Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 134 › Conversation 134-010

Nixon phone call with Camp David Operator on International Trade and Argentina

Saturday, June 24, 1972 · 2:29 PM–2:45 PM ET · Camp David Study Table · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Camp David OperatorConversation134-010 on Tape 134 (tape position 00:32:38–00:32:45)StartSaturday, June 24, 1972 at 2:29 PMEndSaturday, June 24, 1972 at 2:45 PMRecording deviceCamp David Study TableSourceNixon Library record for 134-010 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon contacted Herbert Stein via the Camp David operator to relay instructions regarding Arthur Burns’s upcoming trip to Argentina. Nixon expressed skepticism toward the existing ban on Argentine beef imports, which is officially justified by concerns over foot-and-mouth disease, but feared domestic political backlash if Burns prematurely promised a policy change. Stein was directed to verify the trade constraints with Earl Butz and ensure that Burns was briefed on the sensitivity of the issue before meeting with Argentine officials.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Hello?
Yes, please.
Mr. Stein, please.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Mr. Stein is up.
Yeah.
Hello?
Herb, I wondered if you would pass one thing to Burns before he gets to Argentina.
Yeah.
He raised the point about Argentine beef coming in, and I said, sure, that's great.
I may explore it with him because we were going to record it so far.
The fact of the matter is that then Mutt says the reason it doesn't come in is because it has open mouth disease.
Well, of course, I'm inclined to think there's a lot of phoniness in that.
The British take it and, you know, in the French, everybody eats Argentine beef except us.
But that apparently is a very, very...
tough issue over there.
So what I'd like, I just want to be sure that Burns, when he goes down there, is aware of the problem and doesn't tell the Argentine government, look, we're going to start taking your beef, and then all hell will break loose here.
So if you would do a little check with Butts, and then you just cable Arthur someplace, or talk to him on the phone and pass the word.
Would you do that, please?
Yes, sir.
Good.
Okay.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On June 24, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 2:29 pm and 2:45 pm. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 134-010 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 134-10

Date: June 24, 1972
Time: Unknown between 2:29 and 2:45 pm
Location: Camp David Study Table (telephone)

The President talked with Camp David operator.

[See also Conversation No. 194-14A]

     Request for a call to Herbert Stein

Also recorded on June 24, 1972

  • 134-007 1:00 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 1:00 pm.
  • 134-008 1:32 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 1:32 pm.
  • 134-009 1:32 PM · 40 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Camp David operator, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 1:32 pm and 1:36 pm.
  • 194-012 1:32 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Camp David operator, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 1:32 pm and 1:36 pm.
  • 194-013 1:36 PM · 29 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 1:36 pm and 2:29 pm.
  • 194-014 2:29 PM · 52 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Camp David operator, and Herbert Stein met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 2:29 pm to 3:50 pm.
  • 134-011 2:45 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Herbert Stein talked on the telephone at Camp David from 2:45 pm to 2:46 pm.
  • 194-015 3:50 PM · 2 min — Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 3:50 pm and 4:35 pm.

All 34 conversations from June 24, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 134-010, June 24, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/134-010 (accessed October 22, 2026).