Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 85 › Conversation 085-004
Nixon White House recording on Role-playing and Cabinet Room
Friday, December 3, 1971 · 12:00 AM–10:08 AM ET · Cabinet Room · 15 min
AI Summary
Maintenance personnel working in the Cabinet Room were recorded engaging in role-playing exercises, during which they took turns impersonating the President, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Labor, and a White House candidate. This brief interaction serves as a candid, lighthearted example of staff utilizing a secure government space for informal recreation. No substantive policy discussions or political developments occurred during this brief period.
- Role-playing
- Cabinet Room
- Maintenance personnel
- White House staff
Audio
This clip was extracted from the full tape recording by Easy Nixon.
Listen to the full tape segment
part B, 41:06
NARA Description
On December 3, 1971, unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:00 am and 10:08 am. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 085-004 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 85-4 Date: Unknown between December 3 and December 6, 1971 Time: Unknown between 12:00 am, December 3 and 10:08 am, December 6, 1971 Location: Cabinet Room Unknown men [maintenance personnel?] met ****************************************************************************** BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1 [Non-historical] [Duration: 14m 42s ] END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1 ****************************************************************************** The unknown men [maintenance personnel?] left at an unknown time before 10:08 am, December 6, 1971
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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Also recorded on December 3, 1971
- 085-001 12:00 AM — unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:00 am and 10:08 am.
- 085-002 12:00 AM — unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:00 am and 10:08 am.
- 085-003 12:00 AM — unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:00 am and 10:08 am.
- 085-006 12:00 AM · 4 min — a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:00 am and 10:08 am.
- 085-007 12:00 AM · 32 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:00 am and 10:08 am.
- 085-008 12:00 AM · 15 sec — a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:00 am and 10:08 am.
- 085-009 12:00 AM · 6 min — a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:00 am and 10:08 am.
- 085-010 12:00 AM · 1 min — a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:00 am and 10:08 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 085-004, December 3, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/085-004 (accessed November 2, 2026).