Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 285 › Conversation 285-017
Nixon with unidentified visitors in his EOB office on telecommunications
Thursday, October 7, 1971 · 12:16 PM–12:26 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 5 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon interacts with a White House operator to facilitate a telephonic connection. This brief exchange serves as the logistical precursor to a subsequent, separate conversation. No substantive policy discussions or administrative decisions occur during this brief technical interaction.
- White House communications
- telecommunications
- operational procedures
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On October 7, 1971, 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 12:16 pm and 12:26 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 285-017 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 285-017
Date: October 7, 1971
Time: Unknown between 12:16 pm and 12:26 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President talked with White House operator.
[See Conversation No. 10-126]
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542Also recorded on October 7, 1971
- 010-126 12:02 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:26 pm.
- 010-141 12:02 PM · 24 sec — the recording device engaged at 12:02 pm, but the conversation appears to be blank.
- 285-018 12:16 PM · 39 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and William L. Safire met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:16 pm to 12:27 pm.
- 010-127 12:26 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William L. Safire talked on the telephone from 12:26 pm to 12:27 pm.
- 010-128 12:28 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 12:28 pm.
- 010-129 12:28 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William L. Safire talked on the telephone from 12:28 pm to 12:31 pm.
- 285-019 12:28 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 12:28 pm.
- 285-020 12:28 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William L. Safire met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:28 pm to 12:31 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 285-017, October 7, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/285-017 (accessed October 6, 2026).