Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 40 › Conversation 040-016

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on J. Fred Buzhardt

Monday, June 11, 1973 · 8:50 PM ET · White House Telephone ·18 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  White House operatorConversation040-016 onTape 40StartMonday, June 11, 1973 at 8:50 PMEndMonday, June 11, 1973 at 8:50 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 040-016 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon instructed the White House operator to place a call to J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr. The President specified that the connection should only be made if Buzhardt was available and alone, rather than currently occupied with guests or dinner. This request reflects the high level of discretion required by the President when coordinating with his legal counsel during the ongoing Watergate investigations.

Audio

Download MP3 · 0.6 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) ·JSON data · Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

I'd like to...
Yes, sir?
I'd like to talk to Mr. Bussard, but not if he's at dinner or with some people, just if he's by himself.
All right, sir.

NARA Description

On June 11, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at 8:50 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 040-016 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 40-16

Date: June 11, 1973
Time: 8:50 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

     Request for telephone call
          -J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr.

Also recorded on June 12, 1973

  • 040-014 8:40 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 8:40 pm to 8:44 pm.
  • 040-015 8:44 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:44 pm and 8:50 pm.
  • 040-017 8:56 PM · 4 min — White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo talked on the telephone from 8:56 pm to 9:00 pm.
  • 040-018 9:00 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:00 pm and 9:05 pm.
  • 040-019 9:05 PM · 19 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 9:05 pm.
  • 040-020 9:07 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon and J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr. talked on the telephone from 9:07 pm to 9:23 pm.
  • 040-021 8:30 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:30 am and 8:44 am.
  • 937-001 8:30 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:30 am to 8:35 am.

All 70 conversations from June 12, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 040-016, June 12, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/040-016 (accessed September 18, 2026).