Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 164 › Conversation 164-001

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

Saturday, April 28, 1973 · 8:05 PM–8:21 PM ET · Camp David Study Table · 9 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Camp David operatorConversation164-001 on Tape 164StartSaturday, April 28, 1973 at 8:05 PMEndSaturday, April 28, 1973 at 8:21 PMRecording deviceCamp David Study TableSourceNixon Library record for 164-001 ↗

President Nixon contacted the Camp David operator to facilitate a telephone connection with his Press Secretary, Ronald L. Ziegler. The brief exchange served purely administrative purposes, as the President requested assistance in establishing communication with a key member of his staff. No substantive policy discussions or major developments occurred during this brief interaction.

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A cigarette, please.
Thank you, sir.

On April 28, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 8:05 pm and 8:21 pm. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 164-001 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 164-1

Date: April 28, 1973
Time: Unknown between 8:05 pm and 8:21 pm
Location: Camp David Study Table

The President talked with the Camp David operator.

     Request for telephone call
          -Ronald L. Ziegler
  • 164-024 7:06 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry E. Petersen talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 7:06 pm and 7:11 pm.
  • 164-025 7:20 PM · 3 min — Ronald L. Ziegler, Camp David operator, and Gerald L. Warren talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 7:20 pm and 8:10 pm.
  • 164-026 7:20 PM · 6 min — Ronald L. Ziegler and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 7:20 pm and 8:10 pm.
  • 164-027 10:05 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:05 am and 10:19 am.
  • 164-028 10:19 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:19 am and 10:25 am.
  • 164-029 10:25 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:25 am and 10:26 am.
  • 164-030 10:26 AM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon, William P. Rogers, and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:26 am and 10:36 am.
  • 164-031 10:36 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:36 am and 11:46 am.

Conversation 164-001, April 29, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/164-001 (accessed October 12, 2026).