{"conversationCode":"039-033","tapeNumber":39,"conversationNumber":33,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-039-033","startDateTime":"1973-05-29T17:52:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1973-05-29T17:54:00.000Z","startDate":"29-May-1973","startTime":"1:52 PM","endDate":"29-May-1973","endTime":"1:54 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.;","description":"On May 29, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 1:52 pm to 1:54 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 039-033 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"WHT","recordingDevice":"White House Telephone","latitudeEstimated":38.89767,"longitudeEstimated":-77.03655,"chronCode":"5.5","chronRelease":"Fifth Chronological Release: Part V","chronReleaseDate":"21-Aug-2013","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 39-33\n\nDate: May 29, 1973\nTime: 1:52 pm - 1:54 pm\nLocation: White House Telephone\n\nThe President talked with Stephen B. Bull.\n\n[See also Conversation No. 440-64]\n\n       President’s schedule\n\n       Meeting with People’s Republic of China [PRC] journalists\n             -Arrangements\n                     -Cabinet Room\n                     -Type of session\n                     -Duration\n                     -Type of session\n                            -Question-and-answer\n             -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.\n             -Arrangements\n                     -Type of session\n                            -Question-and-answer\n                                    -President’s preference\n                     -Oval Office\n                     -Statement, photo opportunity\n                     -Type of session\n                            -Foreign journalists compared with American journalists\n                     -Number of participants\n                     -Photo opportunity\n             -Barber\n\f                                              -29-\n\n                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM","filename":["039-033.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Bull, Stephen B."],"prevCode":"039-032","nextCode":"039-034","transcript":[{"start":0.64,"end":1.32,"text":"Hello?"},{"start":1.46,"end":2.22,"text":"Yes, sir, Steve Ball."},{"start":2.6,"end":8.57,"text":"I noticed that they seem to have that business with the Chinese journalists set up for the cabinet room and the rest."},{"start":9.35,"end":16.22,"text":"And I don't think that's a good idea, because I don't want to sit around and sit down and answer questions and, you know, you understand?"},{"start":16.54,"end":16.92,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":17.82,"end":19.24,"text":"I just want a stand-up deal."},{"start":19.26,"end":22.83,"text":"Why don't you just have them in the office and have a picture taken in 15 minutes?"},{"start":22.85,"end":23.29,"text":"You see what I mean?"},{"start":24.11,"end":26.77,"text":"They're planning a long session here now, weren't they, or something?"},{"start":27.21,"end":29.5,"text":"No, they were planning up to 30 minutes, sir."},{"start":30.02,"end":31.94,"text":"What?"},{"start":31.96,"end":32.34,"text":"Questions?"},{"start":34.02,"end":35.36,"text":"Uh, no, I'd rather do that."},{"start":37.42,"end":37.52,"text":"Okay."},{"start":37.55,"end":38.81,"text":"I thought Al Hagan talked to you."},{"start":38.89,"end":40.47,"text":"No, don't get him in this."},{"start":40.51,"end":41.57,"text":"You can work this out."},{"start":41.65,"end":41.79,"text":"Right."},{"start":42.43,"end":43.91,"text":"You understand, I just don't want a law."},{"start":44.07,"end":50.02,"text":"I just don't think it's a good idea to have a question and answer session with a bunch of foreign journalists at this point."},{"start":50.38,"end":52.16,"text":"We weren't going to have questions."},{"start":52.2,"end":55.28,"text":"Discourage that and recommend that it be discouraged."},{"start":55.73,"end":57.54,"text":"We'll do it in the office, Spencer."},{"start":57.56,"end":66.21,"text":"I think I'll do it in the office, and I'll make a welcoming statement, and they can respond, and the press should have a photo opportunity, and then they come in and they get the hell out."},{"start":66.77,"end":67.13,"text":"All right, sir."},{"start":67.15,"end":67.33,"text":"Fine."},{"start":67.35,"end":68.02,"text":"You see what I mean?"},{"start":68.03,"end":73.2,"text":"And so that we can not have a situation where we sit around and jazz, because I don't..."},{"start":73.5,"end":75.23,"text":"I don't want to do that with foreign journalists."},{"start":75.43,"end":77.41,"text":"I'm not doing it with journalists here, you see."},{"start":77.43,"end":77.75,"text":"All right, sir."},{"start":77.77,"end":79.15,"text":"There's quite a sizable number."},{"start":79.53,"end":80.23,"text":"Fine, fine."},{"start":80.25,"end":80.88,"text":"There can be 30."},{"start":81.3,"end":82.16,"text":"We can put them in there."},{"start":82.34,"end":82.7,"text":"All right, sir."},{"start":82.72,"end":82.96,"text":"Fine."},{"start":83.2,"end":83.8,"text":"Put them in there."},{"start":83.82,"end":86.92,"text":"Just have them all come in, stand up, and have a picture taken."},{"start":87.19,"end":87.53,"text":"See?"},{"start":87.55,"end":88.33,"text":"Very good, sir."},{"start":88.35,"end":90.11,"text":"And that's the way I think is the best way to handle it."},{"start":90.23,"end":91.53,"text":"Just do it that way, okay?"},{"start":91.55,"end":92.01,"text":"We will do it."},{"start":92.03,"end":92.31,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":92.59,"end":94.56,"text":"And put the haircut at 330, please."},{"start":95.16,"end":95.94,"text":"Fine."},{"start":95.96,"end":96.36,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":96.38,"end":97.52,"text":"Yes, sir."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon instructed his aide, Stephen B. Bull, to revise the arrangements for an upcoming meeting with a delegation of journalists from the People's Republic of China. Nixon explicitly rejected a planned question-and-answer session in the Cabinet Room, favoring a brief, structured event in the Oval Office instead. The President directed that the visit be limited to a welcoming statement, a photo opportunity, and a quick departure to avoid informal dialogue or media scrutiny. He also requested that his barber appointment be scheduled for 3:30 pm.","topics":["People's Republic of China","Media relations","Oval Office protocols","Public relations","Stephen B. Bull","Scheduling"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T05:45:32.927Z"},"topicSlugs":["peoples-republic-of-china","media-relations","oval-office-protocols","public-relations","stephen-b-bull","scheduling"],"audioDurationSec":103,"audioFiles":[{"file":"039-033.mp3","bytes":3305472,"durationSec":103.19,"bitrate":256271,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:20:02.071Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:42:42.802Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/039-033.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/039-033","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/39/conversation-039-033","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}