Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 18 › Conversation 018-105

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on William Safire

Tuesday, January 18, 1972 · 4:12 PM ET · White House Telephone · 40 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation018-105 on Tape 18 (tape position 05:03:09–05:03:18)StartTuesday, January 18, 1972 at 4:12 PMEndTuesday, January 18, 1972 at 4:12 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 018-105 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon instructed the White House operator to contact William Safire and request his immediate presence at the Executive Office Building. This brief administrative exchange served to coordinate a direct meeting between the President and his speechwriter. No further policy or strategic details were addressed during the call.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.
Would you ask Mr. Sapphire to come to the EOB please?
Yes, sir.

NARA Description

On January 18, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 4:12 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 018-105 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 18-105

Date: January 18, 1972
Time: 4:12 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 314-12]

     Request for William L. Safire to come to the President's office in the Old Executive Office
         Building [EOB]

Also recorded on January 18, 1972

  • 650-013 2:30 PM · 1 hr 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Alexander P. Butterfield, White House operator, Zosimo T. Monzon, and John B. Connally met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:30 pm to 3:42 pm.
  • 018-103 2:40 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:40 pm and 3:28 pm.
  • 018-104 3:28 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally talked on the telephone from 3:28 pm to 3:29 pm.
  • 650-014 3:42 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:42 pm and 3:45 pm.
  • 650-015 3:45 PM · 7 sec — United States Secret Service agents and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at 3:45 pm.
  • 019-001 4:12 PM · 52 sec — the recording device engaged at an unknown time between 4:12 pm and 5:23 pm, but the conversation appears to be blank.
  • 019-002 5:23 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 5:23 pm.
  • 019-003 6:55 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:55 pm and 7:35 pm.

All 30 conversations from January 18, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 018-105, January 18, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/018-105 (accessed September 29, 2026).