Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 197 › Conversation 197-016
Nixon phone call with Camp David Operator on Camp David
Saturday, July 22, 1972 · 2:47 PM–3:05 PM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 9 min
AI Summary
President Nixon held this brief call with a Camp David operator to manage communication logistics during his stay at Aspen Lodge. The conversation primarily involved confirming the status of non-urgent incoming calls and verifying that his availability remained flexible for the day. No substantive policy or political decisions were made during the interaction.
- Camp David
- Communications logistics
- Presidential scheduling
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 7 minutes of this recording (about 85% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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Mm-hmm.
.
.
And also,
to find out the differences between the two candidates were so clear and so great they didn't need a new debate.
They did not need a debate to find them out.
And that he should also find out that they didn't.
I spent a little bit of time in 1964, and in the presidency, my views perhaps changed.
The fact that there were U.S. and international negotiations
Hello?
Yeah.
Yeah.
No, I'll tell you, just let it go.
You can say that it is convenient any time today.
You can call me, but it's not urgent.
That is convenience.
Very nice.
Thank you.
which the minister reminded me was actually a church and was there before the temple was built.
It's a beautiful room.
It's just right.
So I told the minister, no worries.
And since she came in late and could not have a price, they dressed me for her.
She wore her own clothes, but they fitted perfectly.
So they honored us on robes and wear the same clothes.
dresses the bridesmaid in any event.
I was impressed by the two of the grooms, two of the twins, and Rebecca's cousins, and I said that they had seen this in our California home.
One of them asked her and saw her looking.
She had remembered the time that he had
I got the rug, the white rug in our house in Truesdale, soiled it, because you have to shine the shoes before coming over.
And there's some of the shoes shining more over the rug.
So I went down and asked them, and I took that picture with Richard, and started to stop there.
And of course, I said, well, I'm going to comment at the wedding about it, and took it.
I tried to keep the announcement as low key as possible on our part so that anyone would make the most of its response.
I like the idea that the city was going to campaign to judge states to pay money for credit.
I'm sorry, I didn't answer any of your personal questions earlier in the presentation.
We had pictures taken for the Life magazine.
Covered in a hat.
He had seen Bobby Fischer.
He was a supporter of ours.
He said Bobby was actually a very nice man.
He was extremely quiet and introverted.
He had a very poor family.
His mother was dead.
.
.
.
.
There you go.
And recall that you were talking in the play instead of the kitchen until the end of the episode.
and the water ballet that they put on in California in January was president.
And I felt that he was going to need to be after our trip to Africa.
I think we were going to get to the house.
Actually, it turned out it was after our trip to the Philippines.
We had our invitations and programs ended up leaving by that time and purchased a regulation small video crew for it.
Larry, Paul, and Julie and Christian were collaborating and writing the play.
And Julie was a very great bird.
The play came out all night after that trip.
But for most of the people in the neighborhood,
and the Cinderella that we called, she played Cinderella, Julia played the prince, Tricia played the step-sister.
And her half-sister, and Tricia corrected me by saying her half-sister is probably the good step-sister.
Oh, the iconics and the girls used to do that.
collect things around the neighborhood.
And then many of those things are in the house.
So the money we get from the Red Cross, on one occasion, we made $4 for this kind of a project.
Also, we have to treat a lot of times those kids in a different house.
And rather than going through the dead ends and having to dispose of them otherwise, we put out a sign for your kids.
And within a day, they were all gone.
I'm very well.
I'm feeling much warmer.
So this morning and last night, we obviously were very tired.
Thank you.
NARA Description
On July 22, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 2:47 pm and 3:05 pm. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 197-016 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 197-016
Date: July 22, 1972
Time: Unknown between 2:47 pm and 3:05 pm
Location: Camp David Hard Wire
The President dictated a memorandum.
*****************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 09/25/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[197-016-w001]
[Duration: 2m]
1972 election
-Presidential debates
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Clark MacGregor
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
-George S. McGovern request
-The President’s participation in repeal of Section 315
-Vote on Section 315
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Differences between the two candidates
-Render debate unnecessary
-1964
-Foreign policy issues
-Potential debate subjects
-The President’s opinion
-Sensitivity of international negotiations
-Intelligence
*****************************************************************
Camp David operator talked with the President.
[Conversation No. 197-16A]
[See Conversation No. 136-13]
The President resumed dictation at an unknown time between 3:05 and 3:57 pm.
*****************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 09/26/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[197-016-w002]
[Duration: 5m 56s]
The President's schedule
-Previous wedding of Dabney Jane Hibbert and Barry Wayne Feather
-The President’s opinion
-Church
-The President’s description
-Minister
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
-Tricia Nixon Cox
-Dress
-Barry Wayne Feather
-Cousins [?]
-Previous visit to the President's California house
-Shoe shining
Spiro T. Agnew
-The President's announcement
-Low-key
-Answers to attacks
Life magazine
-Pictures
-Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon
Bobby Fischer
-Supporter of the President
-The President’s description
-Introverted
-Family background
-Death of mother
The President's family schedule
-Thelma C. (Ryan) (“Pat”) Nixon
-Water ballets
-Previous trip to California
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower and Tricia Nixon Cox
-J. Edgar Hoover
-Previous trip to Africa
-Previous trip to Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
-Tricia Nixon Cox's and Julie Nixon Eisenhower's previous collaboration
-Parts
-Cinderella and Prince Charming
-Cinderella’s stepsisters
-Cats
-The President’s opinion
-Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon Eisenhower
-Kittens
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
-Unknown person’s health
*****************************************************************
[The memorandum continues as Conversation No. 197-18]Also recorded on July 22, 1972
- 136-010 2:44 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 2:44 pm and 2:46 pm.
- 197-013 2:44 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 2:44 pm and 2:46 pm.
- 136-011 2:46 PM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David from 2:46 pm to 2:47 pm.
- 197-014 2:46 PM · 39 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 2:46 pm to 2:47 pm.
- 136-012 2:47 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 2:47 pm and 3:57 pm.
- 136-013 2:47 PM · 29 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 2:47 pm and 3:57 pm.
- 136-014 2:47 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 2:47 pm and 3:57 pm.
- 197-015 2:47 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 2:47 pm and 3:05 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 197-016, July 22, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/197-016 (accessed October 12, 2026).