Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 132 › Conversation 132-005

Beckman phone call on Camp David and Maintenance

Thursday, May 18, 1972 · 12:00 AM–11:49 PM ET · Camp David Study Table · 47 sec

ParticipantsBeckman, Bill; [Unknown person(s)]Conversation132-005 on Tape 132 (tape position 00:03:30–00:04:16)StartThursday, May 18, 1972 at 12:00 AMEndTuesday, June 6, 1972 at 11:49 PMRecording deviceCamp David Study TableSourceNixon Library record for 132-005 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417175113 ↗

AI Summary

Bill Beckman coordinated with unidentified staff to secure an escort for an electrician requiring access to the crawl space beneath the Aspen cabin at Camp David. The participants discussed the availability of personnel, specifically naming individuals like Lautner and Rhymesmith, to facilitate this maintenance task. The conversation concluded with a commitment to identify and dispatch an available staff member to oversee the work immediately.

Audio

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NARA Description

Bill Beckman and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 12:00 am on May 18, 1972 and 11:49 pm on June 6, 1972. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 132-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 132-5

Date: Unknown between May 18, and June 6, 1972
Time: Unknown between 12:00 am, May 18 and 11:49 pm, June 6
Location: Camp David Study Table

Bill Beckman talked with an unknown man.

     [Forename unknown] Latner [sp?]

     [Forename unknown] Rasmith [sp?]

     Request for escort for electrician
         -[Forename unknown] Beckman [sp?]

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

I need Lautner or Rhymesmith down to Aspen to escort an electrician under the house.
I can't hand Rhymesmith under.
Oh, okay.
Rhymesmith?
Beckman?
Well, I'll have to think about it and see who I can send down there first.
Okay, well... Where are they at?
They're inside Aspen right now, but we need somebody right now.
One of them's got to go underneath.

Also recorded on May 18, 1972

  • 132-001 12:00 AM · 43 sec — Bill Beckman and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 12:00 am on May 18, 1972 and 11:49 pm on June 6, 1972.
  • 132-002 12:00 AM · 47 sec — Bill Beckman and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 12:00 am on May 18, 1972 and 11:49 pm on June 6, 1972.
  • 132-003 12:00 AM · 1 min — Bill Beckman and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 12:00 am on May 18, 1972 and 11:49 pm on June 6, 1972.
  • 132-004 12:00 AM · 39 sec — Unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 12:00 am on May 18, 1972 and 11:49 pm on June 6, 1972.
  • 132-006 12:00 AM · 52 sec — Bill Beckman and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 12:00 am on May 18, 1972 and 11:49 pm on June 6, 1972.
  • 132-007 12:00 AM · 2 min — Bill Beckman and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 12:00 am on May 18, 1972 and 11:49 pm on June 6, 1972.
  • 132-008 12:00 AM · 37 sec — Bill Beckman and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 12:00 am on May 18, 1972 and 11:49 pm on June 6, 1972.
  • 132-009 12:00 AM · 13 sec — Bill Beckman and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 12:00 am on May 18, 1972 and 11:49 pm on June 6, 1972.

All 88 conversations from May 18, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 132-005, May 18, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417175113). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/132-005 (accessed November 2, 2026).