{"conversationCode":"282-020","tapeNumber":282,"conversationNumber":20,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-282-020","startDateTime":"1971-10-20T20:05:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1971-10-20T20:12:00.000Z","startDate":"20-Oct-1971","startTime":"4:05 PM","endDate":"20-Oct-1971","endTime":"4:12 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.; Haldeman, H. R. (\"Bob\");","description":"On October 20, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, and H. R. (\"Bob\") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:05 pm to 4:12 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 282-020 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"EOB","recordingDevice":"Old Executive Office Building","latitudeEstimated":38.897567,"longitudeEstimated":-77.039147,"chronCode":2,"chronRelease":"Second Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"26-Oct-2000","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 282-20\n\nDate: October 20, 1971\nTime: 4:05 pm - 4:12 pm\nLocation: Executive Office Building\n\nThe President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.\n\f     Items for the President's signature\n          -Photograph\n                 -John R. Brown, III\n\n     The President's schedule\n          -Lucy A. Winchester\n               -Dinner for Nobusuke Kishi\n                      -Number of attendees\n                      -Henry Kearns\n                      -Frank J. Shakespeare\n\nThe President talked with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman at an unknown time between 4:05 pm and\n4:12 pm.\n\n[Conversation No. 282-20A]\n\n     Forthcoming White House dinner\n          -Family dining room\n          -Guest list\n               -Attendees\n               -George P. Shultz\n\n[End of telephone conversation]\n\n     Forthcoming White House dinner\n          -Number of attendees\n          -Food\n          -Wine\n          -Family dining room\n                -Winchester\n                -Number of guests\n          -Interpreter\n          -Photographs\n          -Honor guard\n          -Attendees\n                -Japanese delegates\n                -Kishi\n                -Nobuhiko Ushiba\n\nButterfield left at 4:12 pm.","filename":["282-020.mp3"],"tapeStart":"01:13:43","tapeEnd":"01:18:32","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Butterfield, Alexander P.","Haldeman, H. R. (\"Bob\")"],"prevCode":"282-019","nextCode":"282-021","transcript":[{"start":1.33,"end":9.67,"text":"This John Brown, the former staff secretary, got a sort of collage of pictures with only signatures."},{"start":9.91,"end":10.83,"text":"This goes in the center."},{"start":10.85,"end":12.83,"text":"He could sign, since he recognized us."},{"start":12.91,"end":14.63,"text":"Just right across the center, right there."},{"start":14.65,"end":14.93,"text":"Right here?"},{"start":14.95,"end":15.11,"text":"Yes, sir."},{"start":15.15,"end":15.71,"text":"Or up there."},{"start":15.75,"end":18.91,"text":"Up there is fine, too."},{"start":19.01,"end":21.99,"text":"Yeah, it's a little clear right there."},{"start":22.15,"end":23.15,"text":"And this is just..."},{"start":35.99,"end":39.96,"text":"Lucy asked me to remind you of the upstairs family hang, and she thinks that's going to be awfully crowded."},{"start":39.98,"end":41,"text":"We tried to get 18 people in there."},{"start":41.04,"end":47.32,"text":"Well, there were 16 on the list of barbecues to us this morning, and we added Henry Kernison."},{"start":47.44,"end":52.94,"text":"From Shakespeare, that's 18 in the head of it."},{"start":53.06,"end":56.62,"text":"Well, we have to count the rest."},{"start":56.71,"end":57.19,"text":"Here we go."},{"start":62.35,"end":64.19,"text":"Bob, we'll have to cut that list down."},{"start":64.21,"end":65.79,"text":"I didn't realize you were up to 18."},{"start":65.89,"end":69.23,"text":"Alex Schuster told me that."},{"start":70.43,"end":76.5,"text":"I didn't want that many of the manly diners that's got to be around."},{"start":79.3,"end":79.54,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":79.6,"end":80.96,"text":"Well, fine, fine."},{"start":81.08,"end":82.84,"text":"Well, I just mentioned I'll approve the list then, okay?"},{"start":82.88,"end":85.42,"text":"You haven't asked anybody yet?"},{"start":85.44,"end":85.92,"text":"Oh, fine, no problem."},{"start":86.62,"end":87.88,"text":"I'll check the list out."},{"start":87.9,"end":90.56,"text":"I'll get it done as well."},{"start":103.9,"end":104.48,"text":"Who else?"},{"start":104.96,"end":105.24,"text":"Who else?"},{"start":107.9,"end":108.16,"text":"Who else?"},{"start":108.5,"end":117.03,"text":"Who else?"},{"start":117.06,"end":119.79,"text":"Who else?"},{"start":121.45,"end":121.83,"text":"Who else?"},{"start":122.15,"end":122.71,"text":"Who else?"},{"start":122.77,"end":123.11,"text":"Who else?"