Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 35 › Conversation 035-095

Nixon phone call with Bull on White House media relations

Friday, January 5, 1973 · 12:37 PM–12:38 PM ET · White House Telephone · 50 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.Conversation035-095 on Tape 35StartFriday, January 5, 1973 at 12:37 PMEndFriday, January 5, 1973 at 12:38 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 035-095 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon instructed his aide, Stephen B. Bull, to strictly limit press coverage for the upcoming reception for freshman congressmen and bipartisan leadership. He explicitly prohibited photographers, including official White House photographer Ollie Atkins, from documenting the event to ensure it remained a strictly social gathering. The two agreed that coverage would be restricted to a small writing pool, excluding any photographic presence.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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yes sir regard to the thing tonight uh i i do not want uh photographers uh taking pictures in the line and that sort of thing all right sir uh you know what i mean uh or an ollie atkins business or anything you see all right so i didn't think we're gonna have any photographs at all up there good good i'd like to have none i think i don't think there should be a photographic pool we
It's planned on those selected members of the press, of the writing pool, to cover.
That's right.
This is not a photographic party.
It's a social event.
Yes, sir.
And we will not have pictures and so forth and so on.
Sir, fine.
Fine.
Fine.
Okay.
Yes, sir.

NARA Description

On January 5, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 12:37 pm to 12:38 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 035-095 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 35-95

Date: January 5, 1973
Time: 12:37 pm - 12:38 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Stephen B. Bull.

[See Conversation No. 394-7A]

       Freshmen Congressmen and bipartisan leadership reception
            -Photographers
                  -Oliver F. (“Ollie”) Atkins
            -Press pools

Also recorded on January 5, 1973

  • 035-094 12:36 PM · 12 sec — the White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 12:36 pm.
  • 394-006 12:36 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 12:36 pm.
  • 394-007 12:36 PM · 26 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, White House operator, Stephen B. Bull, and William E. Timmons met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:36 pm and 1:02 pm.
  • 035-096 12:38 PM · 55 sec — Charles W. Colson, White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and William E. Timmons talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:38 pm and 1:02 pm.
  • 394-008 1:04 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:04 pm to 1:08 pm.
  • 394-009 1:08 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building on an unknown date, sometime between 1:08 pm on January 5, 1973 and 2:56 pm on January 8, 1973.
  • 394-010 1:08 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building on an unknown date, sometime between 1:08 pm on January 5, 1973 and 2:56 pm on January 8, 1973.
  • 394-011 1:08 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building on an unknown date, sometime between 1:08 pm on January 5, 1973 and 2:56 pm on January 8, 1973.

All 43 conversations from January 5, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 035-095, January 5, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/035-095 (accessed October 11, 2026).