Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 42 › Conversation 042-103

Butterfield phone call on John F. Evans, Jr. and Citizens Committee

Thursday, May 6, 1971 · 2:26 PM–5:00 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsButterfield, Alexander P.; White House operator; [Unknown person(s)]; Butterfield, Alexander P.; White House operator; [Unknown person(s)]Conversation042-103 on Tape 42 (tape position 02:33:44–02:35:37)StartThursday, May 6, 1971 at 2:26 PMEndThursday, May 6, 1971 at 5:00 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 042-103 ↗

AI Summary

Alexander P. Butterfield contacted the office of John F. Evans, Jr. to locate him for an urgent query originating from the President. The conversation involved logistics regarding Evans' attendance at a Citizens Committee meeting at the Sheraton-Carlton Hotel and brief internal discussions about scheduling matters. Butterfield ultimately requested that Evans return his call upon becoming available.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Give me John Evans right away, please.
Yes, sir.
Thank you.
I know the whole story.
I've been told with all that.
I haven't had a chance yet.
No, who told me about that?
Timmons gave me the whole briefing.
He's here now.
He's got 100 kids, but he wants to just bring his kids over.
I'm supposed to get a hold of him.
No, no, no.
Ashbrook just wants to come over with his own kids.
No, I was just... Well, that's what Timmons said.
You've got a knee-decker input.
You know, I can't get anything.
Mr. Butterfield?
Yeah.
Yes, sir.
Mr. Evans has stepped out of the office right now.
Would you like to talk to one of his assistants?
No, no, no.
I've just hung up from talking to him.
Do you have his office on the phone?
Yes, sir.
Yeah, okay.
Give me the office.
Yes, sir.
Go ahead, please.
Hello?
Hello?
Can't you get him down the hall?
The president's asking a question I think only he can answer.
Okay.
I'll hold him and call you.
Well, let me hang on.
Well, he's not in the building.
I just hung up from talking to him.
You know that.
I know it.
And he left.
Okay.
And he'll be back.
I'll get him.
Well, no, disregard it.
It's just a question that he asked right now.
Do you know when this Citizens Committee will break up up at the Sheraton Carlton?
I guess you're not sure of that.
I guess no one is.
No, the luncheon's supposed to start at 1.
I know that.
And the meeting precedes the luncheon, doesn't it?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Then a luncheon at 1, huh?
Mm-hmm.
Has he headed over this way, or is he?
No, I can get hold of him, Mr. Butterfield.
Oh, can you?
Yes, I'm sure I can.
All right.
Would you ask him to call me then?
Yes, sir.
Thank you very much.
Okay.

NARA Description

On May 6, 1971, Alexander P. Butterfield, White House operator, unknown person(s), and John F. Evans, Jr.'s secretary talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:26 pm and 5:00 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 042-103 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 42-103

Date: May 6, 1971
Time: Unknown between 2:26 pm and 5:00 pm
Location: White House Telephone

Alexander P. Butterfield talked with the White House operator.

     Call to John F. Evans, Jr.

[Butterfield conferred with an unknown man at an unknown time between 2:26 pm and 5:00 pm]

     William E. Timmons’ children

[End of conferral]

     Evans’ location

[Butterfield talked with John Evans’ secretary at an unknown between 2:26 pm and 5:00 pm]

[Conversation No. 42-103A]

     Evans’ location

     Citizens committee meeting schedule
           -Sheraton-Carlton Hotel

Also recorded on May 6, 1971

  • 493-016 1:06 PM · 37 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:06 pm and 2:30 pm.
  • 493-017 1:06 PM · 17 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:06 pm and 4:15 pm.
  • 042-100 1:49 PM · 45 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 1:49 pm to 1:50 pm.
  • 042-101 1:50 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:50 pm and 2:24 pm.
  • 042-102 2:24 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Croby S. Noyes talked on the telephone from 2:24 pm to 2:26 pm.
  • 493-018 2:30 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:30 pm and 5:05 pm.
  • 493-019 2:30 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:30 pm and 5:05 pm.
  • 056-001 3:32 PM · 37 min — President Richard M. Nixon and members of the President's Commission on Financial Structure and Regulation, including Reed O. Hunt, Atherton Bean, Morris D. Crawford, Jr., Morgan C. Earnest, James H. Edgerton, Richard G. Gilbert, William D. Grant, Alan Greenspan, Walter S. Holmes, Jr., [Joseph] Lane Kirkland, Donald S. MacNaughton, Edward H. Malone, Rex J. Morthland, William H. Morton, Ellmore C. Patterson, K. A. Randall, Ralph S. Regula, Dr. Raymond J. Saulnier, Ezra Solomon, Robert H. Stewart, III, Allen R. Rule, James Lynch, Lucille Mayne, Bertwing Mah, Dr. Donald Jacobs, Dr. Almarin Phillips, Dr. Samuel Chase, Clarence Scruggs, Henry Shine, Jr., Neil Murphy, Charls E. Walker, Peter M. Flanigan, and the White House photographer, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 3:32 pm to 4:15 pm.

All 36 conversations from May 6, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 042-103, May 6, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/042-103 (accessed October 3, 2026).