},{"start":123.93,"end":124.49,"text":"Who else?"},{"start":124.75,"end":125.07,"text":"Who else?"},{"start":125.23,"end":125.73,"text":"Who else?"},{"start":125.79,"end":125.97,"text":"Who else?"},{"start":126.03,"end":126.43,"text":"Who else?"},{"start":127.27,"end":127.49,"text":"Who else?"},{"start":129.57,"end":130.37,"text":"Who else?"},{"start":138.2,"end":142.6,"text":"I'll tell you what, it's really whoever George thinks can do it."},{"start":143.08,"end":145.26,"text":"Now, George is the ideal man to do it himself."},{"start":145.3,"end":151.84,"text":"He just ought to take the man that's closest to him, that he can control."},{"start":151.86,"end":151.96,"text":"Okay?"},{"start":151.98,"end":152.46,"text":"Okay, okay."},{"start":152.48,"end":154.26,"text":"You got the list, please?"},{"start":154.28,"end":154.47,"text":"No, no, no."},{"start":154.49,"end":157.93,"text":"I've got it down to 12, I guess, and it's just my own dinner."},{"start":157.95,"end":160.81,"text":"And I want it upstairs for other reasons."},{"start":160.87,"end":161.03,"text":"Good."},{"start":163.39,"end":166.37,"text":"Normally, we would not have a salad for a small study like this."},{"start":170.3,"end":170.93,"text":"We don't sell it."},{"start":171.38,"end":174.15,"text":"We normally have only two wines rather than three, although there is a fish course."},{"start":174.93,"end":188.99,"text":"We know it's a lot of course, so maybe one thing."},{"start":189.01,"end":189.11,"text":"Wines."},{"start":189.17,"end":191.15,"text":"But how many they can pay for this family dining?"},{"start":191.23,"end":194.46,"text":"They can pay 16, I'm sure."},{"start":194.48,"end":195.24,"text":"Lucy says 12."},{"start":196.3,"end":196.5,"text":"Christmas."},{"start":197.15,"end":197.63,"text":"She's gun-shy."},{"start":197.67,"end":201.02,"text":"She said she knew that the cigarette I watched before 10 was a mask."},{"start":201.26,"end":201.7,"text":"What is it?"},{"start":201.72,"end":202.82,"text":"But that's for 10."},{"start":202.88,"end":206.12,"text":"I feel certain it was for probably 14."},{"start":206.6,"end":209.92,"text":"We want to put it upstairs for other reasons."},{"start":209.94,"end":216.17,"text":"You could have a couple of those fellas made interpreters."},{"start":216.41,"end":216.71,"text":"Oh, they are."},{"start":216.91,"end":220.97,"text":"I'm going to have them sit on the table."},{"start":222.97,"end":223.57,"text":"I'm not going to."},{"start":223.59,"end":224.46,"text":"I only have one interpreter."},{"start":225.48,"end":226.94,"text":"If we have that one."},{"start":226.96,"end":227.66,"text":"One interpreter."},{"start":227.92,"end":229.32,"text":"There's nothing."},{"start":229.36,"end":232.56,"text":"There's nothing to worry about."},{"start":232.58,"end":236.8,"text":"And for the coffee, of course, would you want to have it right here at the table?"},{"start":236.82,"end":237.58,"text":"Yes, we probably will."},{"start":237.66,"end":239.16,"text":"We'll drop this at the table."},{"start":241.43,"end":248.19,"text":"You get me the list and I'll pick it off, okay?"},{"start":248.21,"end":260.44,"text":"Except for the Japanese, the Kishi of the Ueshiba should be invited as ambassador."},{"start":260.45,"end":264.1,"text":"That's all I have on the Japanese side."},{"start":264.5,"end":266.52,"text":"It's Kishi of Ueshiba."},{"start":270.43,"end":271.98,"text":"Well, or maybe one more."},{"start":273.2,"end":276.75,"text":"Just tell them they have three."},{"start":276.79,"end":278.94,"text":"That's all."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon met with Alexander Butterfield and H.R. Haldeman to handle administrative tasks, including the signing of a photograph for John R. Brown, III. The group primarily focused on planning a forthcoming White House dinner for Nobusuke Kishi, specifically debating guest list capacity in the family dining room. Nixon ultimately directed that the guest list be reduced to ensure a more intimate setting and instructed his staff to finalize the invitees for the Japanese delegation.","topics":["White House administration","Nobusuke Kishi","Guest list management","State dinner planning","Alexander Butterfield"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T13:17:41.481Z"},"topicSlugs":["white-house-administration","nobusuke-kishi","guest-list-management","state-dinner-planning","alexander-butterfield"],"audioDurationSec":280,"audioFiles":[{"file":"282-020.mp3","bytes":11202158,"durationSec":279.91,"bitrate":320160,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:38.615Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/282-020.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/282-020","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/282/conversation-282-020","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}