Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 279 › Conversation 279-001
Nixon & Butterfield on Presidential appointments and Security clearances
Wednesday, September 22, 1971 · 9:50 AM–9:55 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 3 min
AI Summary
President Nixon met with Alexander P. Butterfield to handle routine administrative tasks, including the signing of presidential documents and the review of a briefing book. The two discussed the security clearance and political background of Irving Brown, comparing his ideological history to Jay Lovestone. Nixon provided brief instructions regarding the handling of specific memoranda and materials located on his desk in the Oval Office.
- Presidential appointments
- Security clearances
- Irving Brown
- Administrative procedures
- Executive Office management
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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
Each line starts with a timestamp button; press it to play the audio from that point.
NARA Description
On September 22, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:50 am to 9:55 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 279-001 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 279-1
Date: September 22, 1971
Time: 9:50 am - 9:55 am
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.
Items for the President's signature
[Signing documents]
Presidential appointments
-Security clearances
-Irving Brown
-Jay Lovestone
-Background
-Presidential appointment
-Support for administration
-Memorandum
-The President's desk
-Oval Office
-William P. Rogers
-Brown
Butterfield
-Briefing book of questions and answers
-The President's desk
-Oval Office
Butterfield left at 9:55 am.Also recorded on September 22, 1971
- 279-002 10:03 AM · 46 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:03 am to 10:52 am.
- 009-111 10:53 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:53 am and 11:14 am.
- 279-003 10:53 AM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:53 am and 11:14 am.
- 279-004 10:53 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:53 am and 11:14 am.
- 279-005 10:53 AM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:53 am and 11:14 am.
- 009-112 11:14 AM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan talked on the telephone from 11:14 am to 11:45 am.
- 279-006 11:14 AM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 11:14 am to 11:25 am.
- 009-113 11:25 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:25 am and 11:39 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 279-001, September 22, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/279-001 (accessed October 12, 2026).