{"conversationCode":"034-134","tapeNumber":34,"conversationNumber":134,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-034-134","startDateTime":"1972-12-20T00:43:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-12-20T00:44:00.000Z","startDate":"19-Dec-1972","startTime":"7:43 PM","endDate":"19-Dec-1972","endTime":"7:44 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Rush, [David] Kenneth;","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.","locationCode":"WHT","recordingDevice":"White House Telephone","latitudeEstimated":38.89767,"longitudeEstimated":-77.03655,"chronCode":"5.2","chronRelease":"Fifth Chronological Release: Part II","chronReleaseDate":"2-Dec-2008","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 34-134\n\nDate: December 19, 1972\nTime: 7:43 pm - 7:44 pm\nLocation: White House Telephone\n\nThe President talked with [David] Kenneth Rush.\n\n       Gordon Wade Rule\n            -Article\n            -Director, Procurement Control and Clearance Division [of Naval Material\n             Command]\n            -Instructions on firing, explanation\n            -Request for a return call\n\f                                             -105-\n\n                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM","filename":["034-134.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Rush, [David] Kenneth"],"prevCode":"034-133","nextCode":"034-135","transcript":[{"start":1.01,"end":2.55,"text":"Hello."},{"start":2.91,"end":4.68,"text":"Ambassador Rush, sir."},{"start":4.7,"end":4.82,"text":"Hello."},{"start":6.94,"end":7.4,"text":"Hello."},{"start":7.42,"end":8.28,"text":"Good evening, Mr. President."},{"start":8.56,"end":9.02,"text":"Hi, Ken."},{"start":9.04,"end":9.5,"text":"How are you?"},{"start":9.56,"end":10.35,"text":"Fine, thank you, sir."},{"start":10.37,"end":15.77,"text":"I saw a piece by a fellow by the name of Rule, which I don't know whether you've seen it."},{"start":15.79,"end":20.82,"text":"If you haven't, maybe you're director of the procurement control and clearance section."},{"start":20.88,"end":22.5,"text":"I did see that, yes, sir."},{"start":22.52,"end":22.91,"text":"Yes."},{"start":22.93,"end":23.39,"text":"Do you know him?"},{"start":24.01,"end":24.65,"text":"I don't know him."},{"start":24.67,"end":25.61,"text":"I never heard of him."},{"start":25.65,"end":26.81,"text":"I read it on the way home."},{"start":26.87,"end":27.15,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":27.66,"end":32.9,"text":"Would you check it and within 30 minutes cease to be fired or I need an explanation, okay?"},{"start":32.92,"end":33.92,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":33.96,"end":35.42,"text":"Or am I having you at a dinner or something?"},{"start":35.7,"end":36.22,"text":"No, not at all."},{"start":36.6,"end":36.96,"text":"Fine."},{"start":36.98,"end":37.51,"text":"You understand."},{"start":37.52,"end":40.63,"text":"We cannot allow this kind of insubordination right now."},{"start":40.65,"end":42.19,"text":"He's out on his ass."},{"start":42.43,"end":43.61,"text":"That was unbelievable."},{"start":43.63,"end":44.19,"text":"Unbelievable."},{"start":44.21,"end":44.33,"text":"Okay."},{"start":44.35,"end":45.19,"text":"You call me right back."},{"start":45.53,"end":46.91,"text":"Call me in a half hour, will you, please?"},{"start":46.99,"end":47.91,"text":"Yes, I will, Mr. President."},{"start":47.94,"end":48.03,"text":"Fine."},{"start":48.05,"end":48.8,"text":"We'll have a little fun."},{"start":49.1,"end":49.54,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":49.56,"end":49.96,"text":"Okay?"},{"start":49.98,"end":50.62,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":50.64,"end":50.88,"text":"All right."},{"start":57.48,"end":57.65,"text":"Goodbye."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"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.","topics":["Gordon Wade Rule","Procurement Control and Clearance Division","Insubordination","Personnel management","Naval Material Command"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T04:38:52.442Z"},"topicSlugs":["gordon-wade-rule","procurement-control-and-clearance-division","insubordination","personnel-management","naval-material-command"],"audioDurationSec":63,"audioFiles":[{"file":"034-134.mp3","bytes":1504882,"durationSec":62.59,"bitrate":192358,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:29.541Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:42:41.156Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/034-134.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/034-134","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/34/conversation-034-134","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}