Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 100 › Conversation 100-002

White House tour group on White House and Cabinet Room

Friday, May 5, 1972 · 11:37 AM–9:10 AM ET · Cabinet Room ·3 min

ParticipantsWhite House tour groupConversation100-002 onTape 100StartFriday, May 5, 1972 at 11:37 AMEndMonday, May 8, 1972 at 9:10 AMRecording deviceCabinet RoomSourceNixon Library record for 100-002 ↗

AI Summary

An unidentified guide leads a tour group through the White House Cabinet Room, providing insights into the executive office layout and administrative traditions. The discussion highlights the seating arrangements of various Cabinet members and the President's personal selection of presidential portraits, including Eisenhower, Wilson, and Theodore Roosevelt. Additionally, the group touches upon logistical aspects of the West Wing, such as Alexander Butterfield's office location and complaints regarding telephone response times, as well as the site of Tricia Nixon Cox’s wedding in the Rose Garden.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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It's the cat room.
Yeah, it's a good place.
It's where I heard a lot about the cat room.
Of course, the chair, and the chair here representing the community of TAC, the name of the office is on the back.
Now, this is probably Rums, not Rums, but I'll be at this point.
You know, I've met Rums, I've talked to Rums over at the council, to the president, to his special assistant, to the president of the state of TAC.
He had a date on it, but it was made with money in his office.
Okay, here's Secretary of Transportation, he's in the back.
January 6th, Mr. Fauci was appointed.
What they did, the chair is running now for the people, for the office.
Of course, the treasurer is standing right up.
This is the presidency right here.
Who has a name tag on there?
That's right.
Secretary of Defense.
These are your oldest offices.
Secretary of State.
That's Vice President Atkins.
Chair, Director across the table.
I believe Treasury is on one side or the other.
And this is the man who's on the chair here.
It's beautiful that everybody else is here, isn't it?
Yeah.
Uh, they have a little thing they do here.
And when he comes in here, all the others are busy inviting his chairperson.
And then when he leaves office, they take the chairperson.
And, uh, the tradition is here, the president will paint, uh, portraits of his favorite past presidents.
Of course, President Nixon and President Eisenhower, and then President Wilson and President Theodore Roosevelt.
These are two of his favorites.
I don't know what you mean by that.
Thanks, Butterfield.
I'm saying that Butterfield, his office is right on the other side of the president's office.
He's going to be there.
He's supposed to take care of it.
Nothing.
I'm just a guy here on the president's office, you know.
He went over and talked to our chief.
He had about a two-hour session a couple weeks ago.
Butterfield complained that we're not answering the phone fast enough.
It's disturbing him.
The phone is ringing too many times.
He'll be back in a few years or so.
I think we got, I think our service is very late.
This is quite a garden.
That's where she was married, right, Tim?
Yeah, I mean, it's back out that way.
I think it was right at that garage, I believe.
That's the one socket for us over here all the time.
He has no stop.
He's always checking the stop.
This is what I do.
That's right.
Is the first guy you need to pay raise a million?
Let's go.

NARA Description

a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 11:37 am on May 5, 1972 and 9:10 am on May 8, 1972. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 100-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 100-2

Date: Unknown between May 5 and May 8, 1972
Time: Unknown between 11:37 am, May 5 and 9:10 am, May 8, 1972
Location: Cabinet Room

A tour group met

     Cabinet Room
          -Meetings
          -Chairs
               -Names
                     -Donald H. Rumsfeld
                          -Position
                     -John A. Volpe
                          -Position
               -Seating Arrangement
                     -Secretary of the Treasury
               -The President
               -Secretary of Defense
               -Secretary of State
               -The Vice President
               -Secretary of the Treasury
               -Tradition on departure from office

          -Portraits
                -The President’s choices
                     -Dwight D. Eisenhower
                     -[Thomas] Woodrow Wilson
                     -Theodore (“Teddy”) Roosevelt

     Stephen B. Bull
          -Office location

     H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
          -Office location

     Alexander P. Butterfield
          -Office location

     The President’s office
          -Phone calls
               -Butterfield’s complaints

     Rose Garden
          -Tricia Nixon Cox’s wedding

The tour group left at an unknown time before 9:10 am, May 8, 1972

Also recorded on May 5, 1972

  • 100-003 11:37 AM · 2 min — a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 11:37 am on May 5, 1972 and 9:10 am on May 8, 1972.
  • 100-004 11:37 AM · 16 sec — a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 11:37 am on May 5, 1972 and 9:10 am on May 8, 1972.
  • 100-005 11:37 AM · 2 min — a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 11:37 am on May 5, 1972 and 9:10 am on May 8, 1972.
  • 100-006 11:37 AM · 1 min — a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 11:37 am on May 5, 1972 and 9:10 am on May 8, 1972.
  • 100-007 11:37 AM · 3 min — Ronald L. Ziegler and a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 11:37 am on May 5, 1972 and 9:10 am on May 8, 1972.
  • 100-008 11:37 AM · 2 min — a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 11:37 am on May 5, 1972 and 9:10 am on May 8, 1972.
  • 100-009 11:37 AM — George P. Shultz and a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 11:37 am on May 5, 1972 and 9:10 am on May 8, 1972.
  • 100-010 11:37 AM · 40 sec — Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 11:37 am on May 5, 1972 and 9:10 am on May 8, 1972.

All 54 conversations from May 5, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 100-002, May 5, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/100-002 (accessed September 18, 2026).