Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 158 › Conversation 158-019

Nixon phone call with Camp David Operator on Richard T. Kennedy

Friday, December 29, 1972 · 5:03 PM ET · Camp David Study Table · 13 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Camp David OperatorConversation158-019 on Tape 158StartFriday, December 29, 1972 at 5:03 PMEndFriday, December 29, 1972 at 5:03 PMRecording deviceCamp David Study TableSourceNixon Library record for 158-019 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon contacted the Camp David operator to facilitate an urgent communication with Colonel Richard T. Kennedy. The primary objective of the call was to secure a connection to Kennedy, who served as a key staff member on the National Security Council. This brief administrative interaction served as the necessary logistical step for the President to consult with his advisor on pressing foreign policy or national security matters.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

No transcript is available yet for this conversation. The recording may contain no audible speech, or it may not have been processed.

NARA Description

On December 29, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 5:03 pm. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 158-019 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 158-19

Date: December 29, 1972
Time: 5:03 pm
Location: Camp David Study Table

The President talked with the Camp David operator.

[See Conversation No. 237-25]

       Request for a call to Col. Richard T. Kennedy

Also recorded on December 29, 1972

  • 237-025 5:03 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at 5:03 pm.
  • 158-020 5:06 PM · 26 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 5:06 pm.
  • 158-021 5:06 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 5:06 pm and 5:12 pm.
  • 237-026 5:06 PM · 26 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at 5:06 pm.
  • 237-027 5:06 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 5:06 pm and 5:12 pm.
  • 237-028 5:06 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 5:06 pm and 5:12 pm.
  • 158-022 5:12 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone at Camp David from 5:12 pm to 5:15 pm.
  • 237-029 5:12 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 5:12 pm to 5:15 pm.

All 67 conversations from December 29, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 158-019, December 29, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/158-019 (accessed October 11, 2026).