Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 85 › Conversation 085-015

Bull on Presidential filming and Media management

Friday, December 3, 1971 · 12:00 AM–10:08 AM ET · Cabinet Room

ParticipantsBull, Stephen B.; [Unknown person(s)]Conversation085-015 on Tape 85StartFriday, December 3, 1971 at 12:00 AMEndFriday, December 3, 1971 at 10:08 AMRecording deviceCabinet RoomSourceNixon Library record for 085-015 ↗

AI Summary

Stephen B. Bull met with unknown individuals in the Cabinet Room to coordinate the technical and logistical requirements for filming the President. The discussion focused on choreographing the President's entry, establishing appropriate lighting, and managing the positioning of photographers. The participants reviewed the master schedule and established specific protocols for opening the room to ensure the filming operation proceeded as planned.

White House logistics
Presidential filming
Media management
Cabinet Room operations
Stephen B. Bull

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 112.9 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 111.4 MB ·Download MP3 (part 3) · 113.2 MB ·Download MP3 (part 4) · 26.0 MB

This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the players above hold the full tape, shared with neighbouring conversations.

NARA Description

On December 3, 1971, Stephen B. Bull and 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 085-015 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 85-15

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

Stephen B. Bull met with unknown men

     Filming the President

Bull left at an unknown time before 10:08 am, December 6, 1971

[Conversation No. 85-15A]

[An unknown man talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 12:00 am,
December 3 and 10:08 am, December 6, 1971.]

          -[Meeting with Bull]
          -[Master schedule]
          -[Rehearsal]
          -[Schedule]

[Conversation No. 85-15B]

[An unknown man talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 12:00 am,
December 3 and 10:08 am, December 6, 1971.]

          -[Schedule]

     Filming the President
          -Bull

     [Unintelligible/Foreign language conversation]

     Filming the President
          -The President’s entry
          -Lighting
          -Bull
          -Photographers
          -Schedule

     [Unintelligible/Foreign language conversation]

The unknown people 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.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Timestamps are positions within the full tape; click one to play the tape from there.

Ok, thank you Steve.

Ok, I'm finished.

I made this feedback back master schedule.

You know, do you want it?

Do we have to walk this way?

I'll meet you.

I'll wait here.

Oh, you're leaving right now?

Alright.

I'll meet you where?

I'm sorry, he's gone.

— 3 min 1 s with no transcribed speech —

No lights here.

Right.

Okay, when Steve is satisfied and Chris is far enough into the room, he'll open the door and see if there's a guy.

Yeah, I might cover it with him again tonight.

Okay, he'll open the door.

He'll sit over it here.

All right, okay.

Chris goes over and he sees that the rat pack I'm sitting for a while is gone.

— 1 min 42 s with no transcribed speech —

F***!

— 1 hr 12 min 23 s with no transcribed speech —

F***!

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.
085-004 12:00 AM · 15 min — 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.

All 14 conversations from December 3, 1971 →

Nixon White House recording on Presidential speeches and Press relations May 18, 1971 · 1 min
Haldeman & Bull on Mike Mansfield and Public relations April 6, 1971 · 2 min
Nixon with unidentified visitors in his EOB office on Stephen B. Bull August 3, 1971
Nixon & Bull on National Voluntary Action Committee and Henry Ford II April 27, 1971 · 1 min
Nixon & Bull on Future Farmers of America and Bryce Harlow July 22, 1971 · 1 min
Nixon & Bull on Billy Graham August 10, 1971 · 2 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 085-015, 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/085-015 (accessed November 2, 2026).