Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 319 › Conversation 319-012

Nixon & Butterfield on Cabinet meeting and White House administration

Monday, February 7, 1972 · 4:40 PM–4:43 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation319-012 on Tape 319 (tape position 01:10:28–01:13:17)StartMonday, February 7, 1972 at 4:40 PMEndMonday, February 7, 1972 at 4:43 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 319-012 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield coordinate the seating arrangements and attendee list for an upcoming Cabinet meeting involving congressional leaders and White House staff. The President emphasizes prioritizing key leadership positions while expressing a desire to limit the overall number of staff attendees to maintain focus. The discussion also touches upon the status of a foreign assistance bill statement.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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No split on it, is there?
Do you want Stans to sit on your right tomorrow?
Do you have any special honor other than the chair, or just mention the chair?
Normally, you know, the leaders are either side of you.
We'll mix them up in other than the leaders.
I don't think Stans needs to.
I think we've done something.
We'll get a dinner for him and the rest.
You would like to place the leaders on either side of you?
They should be here.
It's the way it always is.
His fans should be over there, and he'll get enough out of the recognition while he's there.
And, you know, don't worry about those people.
He had his day.
They got their day.
Now, this is simply the leaders and the captain, right?
We're not going to have a whole White House staff meeting, right?
I can't get the ass off the leaders.
We have too many White House staff.
We're all at the helm.
We don't know what that's going to apply to.
I didn't get it.
The inclusion, of course, is a courtesy.
He hasn't been.
He hasn't been.
Dan's cooking for us.
I wouldn't bother with this.
Go ahead, now.
Go ahead.
That's the best kind of people I've met.
I've met them.
They do pictures on that, you know, on bare hands.
They say, oh, I don't have all these guys, and all these guys are there coming.
Oh, well, Steiger and Jackson.
Steiger?
Steiger.
Oh, Steiger.
Steiger, not Steiger.
Steiger.
Yeah, good.
OK.

NARA Description

On February 7, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:40 pm to 4:43 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 319-012 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 319-12

Date: February 7, 1972
Time: 4:40 pm - 4:43 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.

     Foreign assistance bill
          -Statement
                -Status

     President’s schedule
           -Cabinet meeting
                -Seating arrangements
                      -Maurice H. Stans
                      -William E. Timmons
                            -Congressional leaders
                -Congressional leaders
                -White House staff
                      -Peter G. Peterson
                      -Timmons, Richard K. Cook, Thomas C. Korologos
                      -Henry A. Kissinger
                      -Harry S. Dent
                -William E. Brock, III, William A. Steiger, Jack F. Kemp
                      -Harley O. Staggers

Butterfield left at 4:43 pm.

Also recorded on February 7, 1972

  • 319-013 4:43 PM · 3 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 4:43 pm and 4:44 pm.
  • 020-050 4:44 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 4:44 pm to 4:49 pm.
  • 319-014 4:44 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:44 pm to 4:49 pm.
  • 020-051 4:49 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:49 pm and 4:52 pm.
  • 319-015 4:49 PM · 43 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:49 pm and 4:52 pm.
  • 319-016 4:49 PM · 3 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 4:49 pm and 4:52 pm.
  • 319-017 4:49 PM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:49 pm and 4:52 pm.
  • 319-018 4:52 PM · 49 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:52 pm to 4:53 pm.

All 41 conversations from February 7, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 319-012, February 7, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/319-012 (accessed October 1, 2026).