Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 102 › Conversation 102-004

Nixon White House recording on Cabinet Room and White House preparations

Tuesday, May 30, 1972 · 12:01 AM–8:01 AM ET · Cabinet Room · 8 min

Participants[Unknown person(s)]Conversation102-004 on Tape 102StartTuesday, May 30, 1972 at 12:01 AMEndTuesday, May 30, 1972 at 8:01 AMRecording deviceCabinet RoomSourceNixon Library record for 102-004 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 648452377 ↗

AI Summary

This recording captures a brief, informal exchange between unidentified individuals in the Cabinet Room, likely concerning preparations or logistics for an event. The conversation touches upon the cleaning of large, intricate crystal fixtures and mentions the need for a fire extinguisher. It also briefly references artwork in the West Wing, specifically pictures of Russia and the Bolshoi Ballet School and Theater, suggesting a potential connection to an upcoming cultural event or delegation.

  • Cabinet Room
  • White House preparations
  • Crystal cleaning
  • Fire safety
  • West Wing art
  • Bolshoi Ballet
  • Bolshoi Theater

Audio

Download MP3 · 7.2 MB

This clip was extracted from the full tape recording by Easy Nixon.

Listen to the full tape segment

part A, 40:24

102a.mp3
102b.mp3
102c.mp3
102d.mp3

NARA Description

On May 30, 1972, unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:01 am and 8:01 am. The Cabinet Room taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 102-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 102-4

Date: Unknown between May 30 and June 13, 1972
Time: Unknown between 12:01 am, May 30 and 8:01 am, June 13, 1972
Location: Cabinet Room

Unknown people entered

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Non-historical]
[Duration: 7m 47s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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The unknown people left at an unknown time before 8:01 am, June 13, 1972

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was made by an AI model listening to the recording (gemini-3.8-flash) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Speaker names are the model's inference from the voices and the participant list. Words and names can still be wrong — verify against the audio and the finding aid before citing.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Unknownmake sure that everything is ready to go.
UnknownMake sure that everything is ready.
UnknownWe're the ones that have to clean up.
UnknownIt's a pretty thing. They have to go around and scrub that crystal and wash that crystal with ammonia and water. Yeah.
UnknownHow do they do it? With a ladder?
UnknownAh, no. A guy sits up with a rag and very, and holds the top and wipes all down. He goes around. That thing takes about a half an hour to an hour today. Those great, big, gigantic—
UnknownOh, yeah, I saw those. They got into a turning wheel and wash, and they lay, it takes hours about scaffolding, though.
UnknownDo they dry clean them?
UnknownNo, they don't have to because hell, I think they don't know how to clean anyway. It's nice.
UnknownThey have to take them all apiece, don't they?
UnknownYeah.
UnknownThat is pretty. It's nice.
UnknownThat This is This is 20
UnknownNeed a fire extinguisher.
UnknownYeah. There's right over in here, upstairs. It's lost There's a picture of lost smoke and fire coming out the windows and firemen and all. That was opposite the Blue Room. [unintelligible] [laughter]
UnknownIn the West Wing?
UnknownWest Wing. If you get time [crosstalk] before you go down just take a look at the pictures that's down in the hall. You'll see a lot of pictures of Russia.
UnknownThat's the Bolshoi Ballet School right there on the left, this one is. And the next one is actually the Bolshoi Theater. Isn't that a place, something? We're going to go in that place.
UnknownHuh.

Also recorded on May 30, 1972

  • 102-001 12:01 AM · 37 min — Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Robert J. McCloskey, Charles N. Brower, Reggie Thompson, Joseph Hancock, Ralph T. Smith, William L. Gifford, Charles D. Ablard, Thomas C. Korologos, Fred F. Fielding, Dr. James R. Schlesinger, and unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:01 am and 8:01 am.
  • 102-002 12:01 AM · 3 min — a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:01 am and 8:01 am.
  • 102-003 12:01 AM · 2 min — United States Secret Service agents met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:01 am and 8:01 am.
  • 102-005 12:01 AM · 14 min — Kenneth R. Cole, Jr. and unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:01 am and 8:01 am.
  • 102-007 12:01 AM · 15 min — unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:01 am and 8:01 am.

Cite this conversation

Conversation 102-004, May 30, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 648452377). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/102-004 (accessed November 2, 2026).