Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 165 › Conversation 165-018

Nixon phone call with Camp David operator on Alexander M. Haig Jr.

Saturday, May 12, 1973 · 12:36 PM–12:37 PM ET · Camp David Study Table · 10 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Camp David operatorConversation165-018 on Tape 165StartSaturday, May 12, 1973 at 12:36 PMEndSaturday, May 12, 1973 at 12:37 PMRecording deviceCamp David Study TableSourceNixon Library record for 165-018 ↗

President Nixon contacted the Camp David operator to facilitate an outgoing call to White House Chief of Staff Alexander M. Haig, Jr. The brief exchange served as a routine administrative request to connect the President with his staff while he was working from the Camp David retreat. No substantive policy matters or decisions were discussed during this brief connection phase.

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Thank you.
Right.

On May 12, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:36 pm and 12:37 pm. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 165-018 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 165-18

Date: May 12, 1973
Time: Unknown between 12:36 pm and 12:37 pm
Location: Camp David Study Table

The President talked with the Camp David operator.

     Telephone call to Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
  • 165-014 11:58 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Roy L. Ash talked on the telephone at Camp David from 11:58 am to 12:00 pm.
  • 165-015 12:22 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone at Camp David from 12:22 pm to 12:30 pm.
  • 165-016 12:30 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:30 pm and 12:31 pm.
  • 165-017 12:31 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone at Camp David from 12:31 pm to 12:36 pm.
  • 165-019 12:37 PM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone at Camp David from 12:37 pm to 12:54 pm.
  • 165-020 12:54 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:54 pm and 12:59 pm.
  • 165-021 12:59 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone at Camp David from 12:59 pm to 1:03 pm.
  • 165-022 1:03 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 1:03 pm and 2:04 pm.

Conversation 165-018, May 12, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/165-018 (accessed October 12, 2026).