM · 20 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 3:10 pm and 3:16 pm.
- 018-093 3:16 PM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William L. Safire talked on the telephone from 3:16 pm to 3:34 pm.
- 315-008 3:16 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William L. Safire met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:16 pm to 3:34 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 018-092, January 17, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/018-092 (accessed October 12, 2026).