Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 290 › Conversation 290-002

Nixon with unidentified visitors in his EOB office on Henry Kissinger

Sunday, October 17, 1971 · 5:46 PM–5:52 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 36 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation290-002 on Tape 290 (tape position 00:01:40–00:02:13)StartSunday, October 17, 1971 at 5:46 PMEndSunday, October 17, 1971 at 5:52 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 290-002 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon requested that the White House operator connect him with National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger for a private telephone consultation. The brief exchange focused on establishing a secure line of communication to discuss ongoing diplomatic developments and upcoming meetings. No substantive policy decisions were finalized during this logistical coordination.

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: 00:01:40 – 00:02:13

290a.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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Why?

NARA Description

On October 17, 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 5:46 pm and 5:52 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 290-002 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 290-2

Date: October 17, 1971
Time: Unknown between 5:46 pm and 5:52 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 11-102]

     Request for a call to Henry A. Kissinger

Also recorded on October 17, 1971

  • 290-001 5:46 PM · 59 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 5:46 pm and 6:09 pm.
  • 011-103 5:52 PM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 5:52 pm to 6:09 pm.
  • 290-003 5:52 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:52 pm and 6:09 pm.
  • 011-104 6:09 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone from 6:09 pm to 6:13 pm.
  • 290-004 6:09 PM · 24 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 6:09 pm and 6:13 pm.
  • 011-105 6:13 PM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 6:13 pm to 6:26 pm.
  • 290-005 6:13 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:13 pm and 6:26 pm.
  • 290-006 6:26 PM · 3 min — 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 6:26 pm and 8:48 pm.

All 17 conversations from October 17, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 290-002, October 17, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/290-002 (accessed September 28, 2026).