Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 24 › Conversation 024-051

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Arthur W. Radford

Tuesday, May 9, 1972 · 11:56 AM–12:05 PM ET · White House Telephone · 18 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation024-051 on Tape 24 (tape position 01:06:57–01:07:15)StartTuesday, May 9, 1972 at 11:56 AMEndTuesday, May 9, 1972 at 12:05 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 024-051 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon instructed the White House operator to place a telephone call to Admiral Arthur W. Radford. He requested that the operator contact the Department of Defense to obtain the Admiral's current telephone number to facilitate the connection. The brief exchange was focused entirely on coordinating the logistics of reaching the retired military official.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

I don't know whether he's available to talk.
Would you try Admiral Radford, Arthur Radford?
Do you have a number for him?
Ask the Defense Department.
Yes, we'll reach him, Mr. President.
Okay, thank you.

NARA Description

On May 9, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:56 am and 12:05 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 024-051 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 24-51

Date: May 9, 1972
Time: Unknown between 11:56 am and 12:05 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See also Conversation No. 338-22]

     Request for a call to Arthur W. Radford
         -Telephone number

Also recorded on May 9, 1972

  • 024-048 11:50 AM · 35 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 11:50 am.
  • 338-019 11:50 AM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 11:50 am.
  • 024-049 11:53 AM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 11:53 am.
  • 024-050 11:53 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and [David] Kenneth Rush talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:53 am and 11:56 am.
  • 338-020 11:53 AM · 50 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 11:53 am.
  • 338-021 11:53 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and [David] Kenneth Rush met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:53 am and 11:56 am.
  • 338-022 11:56 AM · 47 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 11:56 am and 12:05 pm.
  • 024-052 12:05 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Arthur W. Radford talked on the telephone from 12:05 pm to 12:06 pm.

All 96 conversations from May 9, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 024-051, May 9, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/024-051 (accessed October 9, 2026).