Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 42 › Conversation 042-086
Nixon phone call with Macomber on Protests and Patriotism
Tuesday, May 4, 1971 · 1:12 PM–1:13 PM ET · White House Telephone · 53 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon called William B. Macomber, Jr. to personally commend him for his actions the previous day in physically preventing protesters from removing an American flag. During the brief exchange, Nixon expressed his appreciation for Macomber's resolve against the demonstrators and characterized the protesters as cowardly. The President also requested that Macomber extend his gratitude to the other guards who assisted in the confrontation.
- Protests
- Patriotism
- William B. Macomber Jr.
- White House security
- Civil unrest
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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
Each line starts with a timestamp button; press it to play the audio from that point.
NARA Description
On May 4, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and William B. Macomber, Jr. talked on the telephone from 1:12 pm to 1:13 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 042-086 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 42-86 Date: May 4, 1971 Time: 1:12 pm - 1:13 pm Location: White House Telephone The President talked with William B. Macomber, Jr. [See Conversation No. 251-51] [A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared under court order from December 1978 through March 1979 for Special Access 8, Ronald V. Dellums, et al. v. James M. Powell, et al., No. 71-2271. The National Archives and Records Administration produced this transcript. The National Archives does not guarantee its accuracy.] [End of transcript]
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.
- 042-085 1:11 PM · 14 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.
- 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.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 042-086, 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/042-086 (accessed October 3, 2026).