Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 43 › Conversation 043-087

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Elliot L. Richardson

Thursday, February 15, 1973 · 11:12 AM–11:14 AM ET · White House Telephone · 20 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation043-087 on Tape 43StartThursday, February 15, 1973 at 11:12 AMEndThursday, February 15, 1973 at 11:14 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 043-087 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon instructed the White House operator to place an urgent call to either Secretary of Defense Elliot L. Richardson or Admiral Thomas H. Moorer. This outreach served as a direct request for consultation with key national security and defense leadership. The operator acknowledged the directive to secure one of the two officials immediately.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

DSP.
Would you get Secretary Richardson, if he's not available, Admiral Moore, please?
Yes, sir.

NARA Description

On February 15, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:12 am and 11:14 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 043-087 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 43-87

Date: February 15, 1973
Time: Unknown between 11:12 am and 11:14 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

       Request for a call to Elliot L. Richardson or Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
                                             -48-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Also recorded on February 15, 1973

  • 857-004 10:40 AM · 30 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Rogers C. B. Morton, J. Philip Campbell, Russell E. Train, William D. Ruckelhaus, John D. Ehrlichman, Richard M. Fairbanks, III, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:40 am to 11:10 am.
  • 043-088 11:12 AM · 43 sec — Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft and Adm. Thomas H. Moorer talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:12 am and 12:02 pm.
  • 857-005 11:12 AM · 50 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft, Gen. Andrew J. Goodpaster, White House operator, Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, unknown person(s), and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:12 am to 12:02 pm.
  • 857-006 12:02 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:05 pm.
  • 857-007 12:05 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon, J. Curtis Counts, Manolo Sanchez, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:05 pm to 12:19 pm.
  • 857-008 12:19 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:19 pm and 12:47 pm.
  • 857-009 12:19 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:19 pm and 12:47 pm.
  • 857-010 12:19 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:19 pm and 12:47 pm.

All 41 conversations from February 15, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 043-087, February 15, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/043-087 (accessed October 1, 2026).