Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 34 › Conversation 034-134

Nixon phone call with Rush on Gordon Wade Rule and Insubordination

Tuesday, December 19, 1972 · 7:43 PM–7:44 PM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Rush, [David] KennethConversation034-134 on Tape 34StartTuesday, December 19, 1972 at 7:43 PMEndTuesday, December 19, 1972 at 7:44 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 034-134 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon directed Ambassador Kenneth Rush to investigate Gordon Wade Rule, the Director of the Procurement Control and Clearance Division, following the publication of an article by Rule that the President perceived as insubordinate. Nixon demanded an immediate explanation for the piece or for Rule to be removed from his position. Rush was instructed to report back to the President within thirty minutes regarding the status of the official.

  • Gordon Wade Rule
  • Procurement Control and Clearance Division
  • Insubordination
  • Personnel management
  • Naval Material Command

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello.
Ambassador Rush, sir.
Hello.
Hello.
Good evening, Mr. President.
Hi, Ken.
How are you?
Fine, thank you, sir.
I saw a piece by a fellow by the name of Rule, which I don't know whether you've seen it.
If you haven't, maybe you're director of the procurement control and clearance section.
I did see that, yes, sir.
Yes.
Do you know him?
I don't know him.
I never heard of him.
I read it on the way home.
Yeah.
Would you check it and within 30 minutes cease to be fired or I need an explanation, okay?
Yes, sir.
Or am I having you at a dinner or something?
No, not at all.
Fine.
You understand.
We cannot allow this kind of insubordination right now.
He's out on his ass.
That was unbelievable.
Unbelievable.
Okay.
You call me right back.
Call me in a half hour, will you, please?
Yes, I will, Mr. President.
Fine.
We'll have a little fun.
Thank you.
Okay?
Yes, sir.
All right.
Goodbye.

NARA Description

On December 19, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and [David] Kenneth Rush talked on the telephone from 7:43 pm to 7:44 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 034-134 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 34-134

Date: December 19, 1972
Time: 7:43 pm - 7:44 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with [David] Kenneth Rush.

       Gordon Wade Rule
            -Article
            -Director, Procurement Control and Clearance Division [of Naval Material
             Command]
            -Instructions on firing, explanation
            -Request for a return call
                                             -105-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Also recorded on December 20, 1972

  • 034-133 7:41 PM · 45 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:41 pm.
  • 034-135 7:44 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:44 pm and 8:07 pm.
  • 034-136 8:07 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard G. Kleindienst talked on the telephone from 8:07 pm to 8:10 pm.
  • 034-137 8:16 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and [David] Kenneth Rush talked on the telephone from 8:16 pm to 8:17 pm.
  • 034-138 8:18 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 8:18 pm to 8:22 pm.
  • 110-011 12:00 AM · 7 min — Herbert Stein, George Meany, John H. ("Jack") Lyons, C. L. Dennis, Paul Hall, I[lorwith] W. Abel, Frank E. Fitzsimmons, Pat Greathouse, Peter J. Brennan, Donald H. Rumsfeld, and George P. Shultz met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:00 am and 11:24 am.
  • 827-001 10:16 AM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:16 am and 10:20 am.
  • 827-002 10:16 AM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Zosimo T. Monzon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:16 am and 10:20 am.

All 47 conversations from December 20, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 034-134, December 20, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/034-134 (accessed October 12, 2026).