Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 131 › Conversation 131-018

Nixon phone call with Camp David Operator on Ronald L. Ziegler

Wednesday, May 17, 1972 · 7:44 PM ET · Camp David Study Table ·8 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Camp David OperatorConversation131-018 onTape 131 (tape position 01:00:54–01:01:03)StartWednesday, May 17, 1972 at 7:44 PMEndWednesday, May 17, 1972 at 7:44 PMRecording deviceCamp David Study TableSourceNixon Library record for 131-018 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon contacted the Camp David operator to facilitate an urgent communication with his Press Secretary, Ronald L. Ziegler. The brief exchange served solely as a logistical request to initiate a phone call. No further substantive policy matters or discussions were captured during this short administrative interaction.

Audio

Download MP3 · 0.3 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 · Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Pardon me, sir?
Ziegler.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On May 17, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 7:44 pm. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 131-018 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 131-18

Date: May 17, 1972
Time: 7:44 pm
Location: Camp David Study Table

The President talked with the Camp David operator

[See also Conversation No. 190-9]

     Request for a call to Ronald L. Ziegler

Also recorded on May 17, 1972

  • 190-006 6:40 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Beverly J. Kaye, and unknown person(s) met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 6:40 pm and 7:33 pm.
  • 131-016 7:33 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 7:33 pm.
  • 131-017 7:33 PM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 7:33 pm and 7:44 pm.
  • 190-007 7:33 PM · 34 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at 7:33 pm.
  • 190-008 7:33 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 7:33 pm and 7:44 pm.
  • 190-009 7:44 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at 7:44 pm.
  • 131-019 7:49 PM · 31 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at Camp David from 7:49 pm to 8:20 pm.
  • 190-010 7:49 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 7:49 pm and 8:20 pm.

All 63 conversations from May 17, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 131-018, May 17, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/131-018 (accessed September 18, 2026).