Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 281 › Conversation 281-015

Nixon alone in his EOB office on Supreme Court and Presidential appointments

Thursday, October 21, 1971 · 10:30 AM–10:51 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 57 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation281-015 on Tape 281 (tape position 01:23:30–01:24:56)StartThursday, October 21, 1971 at 10:30 AMEndThursday, October 21, 1971 at 10:51 AMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 281-015 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon utilized this session to dictate notes intended for a formal speech regarding his upcoming nominations for the Supreme Court. The President specifically focused on incorporating perspectives or commentary from journalist Walter Lippmann into the draft. This process served as a preparatory step in shaping the administration's public messaging strategy for the judicial appointments.

Audio

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This clip was extracted from the full tape recording by Easy Nixon.

Listen to the full tape segment

Position in tape: 01:23:30 – 01:24:56

281a.mp3
281b.mp3
281c.mp3

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Out of power within our society was turned dangerously against the peace forces.
20 more months ago .

NARA Description

On October 21, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:30 am and 10:51 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 281-015 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 281-15

Date: October 21, 1971
Time: Unknown between 10:30 am and 10:51 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President dictated notes for a speech.

     The President's announcement of appointees to the Supreme Court
          -Walter Lippmann

Also recorded on October 21, 1971

  • 281-014 10:30 AM · 18 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 10:30 am and 10:51 am.
  • 281-016 10:30 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:30 am and 10:51 am.
  • 281-017 10:30 AM · 40 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 10:30 am and 10:51 am.
  • 281-018 10:30 AM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:30 am and 10:51 am.
  • 281-019 10:30 AM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:30 am and 10:51 am.
  • 281-020 10:30 AM · 6 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 10:30 am and 10:51 am.
  • 281-021 10:30 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:30 am and 10:51 am.
  • 281-022 10:30 AM · 7 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 10:30 am and 10:51 am.

All 107 conversations from October 21, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 281-015, October 21, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/281-015 (accessed October 12, 2026).