Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 31 › Conversation 031-072
Nixon phone call with Townsley on Personal correspondence
Monday, October 16, 1972 · 4:52 PM–4:53 PM ET · White House Telephone · 21 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon held a brief telephone conversation with Joseph Townsley to exchange initial greetings and establish contact. Following these introductory remarks, the remainder of the recording was withdrawn from the public record due to its status as a personal, returnable item. No substantive policy discussions or administrative decisions were documented in the available transcript.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 16, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Joseph Townsley talked on the telephone from 4:52 pm to 4:53 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 031-072 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 31-72 Date: October 16, 1972 Time: 4:52 pm - 4:53 pm Location: White House Telephone The President talked with Joseph Townsley. [See Conversation No. 799-33] ***************************************************************** BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1 [Personal returnable] [Duration: 1m 4s ] END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1 *****************************************************************
Also recorded on October 16, 1972
- 031-069 4:45 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 4:45 pm.
- 799-031 4:46 PM · 32 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:46 pm and 4:49 pm.
- 031-071 4:49 PM · 39 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and William M. Fast talked on the telephone from 4:49 pm to 4:51 pm.
- 799-032 4:49 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and William M. Fast met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:49 pm to 4:51 pm.
- 799-033 4:52 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Joseph Townsley met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:52 pm to 4:53 pm.
- 031-073 4:53 PM · 54 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:53 pm and 4:59 pm.
- 799-034 4:53 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:53 pm and 5:01 pm.
- 799-035 4:53 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:53 pm and 5:01 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 031-072, October 16, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/031-072 (accessed September 25, 2026).