Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 42 › Conversation 042-085

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on William B. Macomber Jr.

Tuesday, May 4, 1971 · 1:11 PM–1:12 PM ET · White House Telephone · 14 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation042-085 on Tape 42 (tape position 02:22:01–02:22:16)StartTuesday, May 4, 1971 at 1:11 PMEndTuesday, May 4, 1971 at 1:12 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 042-085 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon directed the White House operator to contact William B. Macomber, Jr., who was currently eating lunch at the State Department. The operator acknowledged the request and committed to attempting to reach Macomber at that location. This brief exchange served as a logistical attempt to establish contact with the official for the President.

Audio

Download MP3 · 0.2 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Mr. President, Mr. McComber's having lunch, but he is up in the lunchroom at the stake.
Could I get him there or leave work?
No, uh, uh... Oh, yeah, you can get in there if he's by, uh, and call me back.
Fine, sir, I will.

NARA Description

On May 4, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:11 pm and 1:12 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 042-085 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 42-85

Date: May 4, 1971
Time: Unknown between 1:11 pm and 1:12 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The White House operator talked with the President.

[See Conversation No. 251-49]

     William B. Macomber, Jr's location

Also recorded on May 4, 1971

  • 490-017 12:35 PM · 28 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Jeane L. Dixon, and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:35 pm and 1:11 pm.
  • 042-084 1:11 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:11 pm and 1:12 pm.
  • 251-048 1:11 PM · 49 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Manolo Sanchez, and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:11 pm to 1:12 pm.
  • 251-049 1:11 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:11 pm and 1:12 pm.
  • 251-050 1:11 PM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:11 pm and 1:12 pm.
  • 490-019 1:11 PM · 53 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:11 pm and 2:05 pm.
  • 042-086 1:12 PM · 53 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and William B. Macomber, Jr. talked on the telephone from 1:12 pm to 1:13 pm.
  • 251-051 1:12 PM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and William B. Macomber, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:12 pm to 1:13 pm.

All 33 conversations from May 4, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 042-085, May 4, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/042-085 (accessed October 3, 2026).