Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 31 › Conversation 031-140

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on James E. Johnson

Thursday, October 19, 1972 · 12:03 PM–12:07 PM ET · White House Telephone · 17 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation031-140 on Tape 31StartThursday, October 19, 1972 at 12:03 PMEndThursday, October 19, 1972 at 12:07 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 031-140 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon initiates a call to the White House operator to facilitate a conversation with James E. Johnson, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower. The President specifically requests that the operator connect him with Johnson to discuss departmental matters. This brief interaction serves as the administrative bridge to establish communication with a key personnel member within the Department of the Navy.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Would you get me Mr. Johnson, James Johnson, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower, please?
Yes, Mr. President.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On October 19, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:03 pm and 12:07 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 031-140 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 31-140

Date: October 19, 1972
Time: Unknown between 12:03 am and 12:07 pm

Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 805-13]

        Request for a call to James E. Johnson

Also recorded on October 19, 1972

  • 805-010 11:30 AM · 33 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Paul Hall, Thomas W. Gleason, Paul Richardson, Andrew E. Gibson, Charles W. Colson, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:30 am to 12:03 pm.
  • 805-011 12:03 PM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:03 pm and 12:07 pm.
  • 805-012 12:03 PM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:03 pm and 12:07 pm.
  • 805-013 12:03 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:03 pm and 12:07 pm.
  • 805-014 12:03 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:03 pm and 12:07 pm.
  • 031-141 12:07 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and James E. Johnson talked on the telephone from 12:07 pm to 12:08 pm.
  • 805-015 12:07 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and James E. Johnson met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:07 pm to 12:08 pm.
  • 370-001 12:38 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:38 pm and 1:48 pm.

All 78 conversations from October 19, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 031-140, October 19, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/031-140 (accessed October 10, 2026).