Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 31 › Conversation 031-016
Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Melvin Laird
Friday, October 6, 1972 · 2:07 PM ET · White House Telephone · 9 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon directed the White House operator to place a telephone call to Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird. This brief administrative interaction served as a logistical step to facilitate direct communication between the President and the Secretary. No further policy discussions or substantive developments occurred during this 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 October 6, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 2:07 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 031-016 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 31-16
Date: October 6, 1972
Time: 2:07 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with the White House operator.
[See Conversation No. 354-23]
Request for a call to Melvin R. LairdAlso recorded on October 6, 1972
- 031-014 2:06 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 2:06 pm.
- 031-015 2:06 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:06 pm and 2:07 pm.
- 354-020 2:06 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 2:06 pm.
- 354-021 2:06 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 2:06 pm.
- 354-022 2:06 PM · 16 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 2:06 pm and 2:07 pm.
- 031-017 2:07 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:07 pm and 2:09 pm.
- 354-023 2:07 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 2:07 pm.
- 354-024 2:07 PM · 10 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 2:07 pm and 2:09 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 031-016, October 6, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/031-016 (accessed October 1, 2026).