Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 382 › Conversation 382-005
Nixon & Butterfield on White House administration and Cabinet dinner
Saturday, December 16, 1972 · 1:26 PM–1:35 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 6 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met to coordinate the administrative logistics of upcoming White House events. The discussion focused on scheduling potential meetings with John D. Ehrlichman and refining the guest list and seating arrangements for a Cabinet dinner. The two evaluated potential additions to the dinner, including H.R. Haldeman, Leonard Garment, and Herbert G. Klein, to ensure the appropriate size and composition for the gathering.
- White House administration
- Cabinet dinner
- Scheduling
- Staff management
- Guest list
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 36% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 December 16, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:26 pm to 1:35 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 382-005 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 382-5
Date: December 16, 1972
Time: 1:26 pm - 1:35 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.
The President’s schedule
-Possible meeting with John D. Ehrlichman
-Issues
-Cabinet dinner
-Seating arrangements
-Guest list
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Size
-Possible additions
-23-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 382-5 (cont’d)
-Dr. Edward E. David, Jr. [?]
-Leonard Garment
-Herbert G. Klein
-Size
-Seating arrangements
Butterfield left at 1:35 pm.Also recorded on December 16, 1972
- 034-096 11:30 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:30 am and 12:11 pm.
- 034-097 12:11 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield talked on the telephone from 12:11 pm to 12:12 pm.
- 382-003 12:45 PM · 39 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Henry A. Kissinger, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:45 pm to 1:25 pm.
- 382-004 1:26 PM · 30 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 1:26 pm and 1:35 pm.
- 034-098 1:35 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:35 pm and 3:25 pm.
- 382-006 1:35 PM · 13 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 1:35 pm and 3:25 pm.
- 382-007 1:35 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:35 pm and 3:25 pm.
- 382-008 1:35 PM · 9 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 1:35 pm and 3:25 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 382-005, December 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/382-005 (accessed October 12, 2026).