President Nixon contacted the White House operator to facilitate an urgent communication with his National Security Advisor, Henry A. Kissinger. This brief administrative interaction served as the necessary logistical step to establish a direct line between the President and Kissinger. No further policy discussions or substantive deliberations were recorded during this brief bridge of the telephone connection.
On May 8, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:36 pm and 4:55 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 024-012 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 24-12
Date: May 8, 1972
Time: Unknown between 4:36 pm and 4:55 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with the White House operator.
Request for a call to Henry A. KissingerNo transcript is available for this conversation. The audio may not contain audible speech, or the recording may not yet have been processed.