{"conversationCode":"023-016","tapeNumber":23,"conversationNumber":16,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-023-016","startDateTime":"1972-04-18T14:27:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-04-18T14:27:00.000Z","startDate":"18-Apr-1972","startTime":"9:27 AM","endDate":"18-Apr-1972","endTime":"9:27 AM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); White House operator;","description":"On April 18, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:27 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 023-016 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"WHT","recordingDevice":"White House Telephone","latitudeEstimated":38.89767,"longitudeEstimated":-77.03655,"chronCode":3,"chronRelease":"Third Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"28-Feb-2002","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 23-16\n\nDate: April 18, 1972\nTime: 9:27 am\nLocation: White House Telephone\n\nThe White House operator talked with the President.\n\n[See also Conversation No. 711-3C]\n\n     Melvin R. Laird\n          -Location\n          -Return call","filename":["023-016.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","White House operator"],"prevCode":"023-015","nextCode":"023-017","transcript":[{"start":0.03,"end":2,"text":"Hello."},{"start":2.12,"end":6.49,"text":"Mr. President, Secretary Laird has gone over to the Capitol for the Senate Armed Services Committee."},{"start":7.32,"end":8.62,"text":"The girl is not sure when he'll be back."},{"start":8.66,"end":10.09,"text":"Well, we'll try to reach him there, yeah."},{"start":10.11,"end":10.79,"text":"Try to reach him."},{"start":10.89,"end":11.49,"text":"We surely will."},{"start":11.51,"end":11.61,"text":"Yeah."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and the White House operator coordinated an effort to contact Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird, who was attending a Senate Armed Services Committee meeting at the Capitol. Upon learning that Laird's availability was uncertain, the President instructed the operator to attempt to reach him at his location. This administrative exchange reflects the ongoing communication requirements between the White House and the Department of Defense regarding urgent business.","topics":["Melvin Laird","Senate Armed Services Committee","White House communications","National security","Scheduling"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T02:33:06.597Z"},"topicSlugs":["melvin-laird","senate-armed-services-committee","white-house-communications","national-security","scheduling"],"audioDurationSec":12,"audioFiles":[{"file":"023-016.mp3","bytes":297795,"durationSec":12.35,"bitrate":192922,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:27.521Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/023-016.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/023-016","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/23/conversation-023-016","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}