Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 291 › Conversation 291-016

Nixon with unidentified visitors in his EOB office on personal communications

Monday, October 18, 1971 · 5:21 PM–5:24 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 13 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation291-016 on Tape 291 (tape position 01:47:18–01:47:30)StartMonday, October 18, 1971 at 5:21 PMEndMonday, October 18, 1971 at 5:24 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 291-016 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon contacted the White House operator to facilitate a personal phone call to First Lady Pat Nixon. The brief interaction served as a logistical request for the operator to connect the President to his wife. No policy matters or significant administrative decisions were discussed during this brief exchange.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

This is next to the police.

NARA Description

On October 18, 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 5:21 pm and 5:24 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 291-016 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 291-16

Date: October 18, 1971
Time: Unknown between 5:21 pm and 5:24 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 11-116]

     Request for a call to Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon

Also recorded on October 18, 1971

  • 291-014 5:15 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Chet Holifield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:15 pm to 5:20 pm.
  • 011-115 5:19 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Chet Holifield talked on the telephone from 5:19 pm to 5:21 pm.
  • 011-116 5:21 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:21 pm and 5:24 pm.
  • 291-015 5:21 PM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:21 pm and 5:24 pm.
  • 011-117 5:24 PM · 32 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 5:24 pm to 5:25 pm.
  • 291-017 5:24 PM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:24 pm to 5:25 pm.
  • 011-118 5:25 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:25 pm and 5:32 pm.
  • 291-018 5:25 PM · 4 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 5:25 pm and 5:32 pm.

All 46 conversations from October 18, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 291-016, October 18, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/291-016 (accessed September 28, 2026).