Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 317 › Conversation 317-008
Nixon & Safire on Speechwriting and White House Administration
Monday, January 24, 1972 · 3:08 PM–3:09 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 32 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon and speechwriter William Safire engaged in a brief, disjointed exchange regarding the preparation of pending documents or speaking subjects. The President deferred immediate action, indicating he needed to review the subject matter before providing further instructions to Safire. The discussion concluded with an agreement for the President to follow up with Safire once he had completed his internal review.
- Speechwriting
- White House Administration
- Presidential Communication
- Internal Policy Review
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 January 24, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and William L. Safire met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:08 pm to 3:09 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 317-008 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 317-008 Date: January 24, 1972 Time: 3:08 pm - 3:09 pm Location: Executive Office Building William L. Safire talked with the President. [See Conversation No. 19-43]
Also recorded on January 24, 1972
- 317-007 3:00 PM · 18 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 3:00 pm and 3:08 pm.
- 019-043 3:08 PM · 37 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and William L. Safire talked on the telephone from 3:08 pm to 3:09 pm.
- 317-009 3:09 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:09 pm and 3:15 pm.
- 317-010 3:15 PM · 39 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:15 pm to 3:17 pm.
- 019-044 3:17 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:17 pm and 3:23 pm.
- 317-011 3:17 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 3:17 pm and 3:23 pm.
- 019-045 3:23 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally talked on the telephone from 3:23 pm to 3:29 pm.
- 317-012 3:23 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John B. Connally met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:23 pm to 3:29 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 317-008, January 24, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/317-008 (accessed September 26, 2026).