Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 158 › Conversation 158-053

Nixon phone call with Camp David Operator on U. Alexis Johnson

Saturday, December 30, 1972 · 12:38 PM ET · Camp David Study Table · 23 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Camp David OperatorConversation158-053 on Tape 158StartSaturday, December 30, 1972 at 12:38 PMEndSaturday, December 30, 1972 at 12:38 PMRecording deviceCamp David Study TableSourceNixon Library record for 158-053 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 648452627 ↗

A 23-second recording. What it contains is described by the archivists' log below; no AI summary is shown for recordings this short.

Audio

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NARA Description

On December 30, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 12:38 pm. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 158-053 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 158-53

Date: December 30, 1972
Time: 12:38 pm
Location: Camp David Study Table

The President talked with the Camp David operator.
                                                -65-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                         Conversation No. 158-53 (cont’d)

[See Conversation No. 238-15]

       U. Alexis Johnson’s location
            -Golf course [Burning Tree Country Club]

       Request for a call to [David] Kenneth Rush
            -Rush’s identity
                   -Deputy Secretary of Defense

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Hello?
Mr. President, Mrs. Johnson is on the John Paul sign.
Oh, hey, hello.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Also recorded on December 30, 1972

  • 158-051 12:35 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Adm. Thomas H. Moorer talked on the telephone at Camp David from 12:35 pm to 12:37 pm.
  • 238-013 12:35 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Adm. Thomas H. Moorer met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 12:35 pm to 12:37 pm.
  • 158-052 12:37 PM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:37 pm and 12:38 pm.
  • 238-014 12:37 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:37 pm and 12:38 pm.
  • 238-015 12:38 PM · 24 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at 12:38 pm.
  • 238-016 12:38 PM · 26 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:38 pm and 12:40 pm.
  • 158-054 12:40 PM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 12:40 pm.
  • 238-017 12:40 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at 12:40 pm.

All 62 conversations from December 30, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 158-053, December 30, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 648452627). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/158-053 (accessed November 2, 2026).