Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 31 › Conversation 031-017

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Melvin R. Laird

Friday, October 6, 1972 · 2:07 PM–2:09 PM ET · White House Telephone · 13 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation031-017 on Tape 31StartFriday, October 6, 1972 at 2:07 PMEndFriday, October 6, 1972 at 2:09 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 031-017 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon consulted with the White House operator to coordinate the arrival of Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird. The exchange served as a logistical update to ensure the President was prepared to meet with Laird upon his return from downtown. No substantive policy decisions were made during this brief coordination.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Hello?
On the call with Secretary Laird, Mr. President.
I'm on my way back from downtown.
I expect him in 10 minutes, so I left work.
All right, thank you.
Mm-hmm.

NARA Description

On October 6, 1972, 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. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 031-017 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 31-17

Date: October 6, 1972
Time: Unknown between 2:07 pm and 2:09 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The White House operator talked with the President.

[See conversation No. 354-24]

        Melvin R. Laird's schedule

Also 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.
  • 031-016 2:07 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 2:07 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.

All 64 conversations from October 6, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 031-017, 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/031-017 (accessed October 12, 2026).