Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 339 › Conversation 339-018

Nixon & Lukash on Presidential security and Threat assessment

Monday, May 15, 1972 · 9:40 PM–9:43 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Lukash, William M.Conversation339-018 on Tape 339 (tape position 02:52:29–02:53:39)StartMonday, May 15, 1972 at 9:40 PMEndMonday, May 15, 1972 at 9:43 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 339-018 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon consulted with his personal physician, Dr. William M. Lukash, regarding the security measures and protective details surrounding an unnamed individual facing a specific threat. The brief exchange reflects the President’s concern for the adequacy of the protection provided and his justification for actions taken to address the situation. No specific policy decisions were finalized, but the dialogue emphasizes the President's direct involvement in overseeing high-stakes security protocols.

Audio

Download MP3 (part 1) · 111.9 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 108.1 MB

This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 02:52:29 into the tape and ends around 02:53:39.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

2:53:01I did it, but not at first.
2:53:02I did the right thing.
2:53:03I don't know how he ordered him to have protection from the threat.
2:53:04I don't know how he ordered him to have protection from the threat.
2:53:06I don't know how he ordered him to have protection from the threat.

NARA Description

On May 15, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and William M. Lukash met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:40 pm to 9:43 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 339-018 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 339-18

Date: May 15, 1972
Time: 9:40-9:43 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Dr. William M. Lukash.

[See Conversation No. 24-129]

Also recorded on May 16, 1972

  • 024-127 9:35 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:35 pm and 9:36 pm.
  • 339-016 9:35 PM · 10 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 9:35 pm and 9:36 pm.
  • 024-128 9:36 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 9:36 pm to 9:39 pm.
  • 339-017 9:36 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:36 pm to 9:39 pm.
  • 024-129 9:40 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William M. Lukash talked on the telephone from 9:40 pm to 9:43 pm.
  • 024-130 9:44 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ann Duggan talked on the telephone from 9:44 pm to 9:45 pm.
  • 339-019 9:44 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ann Duggan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:44 pm to 9:45 pm.
  • 339-020 9:45 PM · 5 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 9:45 pm and 9:48 pm.

All 113 conversations from May 16, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 339-018, May 16, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/339-018 (accessed October 9, 2026).